As expected, Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts has officially opted out of his contract, as the MLB Players Association announced (via Twitter) that Bogaerts was among the latest players to join the free agent market. Bogaerts will leave the final three years and $60MM of his deal with Boston to look for a larger contract on the open market.
There was never much suspense over Bogaerts’ decision, as an opt-out always seemed pretty likely even from the moment the shortstop signed the six-year, $120MM extension back in April 2019. Bogaerts just turned 30 years old last month, and he’ll surely command far beyond three years and $60MM in his first taste of the free agent market.
Perhaps the only question surrounding the opt-out was whether or not the Red Sox would make it a moot point, by agreeing to another extension with Bogaerts. However, extension talks back in the spring reportedly saw Boston make a surprisingly small offer of only an extra season and another $30MM added to Bogaerts’ current contract. As of a month ago, Bogaerts said the two sides hadn’t had any other further negotiations, though it’s probably safe to assume that some talks did take place, given how chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom stressed that Bogaerts was Boston’s top priority heading into the offseason.
The Red Sox still retain exclusive negotiating rights with Bogaerts until free agency officially opens on Thursday. While the two sides have shared mutual interest in Bogaerts’ continued future in Boston, it would be awfully surprising to see the two sides agree to a new deal so close to the opening of the market. Once other teams can speak to Bogaerts, it remains to be seen whether the Sox will outbid other suitors, or if they’ll perhaps explore other shortstop options after 10 seasons with Bogaerts at Fenway Park.
Double the Bo in Toronto.
Bo Bichette to 2b
‘Bo’gaerts to SS
Jay fans would be pleased , not sure Bo would be happy though.
If he’s not happy, trade him
He is a free agent.
Cannot trade him unless you sign him first!
@#1WhiteSoxFan – Bo Bichette is a free agent?
Pass.
Give me Trea Turner instead
Trea would be amazing. Prob more $$$ tho
More years and more dollars
Bo gives better defense, but trea is a stud. I’m still frustrated that the padres traded trea Turner for Wil fking Myers
Definitely see a “Bo Knows” commercial in there somewhere.
I think Jays fans need to relax on expectations for this year. I don’t see them handing out any big FA deals unless they are short term.
To me Correa is the dream, but any of the big FA shortstops would be amazing. Whatever the case, can’t have Bo at short again. Dude single handedly cost us games this season with his awful defence.
Nah that’s just not true
I’m not sure how much more than 20M he will get: but he will certainly obtain more years by opting out. I’m sure he’s looking for a bump in pay, don’t get me wrong, to something like 25M AAV. But that’s secondary to the additional years.
more years and closer to 30 per is what I’d expect from Xander
Regardless of what happens, he needs to understand 3rd base is his ultimate spot if he wants to consistently win. Sox pitching has been bad, the teams defense overall has been bad on the left side of the infield. Such is the main reason why the team has mainly been feast or famine.
Good point Dewey – while he had a good year according to some of the metrics, Xander is not known to be as good defensively as the other FA shortstops. 3rd base is his ultimate position.
Yep. So compromise with the team giving more than they ever anticipated but still far less than his “demand” and make him captain. in exchange Bogie moves if and when asked like a true leader.
dewey – Don’t you think Xander deserves credit for improving his defense this year and coming in runner-up in GG voting?
Players don’t just decline defensively, they do also improve.
I think Xander is going to get a shorter contract but with a high AAV. 6/200 maybe?
Paying XB shortstop money when there’s no long term plan to keep him there, is a fools errand.
If a team plans on moving him to 3B, where he was terrible when he first came up, or to 2B, means lower dollars. He should get more Years, but the dollars are pretty close to where he should be, as a non-SS.
He was a 6 WAR player this year. That’s at least 25-30 million a year in today’s market, and there’s demand for good middle infielders on contending teams. Mariners, Phillies, Dodgers, and Braves have open middle infield spots and are currently trying to contend.
