Graffanino loves Boston, but expects to go

FORT MYERS, Fla. --Tony Graffanino loves playing for the Boston Red Sox. Even his costly postseason error makes him want to stay. Now the second baseman expects to be playing elsewhere this season after his best year of his career.

The Red Sox obtained Mark Loretta from San Diego to play second, where Graffanino started 50 of his 51 games after being obtained from Kansas City on July 19.

"I've loved every second of it," Graffanino said, "but, as a professional, I want to play, especially after getting an opportunity to play last year as much as I did and feeling like I did pretty well. I want to continue that."

A steady fielder, the 33-year-old Graffanino committed three errors during the regular season with Boston. Then came the second game of the AL division series against Chicago.

He let Juan Uribe's slow bouncer on a potential double play roll through his legs. Tadahito Iguchi followed with a three-run homer off David Wells for a 5-4 lead. That was the final score and Chicago went on to sweep the three-game series before winning the World Series.

Graffanino's teammates rallied around him.

"If you're going to point a finger, you point it at me," Wells said after the game.

When Graffanino was introduced at Fenway Park before the third game, he received a very loud ovation.

"I was moved beyond belief," he said. "Probably, if I allowed it to happen, I would have cried."

He wants to keep hearing cheers from passionate Red Sox fans.

"I think that's what'll make it even harder to go because I know how great these fans are and I know that they like me or took a liking to me," he said. "Boston quickly became a place where I felt like I was definitely comfortable and felt like I had found a home."

Graffanino reached the majors in 1996 with Atlanta and moved to Tampa Bay, the White Sox and Kansas City before joining Boston. A. 268 career hitter, he hit a combined .309 with seven homers for the Royals and Red Sox with career-highs of 110 games and 379 at bats.

But when the Red Sox didn't talk with him about the 2006 season -- "I was a little hurt," he said -- and obtained Loretta, he figured they didn't want him back. So he talked with other teams and found several promising opportunities.

Then he was surprised when Boston offered him arbitration. That meant any other team that signed him would have to give the Red Sox a first-round draft choice.

"All the teams that were talking to me just pulled back," said Graffanino, who agreed to a one-year, $2.05 million deal that avoided an arbitration hearing. "It kind of messed me up a little bit. I do like being a Red Sock. I wish it would be under different circumstances."

He also played shortstop and first base in Kansas City and is willing to play the outfield but hasn't been asked by the Red Sox. Alex Cora appears to be the front runner for the utility infielder's job.

Early in spring training Graffanino sat down with general manager Theo Epstein and manager Terry Francona. Epstein told Graffanino that if a trade were made, he would try to send Graffanino to a team where he could play second base regularly and that there were some interested in him in that role.

"Theo was great about that," Graffanino said. "Obviously, I understand that they have to do what's best for this ballclub at the same time."

Francona felt Graffanino, a hardworking, team player, was owed an explanation.

"Rather than have him go through camp wondering," Francona said, "we just talked about his situation, how he'll be treated and we told him, to be quite honest, he's in a little bit of a predicament as far as playing time goes, at least looking at it right now."

Graffanino already knew that. He also knows he loves being with the Red Sox.

"I can't assume something's going to happen," he said, "so I go about it preparing myself as a Red Sock and getting my work in at second and moving around all over the place because if I'm here that's probably what I'll be doing."

But he expects to be gone.

"It's going to be sad and hard if I leave," Graffanino said, "but I also would be excited about the opportunity to play second base on a consistent basis."