Heading into the regular season, it did not seem that the Boston Red Sox would reach long-term deals with many of their upcoming free agents.
But after signing Chris Sale to a massive extension, Boston came to terms with Xander Bogaerts on a six-year, $120 million dollar extension just a couple days after Opening Day.
It’s been clear since the sides reached the deal that staying in Boston was a top priority for the shortstop. And the 26-year-old offered a little more insight into his decision to sign long term with the Sox rather than play the open market. He gave his agent Scott Boras a pretty clear message about the negotiations.
“Get me the best deal we can get to stay here,” Bogaerts told Boras, via the Eagle-Tribune’s Chris Mason. “This is what I know. This is what I enjoy. I enjoy being here. I love the organization. A lot of young kids on the team, I want to be there to help and see them grow up — just like me. It’s a tough process when you’re young and I understand that. So I’m just trying to be one of the guys they can lean on.”
And it seems Bogaerts was aware that staying in Boston likely meant taking a little less money.
“I did think I left some on the table, but that really doesn’t matter,” Bogaerts said. “Because who knows if I would have gotten hurt on April 1 and had to be out the whole season? It would have been different then.”
Bogaerts has been a core piece to the Sox over the past six seasons and has developed into one of the better shortstops in the game. To see that Bogaerts is invested in the long-term success of not only the team but upcoming players as well has to be a very encouraging sign for the Red Sox.
