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With the Red Sox’s season more-than-likely coming to an end after Game 162, the focus of just about everyone in Boston has been turned to Xander Bogaerts’ current contract status.
Bogaerts, 29, can opt out of his deal this winter and test the free agent market if he so chooses. Despite making an attempt, the Red Sox could not come to terms on an agreement with their All-Star shortstop before the season. That has effectively put talks off until this offseason, as Bogaerts and his agent, Scott Boras, decided not to discuss anything with Boston in-season.
In an appearance on NESN’s pregame coverage, Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom once again expressed how important he believed keeping Bogaerts around was for Boston.
“Look, every situation is different. They’re all unique. This one is especially unique because of what Xander means to this organization, to the region, to us. I haven’t known him as long as some have, but you don’t have to be around for very long to know he’s special,” Bloom told NESN’s Tom Caron. “So, every situation is a little different. But obviously, as we start getting into the meat of offseason, planning as a front office, start talking about things with each other, with ownership — as we get closer to the end with the staff, we obviously want to respect the preparation that goes into competing every day. We’re going to get into all that, and every situation is unique, but this is going to be front of mind for us to say the least.”
It isn’t a hot take for Bloom to say the Red Sox want to retain Bogaerts. Despite a slight power outage in 2022, the four-time All-Star is still the unquestioned leader in the clubhouse and has displayed improved play with his glove while continuing his prowess at the plate. Bogaerts leads the American League in batting average (.319) entering Tuesday’s matchup with the New York Yankees and has racked up 13 home runs, 66 RBIs and 37 doubles.
Bloom promised Kiké Hernández a better team in 2023 when the two agreed on a contract extension, and if he hoped to keep that promise, many believe he’ll need to lock up Bogaerts for the foreseeable future.
