Trevor Story's arrival should raise the Red Sox's ceiling in 2022. It also raises a question that already had been hanging over Boston: What does the future hold for Xander Bogaerts?
Bogaerts, who signed a six-year, $120 million contract extension in 2019, can opt out of his deal next offseason, a scenario that seems increasingly likely given his consistent production and the lucrative paydays recently awarded to middle infielders in free agency.
The Red Sox certainly would love to retain Bogaerts, a franchise cornerstone, but until he signs on the dotted line, the possibility exists that he'll at least test the open market after the 2022 campaign.
"My job is to fulfill the player's expectation," Bogaerts' agent, Scott Boras, told The Boston Globe's Peter Abraham this week. "Xander's never been through free agency. It's an interesting process -- a lot of unknowns. We'll see.
"I would think that any organization would want to have Xander Bogaerts in it because he's such a great player and does so much else for a team. He has real qualities for a major market. Proven qualities. Championship qualities."
Boras isn't wrong.
Bogaerts, entering his age-29 season, has blossomed into a star since debuting with Boston in 2013. He's earned four Silver Slugger Awards and contributed to two World Series titles, cementing himself among Major League Baseball's elite shortstops -- a group Boras is very familiar with as the agent for Carlos Correa and Corey Seager.
Correa and Seager both inked megadeals this offseason, with the former signing a three-year, $105.3 million contract with the Minnesota Twins and the latter securing a 10-year, $325 million pact from the Texas Rangers.
Story and Javier Báez -- two other top-flight infielders in this offseason's loaded free agency class -- signed six-year, $140 million deals with the Red Sox and Detroit Tigers, respectively. And Marcus Semien netted $175 million as part of a seven-year agreement with the Rangers.
It's fair to say Bogaerts will be compensated handsomely if he opts out of his contract next winter. It's unclear whether the Red Sox will push for an extension before then, as Bogaerts expressed a desire to table any negotiations and focus on the season once Opening Day rolls around.
"I don't anticipate things," Boras told Abraham. "I wait until the time comes and see what (Bogaerts) wants to do. You have a very substantial ownership in Boston. They have the wherewithal to do whatever they want.
"You look around the league, and who's the core of the franchise? The thing about Boston, when you have players who play well there under those circumstances, they're time-tested. It really is meaningful. There's a surety of what you're getting."
It isn't easy playing in Boston, a pressure-packed environment with sky-high expectations, but Bogaerts has thrived at every corner, serving as a stabilizing force for the better part of a decade.
It'll be fascinating to see how Bogaerts' contract situation plays out, but it's also obvious both sides are cognizant of how fruitful the existing relationship has been thus far.
