Red Sox Links: Still Looking For A Shortstop

Is it possible that the Red Sox and Padres simply switch out shortstops this season? That proposition would be much more exciting if you forgot that Fernando Tatis Jr. wasn’t the Padres shortstop in 2022. But instead, the man who played the position in San Diego was Ha-Seong Kim. He’s one of the best infielders in the game, he showed improvement at the plate last year, and he might be on the block, now that the Padres have a middle infield logjam. (Darren Hartwell, NBC Sports)

Is the first base coach the most anonymous coach on the staff? Pitching and hitting coaches are accountable to half of their team’s performance. Third base coaches can become infamous for their decision-making (miss you, Wendell Kim). And bench coaches get to pretend they’re big boy managers a couple of times a season when the boss gets tossed. But all a poor first base coach gets to do is hold dirty equipment and yell “back!” Regardless, the Red Sox have a new one. His name is Kyle Hudson, and this is what counts as news right now. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)

You know what? I shouldn’t gripe about a new first base coach being news right now — because at leas that’s more interesting than an umpire retiring. (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)

Oh, and the Bruins head coach is a Red Sox fan, so that’s something. (Sophie Weller, MassLive)