Sox will lose him because he wants a lengthy contract. Devers needs to be traded before hes a free agent because he way over his head on his net worth.
Hate to say it, but I agree with you Strap.
Devers just hasn’t shaped out to be great defensively. I love having him on this team but at the contract he wants to be paid I just don’t think he’s earned it.
We needed him and Bogaerts to step up for us down the stretch and they didn’t do that. Realizing baseball is a business it seems like these are two tough decisions that need to be made.
My biggest worry is that Bogaerts and Devers are both gone. Also at the same time, we don’t want to be 3 years into their massive contracts and saying, “ooops that was a mistake.”
6/150 for Bogaerts
10/275 for Devers
I think those are completely fair deals and if they want more then maybe bend for a little more but neither are worth over 30/year imho.
Would love to slide Bogaerts to 3B and Devers to DH, but if that’s the case their AAV should be flipped.
Would love for both to be back long term but in 24, Bogie plays third and Raffy is the DH. If not, move on from who’s not agreeable. Boggs was lousy at first but worked his butt off. Rice in left, the same thing. As hard as Raffy has tried, he’s still not a good third baseman.
But you watch – in his walk year, he will somehow have a great defensive season.
Don’t give him the chance should he object to DHing and at least see what the return would look like.
coop – You mean like Xander did this year?
Yes, quite often players miraculously become more motivated to improve their game when it’s a contract year.
Boggs played 3rd
I’d put real money on the table, but I think it would be a mistake to treat him like he was an elite player. In the last four seasons, he’s had a bWAR of 5.4, 0.7 (2020), 3.5, and 4.4. Or 4.1/650 PAs. Compared to someone like Arenado. 4.1 is considered a poor season, not an average.
And I am not impressed with his conditioning. He still has athleticism, despite the weight, but for how long? And if we hand him $240M, how will that impact his future conditioning?
Another Panda, Joe – unless he gets into shape and disciplines himself.
The only difference, and the key difference, is that Sandoval was obese when we signed him. Devers has weight issues, but the dude looks plenty strong. Panda, OTOH, was 50 pounds overweight. He might literally have been the fattest position player in the history of baseball.
He is listed in BR as 5’10” and 268. I’m 5’9″ and 188 and could stand to lose a good 15 pounds. Panda is roughly the same height ad 80 pounds heavier.
And our FO thought this was a good signing. And I am not bashing Panda. Some folks have weight issues. But the FO was crazy to think that was going to work out.
Joe – What was even more concerning is the fact Panda drastically declined three consecutive years prior to Boston signing him. When you go from a .909 OPS to a .739 OPS it’s crazy to give the kind of money they did.
But all they saw was his postseason heroics, and they envisioned him being another Papi.
Problem is, being a great postseason player doesn’t matter if you don’t get to the postseason.
7 / 189
The drop in power, despite playing in the AL East, and having not hit well in pitcher-friendly stadiums (generally speaking, and throughout his career) makes me wonder how much of a market there will be for his services.
Mariners fans might want to take a hard look at his numbers in AL West ballparks.
I’d hate to see him leave Boston, anyway. He fits well there and he’s embedded in the community.
I feel like the end of an era is here because i honestly don’t expect Henry and Bloom to step up here. Mayor is probably a couple of years away so we will see if Story slides back to SS or another stop-gap is added
As a Red Sox fan, I hope he doesn’t leave and this is just a formality that Scott Boras has put forth so that his client can see what he’s able to get on the open market. X has never had that opportunity and Boras may be telling his client to explore free agency before agreeing to any potential contract extension. He may feel a sense of loyalty to Boston, considering he’s been with the organization since he was 16 years old, but money talks, and if another team blows him away with a deal, it could be enough for him to leave the only team he’s ever known.
Try living in the real world, not in fantasyland. Baseball is as much a business for the players as it is for the owners. You don’t hire Scott Boras unless you want to maximize your chances for a lucrative/lengthy contract. A sense of loyalty is trumped by the big bucks 99% of the time. The player issues a statement saying how much he regrets leaving a team and then laughs all the way to the bank.
