With Hanley Ramirez Reportedly Signing in Boston, Could Xander Bogaerts Be on the Move to Oakland?

According to Ken Rosenthal, free agent Hanley Ramirez will travel to Boston on Monday to finalize a deal with the Red Sox.

It is also being reported that Pablo Sandoval may be close to signing with the Red Sox as well, although that report has yet to be confirmed. Earlier, Ken Rosenthal wrote a piece explaining the options that the Red Sox would have on the trade market if they acquired both of these players. One of those options included trading shortstop Xander Bogaerts.

If this is the route the Sox are willing to travel, Billy Beane will likely be one of their first calls, because the A’s need a shortstop, he is young, and under team control until 2020. Essentially, everything Beane and the A’s are looking for. When Daniel Robertson is ready to be called up, Bogaerts could likely slide to second (or third if Josh Donaldson is traded) and the A’s would be set.

Bogaerts hit .240 in 2014, with 12 home runs and 46 rbi. The 22-year old strikes out a lot, doing so at a 25.6 percent rate last season. His defense also leave a little to be desired, accumulating a dWAR of -0.9 in 2014. Yet, he is young, and cheap, and quite possibly the A’s best option at shortstop in 2015.

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The Red Sox need pitching, and major league level pitching at that. There is a good chance that Drew Pomeranz would be on Boston’s wish list if a trade were to happen. The A’s may be relying on Pomeranz, not just in 2015, but until he becomes a free agent in 2019 as well. Sonny Gray would be off the table, and the one-year contracts of Scott Kazmir and Jeff Samardzija likely wouldn’t be enough, with Boston looking to rebuild for the future.

This is pure speculation, but it’s possible that Beane would flip Daniel Robertson, the A’s shortstop of the future, for Bogaerts, who is ready now. I would really prefer this didn’t happen, but it could make sense for Boston to consider. Robertson is just 20 years old, so they would be resetting the clock on the position, while Hanley Ramirez mans shortstop for the time being.

With the A’s acquiring Ike Davis on Sunday, the likelihood of a trade on the horizon is high. Whether or not it is to land Bogaerts is another question. Although, from a selfish standpoint, I did learn how to spell Bogaerts today, so please don’t let it be for naught.