Chaim Bloom said Xander Bogaerts is the organization's No. 1 priority
The Red Sox season has come to an end and the front office has a lot of work to do this offseason. One player that is at the top of Chaim Bloom’s list is current shortstop Xander Bogaerts.
During the end of the season press conference from Fenway Park on Thursday, Bloom said that signing Bogaerts is the team’s No. 1 priority and process to resign him begins immediately.
“I don’t ever want to make public any of the blow by blow, but what I can say is this: That process is going to start right away from our end,” Bloom said. “Obviously, we know we haven’t found that path yet. We still want to. We’re going to work really hard at it.”
Bogaerts is technically still under contract with the club. The Aruba native needs to decide whether or not he will opt-out of his contract which is likely to happen.
The All-Star shortstop is in line for a significant raise from his current $20 million per year salary. Teams will be lining up to have a crack at signing Bogaerts, including the Phillies who have been reported to have interest.
Bloom’s priority is to get a deal done with Bogaerts before he can opt-out in a few weeks.
“That’s no different than where we’ve been,” Bloom said. “Our position hasn’t changed on that. I’ve said this before, but nothing I say really matters unless there’s a deal. But our position has been the same, that we want to keep him here for a long time and we want him here on a deal that we’re going to look back on and say, ‘This was great for everybody.’
Follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisHenrique
For additional Red Sox, Bruins, Patriots, MLB and NFL content follow Beyond the Monster on Twitter @BeyondtheMnstr.