PK: Just by signing with him, every Boras represented player, is automatically ‘manipulative and greedy’ got it. I’d rather live in Littlerivers world than yours.
What an absolutely ridiculous comment. I said nothing about “manipulative and greedy”. You may wish to live in some kind of “la-la land” where people don’t act in their own interests and maximize every opportunity offered but the rest of us will live in the real world. Grow up.
Agree that the Mariners would be a good destination for him, whether it’s at SS or he agrees to move to 2B—or DH. He provides a solid bat—and even if his power is truly diminishing, he’s a pretty consistent hitter otherwise. He provides leadership, is a good clubhouse guy and would fit in well with that organization.
I think it’s totally nuts that it’s not a forgone conclusion that he matches and beats the Semien contract (7/175). Semien also had age and defense questions, as well as a much less consistent track record.
As far as “lost power”, power was down across the league this year, but Bogaerts also ran into Verdugo in May and was playing through a banged up shoulder all year. The power showed up again in September.
Any team that wants to spend and can spend , loves to spend , can really change the landscape by signing one of the ss FA and Judge.
Texas would be a bang up lineup.
Know Jung is slated to be 3b. Still what a basher lineup they could buy
Like the old lineup in the Juan Gonzalez days. So much fun
Texas spent a lot of money before last season and the FO says they’re going to do it again this off-season. Pitching should be a priority.
Get it done, Jerry. Then trade Crawford and Flexen for a quality 2B.
Or keep Crawford and make him the 2B.
Bogaerts 7/$195M, Turner 7/$215M, Correa 7/$170M, Swansby 7/$175M
Turner probably gets closer to $300 million.
Turner is asking for more than that.
Bogaerts – 8/225
Turner – 8/250
Correa – 9/270, or another pillow
Swanson – 6/135
Judge – 8/315
Trea is going to top your number.
And Correa’s going to top that AAV
Severe lowballs right there.
Yeah, you’re right. I can see the first three getting another 30-40 but I don’t think Swanson will get more than Story
Correa got $35 million AAV last season. He will get that or close to that again on a 9-10 year deal. Turner is asking for Seager money or 10/325. Swansby is not in the same class as those two. 6/140 is top of the market for him. Bogaerts is likely around 6/195-200, not 7. Unless you count an option year.
they’re not resigning JDM, so you take half his salary, give it to Bogie. seems pretty easy to me. Refsnyder gave you everything Martinez could last year. not saying he’s a replacement, but for basically nothing salary wise, he won’t be worse
Ref is not a full-time player at DH or anywhere else. Let’s see what offers JDM gets assuming he doesn’t accept the QO if made by the team. If the Sox are to win, they need pitching, defense and OF and DH production. I’d take my chances on one year or two with bilateral options for JDM. He made the All-star game and turned it on the last week. Such suggests to me if healthy (a big if) he’s their best DH option for 23 not named D-E-V-E-R-S.
JDM is pretty much toast at this point. Highly unlikely the Sox give him a QO in the same offseason Jose Abreu, Josh Bell, and Anthony Rizzo are free agents.
So 2022 is Refs standard going forward? Not the the other z5 years in my he majors? Right.
Welcome to Seattle Xander!
“Top priority” – public relations. Boston dispensing with another loyal soldier. No player should sign a team-friendly deal in Boston, that’s a one-way street.
Good luck in Philly, XB.
Bogaerts and Devers both put up some really strong numbers offensively, and they are consistent, over the last three full seasons both have posted 500+ ABs every season, there is alot to be said for that kind of durability. A lot to be said for their .OBP too, both players take a lot of walks.
Bogaerts is in his age 30 season, Devers is only 26.
