Padres announce ex-Red Sox SS Xander Bogaerts moving to second base
Towards the end of Xander Bogaerts’ time in Boston there was often speculation he could one day move off shortstop and shift to a different position in the infield.
It appears that day has officially come.
San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt announced Friday that the four-time All-Star will transition from shortstop to second base, allowing Gold Glove winner Ha-Seong Kim to take over the position.
“My admiration for Xander Bogaerts went through the roof in this transition,” Shildt said. “He’s all in right now to go over and give it it’s full due.”
Bogaerts just completed the first season of his 11-year, $280 million contract with San Diego, which will pay him approximately $25 million per year through the 2033 season. When Bogaerts left the Red Sox for the Padres he was coming off a career-best season defensively that quieted long-running talks of a move off shortstop, but this past year he regressed back to his historical performance levels, posting a minus-four defensive runs saved mark.
Meanwhile, Kim established himself as one of the premier defensive players in the sport. Last year the 28-year-old posted plus-16 DRS across three different positions, earning the Gold Glove for NL utility players in the process.
Strictly from a performance perspective playing Kim at shortstop and Bogaerts at second base is a no brainer, but it’s also a tough pill to swallow for both Bogaerts, who has often spoken with pride about playing the position, and for San Diego, which made a huge financial commitment for him to hold the spot for the next decade.
Yet while the move could have prompted drama within the clubhouse, Shildt said Bogaerts has handled the transition remarkably.
“For him to be a good teammate, to recognize we have an elite defender in Kimmy, who won a Gold Glove, to go back and play (second base), I just admire him,” Shildt said. “It says a lot about him.”
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