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It’s been an interesting offseason for the San Deigo Padres with the latest news revolving around Xander Bogaerts. Manager Mike Shildt dropped some interesting information surrounding the future of the club’s infield, with the coach announcing that Bogaerts will shift to second base for the 2024 season.
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Shildt said that the decision to move Xander Bogaerts to second base is directly tied to Ha-Seong Kim. The Padres prefer to have Ha-Seong Kim play shortstop with Bogaerts shifting to second base full-time. It’s an interesting move given the lucrative contract that the San Diego Padres gave Bogaerts to be their shortstop.
Prior to the 2023 campaign, Bogaerts left the Boston Red Sox in free agency, joining the San Diego Padres on an 11-year, $280,000,000 contract. While the contract raised a few eyebrows at the time, it has certainly become more polarizing now.
Fans have pointed out that the Friars will now be paying over $200,000,000 for a second baseman. Given the history of the San Diego Padres lately, fans have turned rather pessimistic about the move. Some fans have even gone as far as to say that Bogaerts’ contract has easily become the worst salary on the team’s books.
While some fans have shown some optimism on social media regarding the defensive shift, many have pointed out the fact that Xander Bogaerts’ defensive abilities are trending downward. Many Padres fans feel that the former Red Sox star’s fielding range and throwing arm are in decline, which is why the team prefers Kim at shortstop.
Xander Bogaerts is the latest player whose position has been changed by the San Diego Padres
While the news that Bogaerts will become the team’s second baseman for the 2024 season may have surprised some fans, this is not the first time that the team has made similar moves.
One of the most talented, albeit, controversial players on the roster is Fernando Tartis Jr. The ultra-talented star from the Dominican Republic came up to the MLB as a shortstop, however, he too was tasked with taking on a new defensive position.
Coincidently it was the signing of Bogaerts that shifted Fernando Tatis Jr. to right field. Now Xander will go through the same change for the Friars. It remains to be seen how Bogaerts will adjust to the new position, however, his former Boston Red Sox teammate Trevor Story has also undergone the same defensive change from shortstop to second base.
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