The national media is already talking about a potential Xander Bogaerts trade if the Red Sox fail to turn their season around
Bogaerts is likely to opt out of his contract following the 2022 season
While scrolling through social media you will come across things that will make you angry and frustrated to read or watch. That happened this afternoon when MLB Network’s Jon Morosi talked about Xander Bogaerts being a potential trade target for the St. Louis Cardinals.
I should caution by saying that the Red Sox are not actively trying to trade Bogaerts. However its not unrealistic to think that chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom wouldn’t move the All-Star shortstop.
Bloom has already proven that he has no emotional ties to the players in Boston like the fans do. Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi and Mitch Moreland have all been traded during his tenure.
The Cardinals make sense as a potential landing spot for Bogaerts. They just sent down Paul DeJong who has struggled this season. DeJong has hit a measly .130 with 10 hits, one home run in 77 at-bats. The potential acquisition of Bogaerts would be a major addition for the Cardinals.
Adding Bogaerts to a lineup that already features Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Dylan Carlson, veterans Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina would make them dangerous in the National League.
Bloom would likely require a prospect-laden return for Bogaerts. One player that makes sense is former Rays pitching prospect Matthew Liberatore. He was involved in the Randy Arozarena trade prior to the Rays World Series run.
The 22-year-old Liberatore is currently the Cardinals No. 4 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. He is a former first-round selection No. 16 overall back in 2018.
According to MLB Pipeline, Liberatore “thrives on pitch-ability to eat up innings. His fastball sits in the low-90s in most outings, and he’ll touch 95-96 when he rears back. He used to be best known for his upper-70s, 12-to-6 curveball, but an upper-80s slider with good, late breaking action has arguably surpassed it among his breaking pitches.”
Boston should look to also add right-handed hurler Michael McGreevy who was drafted in 2021. The 21-year-old has legit stuff with two breaking balls within his arsenal.
MLB Pipeline writes, “The 6-foot-4 right-hander’s special ability to fill up the zone has been his calling card since his first days as a Gaucho, and it’s promising that it held up even as his stuff ticked up. He throws a sinking fastball that gets into the mid-90s to headline the four-pitch mix. He spins the ball with two different breaking balls. His slider was a little ahead of his curve going into pro ball, though either could develop into above-average pitches in time. An average changeup that he can spot as well keeps hitters on their toes and can be handy against left-handers.”
If the Red Sox use the blueprint from the Betts trade to the Dodgers, Bogaerts could command a top-5 prospect, a possible major league ready player and a prospect ranked anywhere between 10-20 in the Cardinals system.
It’s really hard to fathom Bogaerts wearing another uniform but then again, Red Sox fans said the same about Betts. Trading Bogaerts makes sense if the club is out of it. They need to get something back for Bogaerts when he walks. However not keeping their unofficial face of the franchise sets a bad precedent within the system.
Letting Bogey walk tells everyone that even homegrown talent has an expiration date in Boston.
Follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisHenrique
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