Desperate times call for desperate measures.
According to ESPN’s Peter Gammons, the Boston Red Sox have asked 2B Dustin Pedroia if he would be willing to move over to shortstop:
They’ve asked me if I think I could play shortstop,” says Pedroia. “They’ve put it out there and I’ve told them I’m all for it. I can do it. I can’t wait for Tito [Terry Francona] to call me and ask, ‘Can you do it?’ I can do it. I really want to do it.”
Why don’t the Red Sox just hold open tryouts for shortstops at this point?
You know how Texas A&M has the tradition of the “12th Man Kickoff Team” where members of the student body get to try out for the football team? The Red Sox should do that to fill their shortstop need in 2010.
The Red Sox should just go to Boston College, Harvard, Providence, and UMass to find a shortstop in 2010.
Now if anyone can make the transition from second to short, it could be Pedroia. After all, he was an All-American shortstop at Arizona State University.
Like Gammons said, moving Pedroia to short would allow the Red Sox to pursue one of the top-tier second basemen on the market this winter. There are better options at second base via trade or free agency than there are shortstops.
Orlando Hudson, Dan Uggla, Brandon Phillips, and even Mark DeRosa are all second basemen who can be had this winter. If Pedroia does move to second, out of the group above, Phillips might make the most sense.
Uggla can’t play defense, DeRosa is more of a third baseman at this point in his career, and Hudson seemingly gets hurt every year. Phillips is a great defensive player and is a player that could thrive in the deep Red Sox lineup.
I wrote about the pros and cons of trading for Phillips last month.
The more I think about, the more I think this has a very good chance of happening. Pedroia is the ultimate team player and will do whatever it takes to win. If that means moving to shortstop, then so be it.
“When the idea of moving back to shortstop was floated to me, I welcomed it,” says Pedroia. “I’m excited. Tell Derek (Jeter) to enjoy the gold glove and silver slugger awards while he can. Obviously, I’m not serious about the fun I have with Derek, but I’m never stopping believing in the goal. I believe I can play shortstop and help get the Red Sox back where they belong.”
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