One of the positions that Atlanta Braves fans are going to be watching extremely closely this season is shortstop. There was a time where many fans thought that Orlando Arcia was going to be the answer at short after the departure of Dansby Swanson. However, after an abysmal 2024 season, Arcia's future with the Braves is officially in doubt.
After posting a respectable .738 OPS with strong defense in 2022 and 2023 combined, Arcia's production cratered last season. His .218/.271./354 line in 2024 was one of the worst in baseball amongst everyday players with his good (not not great) defensive numbers unable to outweigh the offensive cost.
There has been no shortage of harebrained schemes to fix the Braves' shortstop woes this offseason, but there has been little in the way of talk of actual solutions since Willy Adames signed with the Giants. However, Bleacher Report recently floated the idea that the Braves should try to take advantage the Padres' troubles and trade for Xander Bogaerts. While the idea isn't without merit, it probably would just cause more problems than it solves.
Taking on Xander Bogaerts' contract would cause the Braves a number of headaches
San Diego is in a tough spot at the moment. Their ownership situation is in flux thanks to a series of lawsuits after the untimely death of owner Peter Seidler. The team very clearly is trying to get spending under control while their legal situation plays out and getting Bogaerts' odious contract off their books would go a long way towards helping the cause.
For the Braves, the logic would be straightforward. In this scenario, Atlanta would take on most or all of the $25+ million a year through 2033 owed to Bogaerts in addition to getting a high level prospect for their troubles. If the Braves think that Bogaerts has something to offer at shortstop, such a move could make sense despite the financial risk.
However, this would be too much of a gamble. While Arcia was bad last season, and he truly was, he is also dirt cheap and the type of mistake that any team would be okay making. Bogaerts, on the other hand, is making a lot of money and is coming off an injured-marred season where his .688 OPS was the lowest mark he has posted since 2014. At 32 years old, one cannot help but wonder if that is going to be close to the norm the rest of the way especially for a guy that has never hit the ball especially hard. He might be "better" than Arcia the next couple of seasons at short, but probably not by enough to justify the increased financial burden.
The feasibility of any such deal may actually come down to the prospect the Padres would be willing to attach to Bogaerts. If San Diego is willing to send Leo De Vries over, a guy who is among the best prospects in baseball and who take over in the event that Bogaerts flames out, then it might be worth it. The Padres' system drops off extremely quickly after that, though, and if San Diego is wanting to rid themselves of Bogaerts' salary AND hold on to their top guys, the Braves should just walk away from the table.