Xander Bogaerts said in spring training he didn’t want to discuss a potential contract extension with the Red Sox during the season, so as to avoid becoming a distraction as Boston sought to build on its trip to the American League Championship Series in 2021.
The shortstop seemingly changed his tune in May, leaving the door open for the Red Sox to talk with his agent, Scott Boras, “behind closed doors,” but nothing has materialized since that point.
Bogaerts indicated Monday during media day for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Los Angeles that he doesn’t expect the Red Sox to try to sign him to a new deal before the end of the season.
“At this point we haven’t had (any conversations about a contract during the season), so I wouldn’t even put much thought into that,” Bogaerts said, according to The Boston Globe. “If we haven’t had anything up to this point, then I’m not assuming anything will happen because it hasn’t so far.”
Bogaerts, who signed a six-year, $120 million extension in 2019, can opt out of his contract this offseason, a likely scenario given his continued production and the probability of him landing a more lucrative deal on the open market.
This doesn’t mean the Red Sox won’t re-sign the four-time All-Star, before or after he tests MLB free agency. But it certainly raises questions about the 29-year-old’s long-term future in Boston, especially with teammate third baseman Rafael Devers set to become a free agent after the 2023 campaign.
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