Red Sox: Christian Arroyo willing to change positions for Trevor Story

Red Sox infielder willing to move for star free agent

It feels amazing to have baseball back in our day-to-day lives, doesn’t it? While it’s only spring training and the games to actually count, seeing the Red Sox off to such a solid start in 2022 has me buzzing. With free agents flying off the board left and right the anxiety in Boston has set in from the fans for the club to sign someone. The biggest name still available is Trevor Story and one Sox player is willing to do what it takes to get him here.

While talking with the media down in Fort Myers yesterday, Red Sox second baseman Christian Arroyo made it very clear he’d be up for whatever he had to do in order for the team to sign Story.

Now that Carlos Correa is off the board the next man in line is the former Rockies star and Boston is in the hunt. The thing is, for every tweet or report that the Sox are the favorite, another quickly follows saying a handful of other teams are also finalists.

For Arroyo, he isn’t threatened at all by the potential signing as he sees the value that Story brings to the lineup, and at the end of the day, he just wants to win some baseball games.

“I’m a professional baseball player,” Arroyo told MassLive.com. “The way I look at it is I’m here to win. I’m here to win baseball games. … Having talented players is without a doubt one of the best parts about being part of the Red Sox. We have a bunch of talented guys here. But if you add a guy like Trevor Story, you’re adding another superstar caliber player. So for me, I’m here to play baseball. I’m here to win baseball games. Whatever I need to do, I’ll do it. Because for me, getting to experience the postseason last year was the greatest thing ever. And that’s where we want to get back to.”

This is the kind of thing that I love to hear from guys on the roster. Legendary hockey coach Herb Brooks once made it very clear that the name on the front of the jersey is much more important than the one on the back of it. Arroyo is the definition of that mentality, as long as he gets his chances to contribute and help the team, he doesn’t care where he has to play, he just wants in on the action.

Signing Story all comes down to him agreeing to move to second base as he’s a career shortstop. As we all know, the Red Sox already have that area covered. Despite some early whispers at the beginning of the offseason, it doesn’t appear that Xander Bogaerts is willing to move from his spot. I fully respect that feeling from Bogey as he’s been with the club since he was damn near a kid and doesn’t want to be shifted from his home.

However, it’s that opposite mentality from Christian that makes me smile. It’s not often that guys will willingly move in order to bring in a new player to the clubhouse. Hell, Derek Jeter wouldn’t move for Alex Rodriguez even though A-Rod was a much better shortstop. Seriously, A-Rod could run circles around “The Captain,” at their natural positions, and unfortunately, it’s a similar situation for Bogey and Story.

“I’ve never tried it before,” Arroyo said about the outfield. “When I was with the Giants they had mentioned it to me at one point when I was in Double-A. I know last year I even talked to Goody about it when I was still just trying to make the team. Again, I’m here to win baseball games. Personal interests aside. I’m here to help the team win.”

But this is all about the fact that Arroyo is willing to give up his place in the infield, learn a brand new position, and possibly cut his own playing time all in the name of helping his team. I think we can all admit that Red Sox Nation has fully embraced Christian and his willingness to give to the team will only further endear him to the fanbase.

Injuries hampered Christian’s 2021 season but it looks as if the charismatic infielder is ready to show what he can do in 2022. Even with missing loads of time last year, he posted a .262/.324/.445 line with six bombs and 25 RBI. He would also slash .237/.237/.395 for the Red Sox in the Postseason, adding another homer and three RBI. His defense is strong as he finished 2021 with a perfect fielding percentage and a +5 DRS at second base.

It’s still too early to tell if any positional changes will need to occur as Story is still sitting out on the market, but having that ace up the sleeve is relieving. We won’t have to worry about battles in camp or guys being primadonnas. If Trevor Story does come to Boston, I wouldn’t be shocked if Christian Arroyo wasn’t one of the first to welcome him into the family. For now, we all just have to sit and wait to see what Chaim Bloom has cooked up in his laboratory.