SoxSpace News

The door will continue to revolve at short by Jared Carrabis
A quick look at the SS situation in 2010...

As we have all witnessed since Theo Epstein took the position of Red Sox GM from Mike Port following the 2002 season, it is safe to say that the shortstop position isn't the wonder boy's strong point.

By no means is that a knock against Epstein; he isn't the one taking grounders in between third and second, and he doesn't have a bat in his hands four times a night. However, he is in charge of making a judgement and then withdrawing x amount of dollars from John Henry's bank account.

If and when the Red Sox sign a free agent to become what hopes to be the Opening Day shortstop, that man will have the honor of being called the eighteenth shortstop to wear a Red Sox uniform since the Epstein era began in Boston. Since Nomar Garciaparra departed from Boston in the summer of 2004, no shortstop has started in consecutive Opening Day games for the Red Sox.

Alex Gonzalez was an excellent fit for Boston defensively, making just one error in 44 games for the Sox in 2009. Even his offense was highly respectable as an added bonus when the right-hander hit .284 with 5 HR and 15 RBI.

However, although not the best option, Gonzalez is no longer an option at all to be the Red Sox Opening Day starter in 2010. The Blue Jays, who offered arbitration to their previous shortstop Marco Scutaro on Tuesday, signed Gonzalez to a two-year deal, plucking him from Boston's long list of potential solutions at the shortstop position.

While we're on the subject of Scutaro, being that Toronto decided to offer him arbitration before Tuesday's deadline, his Type A free agent status will now require the team who wishes to sign the shortstop to hand over a first round draft pick to the Blue Jays before inking Scutaro to any kind of deal.

Scutaro, who will turn 35 at the conclusion of the 2010 season, will likely want a contract the length of 3-4 years. A deal that will take him nearly to the 40-years-old mark. A deal that doesn't seem logical for the Red Sox to hand out to a shortstop coming off a career year that just so happened to be a contract year. We're talking about a career .265 hitter who is going to want significant dollar signs just because of one good season, and also due to the thin shortstop market with plenty of desperate teams looking to fill their void at the shortstop position.

So desperate, even, that the most desperate of them all is entertaining the idea of moving their All Star, Gold Glove-winning, former MVP of a second baseman to the position. That's right; you heard me correctly.

According to Peter Gammons, the Red Sox contacted Dustin Pedroia and asked him if he would be open to the idea of returning to the position in which he was an All-American, while breaking records at Arizona State University.

"They've asked me if I think I could play shortstop," Pedroia said. "They've put it out there and I've told them I'm all for it. I can do it." Pedroia went on to say, "I'm excited. Tell Derek [Jeter] to enjoy the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards while he can." Not so fast, Pedey. I love the enthusiasm and the willingness to do whatever the team asks of you in order to putting a winning team on the field, but, the Red Sox will certainly explore all options before making a drastic move such as moving you to shortstop.

The Red Sox have expressed interest in just about every decent shortstop on the free agent market. Michael Silverman says Boston has interest in Adam Kennedy, while Alex Speier reports that the Sox are eyeing Adam Everett.

While some fans are calling for Jed Lowrie to be the break glass in case of emergency shortstop, the Red Sox have expressed that they want Lowrie to begin the year at Pawtucket in order to be getting at bats more consistently on a day-to-day basis.

I don't know why this option hasn't been more publicized, but I'm sure it will be now that his former team has not offered him arbitration, but on Opening Day 2010, I would like to see Miguel Tejada at shortstop. He may not be the MVP-type player that he was back in 2002, but he won't have those kind of expectations here in Boston.

Many have criticized his range being on the decline, but I'm pretty sure Derek Jeter's range was criticized even more and he was named as a Gold Glove-winner in 2009. Just sayin'. Anyway, his offensive numbers in 2009 with the Houston Astros would be highly attractive to the eyes of Red Sox fans. He batted .313 with 14 HR and 86 RBI and a .340 OBP.

Tejada is an electric player who plays hard every day, no matter what the score. He's an emotional ballplayer who wears his heart on his sleeve and puts his team first. He'll be 36 next year, but that hasn't stopped his durability, as he has played in 158 of 162 games for the past two seasons and has played in all 162 six times in his career.

It boggles my mind why Tejada isn't being talked about as the Red Sox's best option. His age is right around the same as Scutaro's, only he's not coming off of a career year and his numbers were still better than Scutaro's. Seems like a no-brainer to me, Theo. Who knows? In a lineup where he's not expected to be the big hitter anymore, less pressure could mean more production.

The Red Sox have a gaping hole in left field as we speak. The likelihood of Boston filling that void by signing a free agent is fairly high. In order to bring Matt Holliday on board, who is a Type A free agent, the Red Sox would have to send a first round pick over to the St. Louis Cardinals. It seems highly unlikely that Epstein would want to give away two draft picks in one winter if he were to also sign Scutaro, and we all know who he'd rather have of the two.

So, if I had a say in the baseball operations office on 4 Yawkey Way, I would fully endorse the idea of bring Tejada on board with a two-year deal, possibly with an option for a third until 19-year-old Jose Iglesias is ready to take the Boston baseball world by storm.

Whattaya say, Theo? Let's make this revolving door at shortstop halt for a year or two. Miggy in 2010.

-Jared Carrabis

To order Jared's debut book, One Fan's Story: If This Hat Could Talk, click HERE!