CHICAGOCHICAGO — Xander Bogaerts is not sure he is ready to change positions. But he isn’t saying he is not ready to do so.
He knows the request is coming at some point. Maybe as soon as this winter.
“I’m not, ‘Oh, I’ve got to be a shortstop,’ ” said Bogaerts, who turned 31 on Sunday. “I was that guy when I came up. But I’m very realistic. And I mean, I’m not getting younger. I know. But I haven’t given any thought of if this might be too soon yet. Obviously, as a player, you feel like you can do it for a long time. But I am realistic.”
The Padres have already talked internally about moving Bogaerts to the right side of the infield, and those discussions will be ongoing. A move could be delayed if Manny Machado is limited to serving as designated hitter early in the season following his upcoming elbow surgery and Ha-Seong Kim begins the season at third base.
Kim is under team control for one more season, and he is arguably the Padres’ best defensive shortstop. Jake Cronenworth is considered a better fit at second base than where he played in 2023, at first.
If he were to move, Bogaerts would prefer second base. The Padres would have some work to do to convince him first base is where he belongs.
“I don’t want that,” Bogaerts said. “I see it this way: center field, shortstop, second base, that’s the the triangle. You start going to the corners, you’re closer to the bench. I don’t want to be too quick going (to first).”
The end
The Padres and White Sox played like their seasons were already over, and so they had to play a little extra for their seasons to be over.
Jurickson Profar’s single leading off the 11th inning scored José Azocar, and Rich Hill shut down the White Sox in his second inning to give the Padres a 2-1 victory in Sunday’s season finale.
The Padres finished 82-80, their 17th winning season in 55 years of existence.
Ha-Seong Kim’s sacrifice fly drove in Eguy Rosario in the top of the 10th inning before the White Sox scored a run off Hill in the bottom of the inning. That meant Hill would not get his first save in an MLB career that began in 2005.
The Padres substituted liberally, and the White Sox did not start a number of their regulars.
Not over, Hill?
Hill wants to keep pitching.
“I’m also realistic,” the 43-year-old left-hander said recently. “I have a pretty good gauge and a monitor on my body. And I think half a season is much more palatable than a full season.”
What Hill would like to do is sign with a team next summer.
“I have to talk to my family and see where we’re at,” he said recently. “But I would love to watch my son play Little League, and I can’t get that back. He’s gonna be 12, so it’s his last year. I’ve been fortunate enough to play this game for a long time and have a kind of position to be in that I’ve worked for and worked hard to be in and feel fortunate to be able to see that come to fruition, even through injuries and everything.”
What all that means is Hill plans to work out this offseason with the intention of playing essentially the second half of the 2024 season. The oldest active major leaguer feels better positioned to do so after working with Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla in their two months together, since Hill was acquired in an Aug. 1 trade. Hill began throwing a new two-seam fastball and came to understand his future is in the bullpen and how that might affect his pitch mix.
He figures he can stay in shape and be an option for a contender.
“Every team needs pitching,” he said. “I think as far as trying to be in what role or what capacity that is, I mean, that will be a wait and see.”
Hill had a 4.76 ERA in 22 starts (119 innings) with the Pirates this season. In five starts with the Padres, he had an 8.88 ERA over 25⅓ innings and also allowed seven runs (four earned) in 10⅔ innings (four games) out of the bullpen.
“It was like three quarters of a season,” he said, “and then a quarter of the season was a complete disaster.”
