Report: Phillies expected to be ‘eager suitors’ for Xander Bogaerts in free agency
If Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts opts out of his contract this fall, there’s a familiar front office executive who’ll be ready to pursue him.
On Saturday night, a report surfaced in the Boston Globe that the Phillies would be “eager suitors” for Bogaerts.
The connection makes sense, the Phillies are run by an aggressive baseball executive in Dave Dombrowski. In addition, Dombrowski signed Bogaerts to his current extension and the Phillies are seeking an upgrade at the position.
There’s certainly some validity to the report but I’d caution Red Sox fans to not get wrapped up in Pete Abraham’s article.
The Red Sox disappointing season is almost over and Abraham’s report could be Bogaerts agent Scott Boras throwing a log on the fire. This feels like posturing on behalf of Bogaerts and Boras as the season winds down.
Philadelphia already boasts a powerful lineup with Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, Rhys Hoskins, Nick Castellanos and J.T. Realmuto. Adding Bogaerts to that lineup would be deadly and arguably baseball’s best.
Boston will have an opportunity to get a deal done with their shortstop. Bogaerts will be one of their main priorities this winter. Letting Bogaerts walk early in free agency will be a massive blow to the fan bases morale. Chaim Bloom has a lot of work to do and fans will be watching him more than ever this winter.
