If the Red Sox fail to sign free-agent 3B
Pablo Sandoval, there are a number of fall-back options they can pursue. They could take another chance on
Will Middlebrooks (
highly unlikely). They could move
Xander Bogaerts back to third and start
Deven Marerro at SS (
somewhat unlikely). They could sign
Hanley Ramirez or
Chase Headley (
kind of unlikely). Finally, they could play newly-acquired
Juan Francisco at third (
depressingly likely). Then, there are some
longer-term options—one of which is signing 19-year old Cuban infielder
Yoan Moncanda. Boston has been identified by
Baseball America as
one of eight teams in a good position to snatch up the defector from
Fidel Castro's Prison Island. More recently, it's been reported by
WEEI.com's Alex Speier that
the Red Sox Director of International Scouting attended a workout by Moncanda in Guatemala. His assessment was as follows,
"He's in tremendous shape. We'll do our due diligence." Especially if they flub the
PandaQuest.
