Red Sox’s Chaim Bloom: Re-Signing Xander Bogaerts Remains ‘Top Priority’
The Boston Red Sox are intent on keeping shortstop Xander Bogaerts beyond the 2022 season, and rightly so.
Following a disappointing 78-84 season, good for last place in the AL East Division, the Red Sox are heading into one of the most pivotal off-seasons in franchise history. Between Bogaerts’ opt-out clause and Rafael Devers entering his final year of team control, plenty of important decisions lie ahead for the front office.
The franchise will also need to improve a roster that featured several flaws from this past season, particularly from a pitching standpoint. Nothing is more pressing than Bogaerts’ situation, however, as he must decide to opt in or out five days after the World Series concludes.
All signs point to the 30-year-old opting out of his current six-year, $120-million contract, making him a free agent. But even if that occurs, chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom is prepared to do everything possible to extend the four-time All-Star long-term.
The Red Sox are determined to keep Bogaerts despite their previous struggles to locate common ground in contract negotiations. But while future negotiations aren’t likely to occur until the playoffs finish, Bloom plans to strategize with his staff on how to best accomplish that feat this fall.
“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.”
Extending Bogaerts likely won’t be easy, especially since he’d be one of the top shortstops available in free agency – if not the best. The 6-foot-2 infielder could be joined by Trea Turner, Dansby Swanson and Carlos Correa, whose deal also includes an opt-out clause.
The talented right-hander will surely receive a lucrative contract with whichever team he ultimately signs with, but for Boston’s sake, they remain hopeful a deal that works for both sides can still be reached.
“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.’
Bloom isn’t the only member of the Red Sox’s brass that has expressed these sentiments, as ownership recently met with Bogaerts and reiterated their stance of making him its “top priority,” writes Sean McAdam of the Boston Sports Journal.
Bogaerts has spent his entire career in Boston and was a crucial member of their 2013 and 2018 World Series championship rosters. The veteran righty has played 1,264 career games, posting 156 home runs, 683 RBIs and a .292/.356/.458 slash line.
Defensively, the franchise icon has logged 10,390.0 career innings at shortstop, registering -51 DRS and -34 OAA. This season, however, his defense was much improved, resulting in career-bests in DRS (+4) and OAA (+5) over 1,249.2 innings.
The Aruba native finished as a six-win player for the first time in his career in 2022, which should bode well for him when the search for his next contract begins.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: Keith Allison. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.