MLB Rumors: Boston Red Sox, Carlos Correa union would be lethal
Whenever Major League Baseball resumes, the Boston Red Sox will still have a chance to make a splash in free agency if they decide to spend big on top free agent shortstop Carlos Correa.
With a team that was just a few games away from the World Series, Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom didn’t do too much to show fans the team was serious about improving their chances to leap past a team like the Houston Astros, who they lost to in the ALCS.
One way to do that is signing one of their stars who played a big role in the Astros reaching the World Series. In batting .279 with 26 homers and 92 RBI in 555 AB in 2021, the All-Star shortstop would vastly improve the Red Sox defensively and would make a potent offense even more lethal.
Boston Red Sox would have a lethal infield with the addition of Carlos Correa
Just imagine a lineup with a core of Correa, Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers and J.D. Martinez.
With would without a doubt be the best offensive infields in all of baseball, the Red Sox would also have security at the shortstop position if Bogaerts decides to op-out of the three-year, $60 million left on his contract. Although the current shortstop has expressed his dedication to Boston, signing Correa could be more of a defensive upgrade and some security at the position if Bogaerts does decide to opt out if it even gets that far.
Due to the MLB lockout, Ken Rosenthal wrote in the Athletic on Friday that the Red Sox signing Correa may lead to them possibly dealing Bogaerts as the two share the same positions.
Ideally, the team would move Bogaerts to second base, but as Rosenthal explains, asking a player to switch positions without spring training could lead to some potential drama for Red Sox players.
"“Asking established players to change positions in a month’s time – maybe less than a month, considering Correa first would need to agree to a contract and pass his physical – would be problematic, to say the least,” Rosenthal wrote, via NBC Sports."
With the type of contract Correa will demand, the Boston Red Sox would have to weigh whether the upgrade in defense is worth possibly moving on from a player in Bogaerts who has been just as effective at the plate. Another possibility is simply getting Bogaerts and Devers to buy into position changes that would put Boogey at third and Little Papi at first base.
That scenario would take care of the team’s need at first base but would still leave them needing to upgrade at the second base position. With Christian Arroyo currently the favorite to play second base if the season somehow started on time, the Boston Red Sox could get by. They could also have KiKe Hernandez play second base at times. Perhaps that is a reason they brought back Jackie Bradley Jr.
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In concluding, once the lockout finally ends, the sweepstakes for Correa will begin. With the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays and obviously the Astros all bidding for Correa’s services, perhaps the Sox could show they are still major players in free agency by locking up Correa who has ties with Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora from their days together at Houston.