Xander Bogaerts seems intent on remaining at shortstop. But apparently that's not stopping the Boston Red Sox from pursuing another middle infielder in free agency.
The Red Sox are "taking a look" at free-agent shortstop Trevor Story after watching Freddie Freeman join the Los Angeles Dodgers late Wednesday night, MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported Thursday.
Heyman notes the St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros and Minnesota Twins are other potential options for Story, a two-time All-Star who has racked up 158 home runs and 450 RBIs in six seasons with the Colorado Rockies.
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Story has played shortstop for his entire career to date, but he'd need to move to second base in Boston, where Bogaerts has been the team's starting shortstop since 2015 and has no plans to relinquish his post.
A shift to second base actually could benefit Story, who has had multiple elbow injuries and missed a handful of games last season with right elbow inflammation. While a Bogaerts-Story middle infield wouldn't be the best defensive combination, the duo would be an offensive powerhouse, with Story a significant upgrade over Christian Arroyo at the plate.
Would Story be worth the cost, though? The 29-year-old is expected to demand at least $25 million annually on a multi-year deal that would pay him into his mid-thirties, and Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom has yet to show a willingness to hand out that kind of money in free agency.
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Boston has several other pressing needs -- including at starting pitcher following Chris Sale's rib injury -- so it will be interesting to see whether Bloom prioritizes those or makes a serious run at Story.