Chaim Bloom awakens from offseason-long nap to make run at Dansby Swanson

The Boston Red Sox and Chaim Bloom may have lost shortstop Xander Bogaerts, but they are reportedly “seriously considering” former Atlanta Brave Dansby Swanson.

The Boston Red Sox have had a pretty active free agency, where they added closer Kenley Jansen and outfielder Masataka Yoshida. But, they watched homegrown talent Xander Bogaerts leave for the San Diego Padres in free agency, where he received an 11-year, $280 million contract. That did not make Red Sox fans happy, as they have a significant void in the middle infield, even with the presence of Trevor Story.

It seems like chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom is considering a big move.

According to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman, the Red Sox are “seriously considering” free agent shortstop Dansby Swanson.

Chaim Bloom, Red Sox ‘seriously considering’ free agent Dansby Swanson

The Red Sox were actually linked to Swanson before Bogaerts signed with the Padres. But now, the thought of adding Swanson is in serious consideration.

Out of the top four free agent shortstops, Swanson is the only one remaining. Trea Turner signed an 11-year, $300 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, while Carlos Correa agreed to terms with the San Francisco Giants on a 13-year, $350 million contract. With that, Swanson could receive some lucrative offers from shortstop needy teams.

As Heyman mentions, the Chicago Cubs have a need at the position, as do the Los Angeles Dodgers, who need a shortstop after Turner left for Philadelphia. Then, there’s the Atlanta Braves, who Heyman has mentioned that the Braves “shouldn’t be counted out.”

This past season, Swanson recorded a .277 batting average, a .329 on-base percentage, a .447 slugging percentage, 25 home runs, 96 RBI, 99 runs scored, and 177 hits. He was named an All Star for the first time in his career, and won his very first Gold Glove award.

Given that Swanson is the lone top shortstop available in free agency, it will be interesting to see what kind of contract he could command. The real question is — what will the Red Sox offer?