Red Sox Rumors: Boston's Xander Bogaerts Contract Offer 'Really Far' From Padres Deal
The Boston Red Sox reportedly were not willing to give shortstop Xander Bogaerts anywhere near the contract that the San Diego Padres were this offseason.
ESPN's Jeff Passan reported the National League West team agreed to an 11-year, $280 million deal with Bogaerts on Wednesday night.
According to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe, the Red Sox remained "really far" from that total and did not even reach the $200 million mark when it came to their offer.
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This is another blow for Red Sox fans who watched their team trade Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of the 2020 campaign. ESPN's Buster Olney suggested the loss of both Betts and Bogaerts means the team will likely have to overpay for Rafael Devers to avoid losing a third franchise cornerstone.
Devers is under contract through the 2023 season.
Boston's loss is San Diego's gain, as Bogaerts was one of the main free-agency prizes this offseason after slashing .307/.377/.456 with 15 home runs and 73 RBI last season. He can impact the game in a number of ways, including with his glove considering he posted a total of five defensive runs saved above average as well, per FanGraphs.
He played for the Red Sox from 2013 through 2022 and was a five-time Silver Slugger and four-time All-Star selection.
The team won the World Series in his rookie season and again in 2018, meaning he will be pursuing a third championship during his first season in the National League.
And that will be the expectation for a Padres squad that reached the National League Championship Series a season ago and has star power that includes Bogaerts, Juan Soto, Manny Machado and Fernando Tatís Jr. in the middle of one of the best lineups in all of baseball.
Battling the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West will not be easy for San Diego, but it also won't be easy for Red Sox fans to watch Bogaerts and Betts competing for a potential World Series run on other teams after they lost yet another star Wednesday.
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