Dansby Swanson, Atlanta Braves (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
Are the Boston Red Sox recruiting Dansby Swanson? Alex Cora recently followed Swanson on Instagram, hinting at some interest between the two sides.
Dansby Swanson is the best shortstop remaining on the free-agent market. The Red Sox lost Xander Bogaerts to the San Diego Padres. Something has to give.
Swanson would be an easy fix for Boston and Chaim Bloom, plus he’d come at a discount. The signing would allow Trevor Story to stay at second base, with a reliable defensive shortstop to take the reins. Boston has some concerns about Story’s range at the position, but that’s not the case with Dansby.
Boston manager Alex Cora recently followed Swanson on instagram. While there’s no guarantee that means anything, social media can be a calculated way of showing interest, when necessary.
Should the Red Sox sign Dansby Swanson?
It almost feels like Boston is being bullied into their Dansby Swanson interest.
Chaim Bloom went into this offseason with next to no plan. Once they lost Xander Bogaerts to the San Diego Padres, Bloom was beside himself — shocked that Bogaerts would take the best offer in front of him to play for what amounts to a better team.
Signing Swanson saves some face for the Sox, and allows them to avoid taking a monumental step back. In some ways, Boston could be a better team next season should they use the money Bogaerts turned down to make the right decisions.
Those decisions should involve bringing in a top-tier shortstop, increasing the level of play in their starting rotation, and taking care of any bullpen concerns. In some ways, they’ve already done the latter with Kenley Jansen.
Swanson could cash in on the best offensive season of his career. He made his one and only NL All-Star team in 2022. Atlanta seems unwilling to pay his asking price so far, meaning the Red Sox are among several teams looking to poach him away from his Georgia roots.