As the A’s eye another rebuild, John Tomase explains why Chaim Bloom and the Red Sox should be giving Oakland a call around three pitchers in particular
The Boston Red Sox reportedly have their eyes on one of the top infielders on the free-agent market.
MLB Network's Jon Heyman reports Boston is among the many teams showing interest in flashy middle infielder Javier Baez.
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Ranking the top five MLB free-agent shortstops
Baez was traded from the Chicago Cubs to the New York Mets at the 2021 MLB trade deadline. In 138 games between the two clubs, he slashed .265/.319/.494 with 31 home runs and 87 RBI. The soon-to-be 29-year-old struck out a league-leading 184 times but improved his plate discipline during his time in Queens.
With Xander Bogaerts at shortstop, the Red Sox presumably would bring in Baez to be their full-time second baseman. If Bogaerts declines his player option after the 2022 campaign, Baez could move over and take his place.
Baez has made most of his MLB starts at shortstop (454), but the Gold Glover has plenty of experience elsewhere in the infield with 231 starts at second base and 65 starts at third.