Devers defensive liabilities are glaring, almost putting him into a DH type of payday, which is good news for the Red Sox in a sense. He isn’t Bryce Harper, not far off offensively but Harper is still the better hitter and Harper is one of baseball’s biggest stars, Devers will never have that kind of marketability, and he can’t be expecting anything close to the erroneous contract the Angels handed to Rondon.
It’s is an interesting one, especially with Mayer a year away, and a potential glut of middle infielders.
I would offer Bogey 25 mils a year to play 3B. 6 or 7 years is fine with me.
Devers? I don’t know. What’s the going rate for a DH now a days? Whatever it is, offer him 10 years at that rate.
Anything more… CYA!
And Bogaers would walk. He’s predicted to take 225M by Heymann. Maybe, that’s a little high, but there zero chance he signs for 150M.
How about 10/225 for Devers to account for player wage inflation?
I think X is gone. He’s going to get a big contact somewhere and good for him. I believe when they signed Story they decided he was going to be the middle infield bridge to the younger players, not that I agree with it. I thought They should have traded Devers at the deadline. I think the teams that missed out on Soto would have given up a lot for him. He still may bring a decent haul. But it’s evident from the 300 mil talk from his agents that they believe he’s worth more than he is. Great hitter but that’s way too much to pay for a future DH.
Red Sox fans have to be going nuts, Toronto is awesome, Rays and Yankees are good, Orioles will be good, brutal division
Not me. This is all part of the process. I like Bogaerts a lot, but both he and Devers are decidedly not risk-free extensions. Just to make the worst-case case, Bogaerts had 15 HRs and is likely not a SS going forward. A good glove with moderate hitting can replace that, at least until Mayer is ready. And Devers only had 27 HRs and a .295, and might be a DH pretty quickly.
As a RS fan, I don’t think these guys are cream-of-the-crop type of players. They’re certainly good/very good players, but if it was my money, I’d invest in 2 SPs, a closer, and add some defense.
Joe;
I never wrote this but lets talk the obvious….
The Red Sox are in both a rebuild and a restructuring. I believe that they want a team built on strong pitching…..which they’re failing at thus far…primarily via their coaches as opposed to the players they’re bringing in.
When a team does a rebuild like this they like to keep a veteran that can be a team leader to set the tone for the young players as they come up from the farm system – the Braves did this with Freddie Freeman, the Guardians did this recently with Jose Rameriz…there are other examples.
Bogaerts and Devers have both been mouthing off to the press about how much they’re worth and they want to be respected….blah blah blah. Fine. But that’s not what a team wants in this situation….it fact, it’s exactly what they DON’T want. It’s not supposed to be about them, it’s supposed to be about the team. Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis were exceptional team leaders – hardly putting up top stats – but they were the heart and soul of some very good teams. They never did me-first politicking like this.
What I’m seeing is that those 2 players are doing a power play using the fans as their leverage. The FO is obviously uncomfortable with the situation. Ownership seem to be straddling the fence which they’ve done in the past – which results in chaos. This is not a good sign for the Red Sox near future.
“Cream of the crop” players no longer reach free agency in the first place
I’m a Red Sox fan and I’m not going nuts. Bogaerts leaving makes little difference.
“RedSox fans must be going nuts”
Funny and those 4 teams, as good as you claim they are, don’t have as many championships COMBINED, as the Red Sox in the past 20 years.
Somehow we’ll sleep at night.
Good for you resting on that past to deal with a dismal future.
Borderline overrated. Serviceable but old.
The good news for sox fans is that we won’t have to hear the vapid sox announcers declare that X has the best check swing in all of baseball. I watch parts of the games and heard that dreck twice last year in back to back games.
These contracts are stupid, why owners do this is beyond me. They take all the risk and get no reward. They can’t say you’ve sucked this year we opt not to pay the last 2 years of contract
Red Sox finished last with those two on board so why panic to keep them at much higher salaries/paying for past performance.
Great move signing Story instead of extending Bogaerts. Except not at all.
Sox are in jeopardy of resigning him too. With Story acquired last year, I don’t think he’s coming back.