Red Sox Continue Search for Shortstop, Pedroia?

ESPN's Peter Gammons broke the news Tuesday that the Boston Red Sox have approached 2B Dustin Pedroia about the possibility of him moving from second base to shortstop for the 2010 season. Pedroia would be yet another attempt for the Red Sox fill a position, that has been a carousel of players coming and going, since the 2004 trade of Nomar Garciaparra. The trade sent SS Orlando Cabrera to the Red Sox, along with OF Dave Roberts and 1B Doug Mientkiewicz. Cabrera played very well for the Red Sox and won a World Series Championship with them in 2004. However, that didn't assure him another season with the Sox. In the off season leading up to 2005 the Red Sox parted ways with Cabrera and signed Edgar Renteria. Renteria had a sub-par year in 2005 and after many questioning his ability to perform in a large market, the Red Sox traded him to Atlanta. After the departure of Renteria in the off season leading up to 2006 the Red Sox signed SS Alex Gonzalez to a 1 yr./$3Mil deal. Gonzalez turned in a very good year for the Sox. He posted on of the highest fielding percentages in MLB history. This, however, wasn't enough to keep Gonzalez in Boston as the carousel continued to turn. The Sox sign SS Julio Lugo to, what would turn out to be one of the worst contracts in team history, a 3yr./$27MIL deal. Lugo Struggled in 2007, but it wasn't until 2008 when the Red Sox called up SS Jed Lowrie from the minors. Lowrie began chipping away at Lugo's playing time as he continued to underperform, especially down the stretch. In 2009 the Red Sox started the season with three shortstops, Julio Lugo, Jed Lowrie, and Nick Green. Lugo continued to struggle at the beginning of 09, and after a Lowrie injury, Nick Green surprised everyone with a great month and half. When Lowrie returned from his injury Lugo sustained an injury of his own. It wasn't until just weeks before the trade deadline that Lugo got hot. Just in time for the Red Sox to deal him away to the St. Louis Cardinals. They also reacquired Alex Gonzalez from the Reds at the trading deadline. Gonzalez would again finish the year strong. He would also, again, not be resigned by the Red Sox as they declined to pick up his club option for 2010.

The Red Sox had better get this right sooner or later. The annual "who's the next shortstop" needs to stop. This current off season doesn't offer much available at the position. The Red Sox also, do not have a major league ready shortstop in their farm system, as top shortstop prospect Jose Iglesias, is only 19. This is why the Red Sox are considering moving Pedroia over from second to short. They see more potential in acquiring a player such as Placido Palanco, or Dan Ugla at second, rather than, signing Marco Scutaro to play short.

If the move is made, Pedroia wouldn't be going into this blindly. He was a "Golden Spikes" award winner as a short stop at Arizona State. He was then drafted by the Red Sox in the second round as a short stop, and he played his first full season in the Sox farm system as a shortstop. He wasn't moved to second base until 2005. When Gammon's, of ESPN, asked Pedroia for his opinion of the potential move Pedroia responded "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 [Terry Francona] to call me and ask, 'Can you do it?' I can do it. I really want to do it."

References
espn.com, redsox.com