The Red Sox Could Have Avoided A Major Problem

The Boston Red Sox currently find themselves in a rather sticky situation.

On top of losing Xander Bogaerts to the San Diego Padres, the team learned of some disappointing news on Tuesday.

Trevor Story, who had been signed to a six-year contract in the spring of 2022, has undergone elbow surgery and will be out for a significant amount of time.

And interestingly enough, there was a reason several teams passed on Story last offseason when he was still a free agent.

According to Buster Olney of ESPN, the Red Sox could have avoided a major problem, as several teams feared Story would need elbow surgery, and as a result did not pursue him.

There are two ways the Red Sox could have avoided this problem.

Some teams passed on Trevor Story in the spring of 2022 because they felt he inevitably would require major elbow surgery.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) January 10, 2023

The first one is obvious.

They could have simply not signed Story and instead pursued another shortstop last offseason, such as Corey Seager, or even Carlos Correa.

The second thing they could have done is extend Bogaerts long-term.

If that had been done, Boston would still have an established shortstop and a big presence in their lineup, one that is now severely lacking that power presence.

Boston does have a few options in house, such as Enrique Hernandez, and could still pursue an external option.

But by choosing another shortstop or a power bat at another position, they could have avoided this problem.

The same can be said for if they were able to extend Bogaerts when the time was right.

Now, the team is left scrambling with spring training fast approaching.