Red Sox free agent shortstop Xander Bogaerts signs with the San Diego Padres for a massive payday
The Red Sox have lost All-Star shortstop Xander Bogaerts to the San Diego Padres. Bogaerts will sign an 11-year, $280 million deal with the Padres, per Jon Heyman of The New York Post.
The deal includes a no-trade clause
This deal ends Bogaerts 10-year tenure with the organization. During his time with the Red Sox, Bogaerts he was a two-time World Series champion, four-time All-Star and five-time Silver Slugger award winner.
Now, he bolts for San Diego for a mammoth offer from Padres general manager AJ Preller.
The Red Sox reportedly weren’t close to the Padres offer, per Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. Boston reportedly offered six-years, $160 million, per Alex Speier of the Boston Globe.
Bogaerts was at the Celtics-Suns game in Phoenix when the agreement was made.
The Aruba native was able to opt-out of his deal at the conclusion of the regular season. He did just that and was rewarded handsomely on the open market.
For the Red Sox, they’re now left with a gaping hole at shortstop. Chaim Bloom could turn to Carlos Correa or Dansby Swanson to fill the void. Whatever the club decides to do, they will deal with massive backlash for losing Bogaerts.
You can’t fault Boston for not matching the 11-year offer. You can fault the Red Sox for allowing their team captain to hit free agency and low balling him through the process.
Bloom publicly stated Bogaerts was the clubs No. 1 target and like most free agent targets, he opted to play elsewhere. Boston fumbled the Bogaerts negotiations during the spring when they offered him a four-year, $90 million deal.
The sides didn’t talk during the regular season and couldn’t come close to an agreement in Boston’s exclusive negotiating window. That window was between the time Bogaerts opted out and when free agency opened.
Bogaerts is added to the list of home grown stars who have left the organization after not being paid fair market value.
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Devers will go the same way and where is any kind of return from either? I have not seen solid capable players come up from the minors. Frankly they look like crew that does not know what they are doing and spends little