Xander Bogaerts was officially introduced as the newest member of the San Diego Padres on Friday and spoke out since landing the reported 11-year, $280 million contract with the organization.
Since being signed out of Aruba back in 2009, Bogaerts spent his first 10 major league seasons with the Boston Red Sox and ended his tenure in impressive fashion, having notched four All-Star appearances, five Silver Slugger Awards and two World Series titles.
However, as both sides failed to reach an agreement during the offseason, Bogaerts elected to take his talents to the National League and join a Padres team that fell three wins shy of a World Series appearance last season.
Bogaerts, 30, expressed both his gratitude and excitement after first putting on a Padres jersey and hat during the press conference at Petco Park.
“Thank you, obviously to (Peter Seidler), (A. J. Preller), for showing the strong interest and obviously being very straightforward from the beginning,” Bogaerts said, per MLB.com video. “… Obviously, it was different, you know. And it was one that was very exciting, very fun, nervous. … Looking forward to playing here for the rest of my career.”
The veteran shortstop acknowledged the difficulty of closing the door on a stint that lasted a decade in Boston, where Bogaerts blossomed from a rookie to a leader in the dugout for the Red Sox.
“I feel great,” Bogaerts said. “Sometimes it’s a little hard to turn the page, but it’s something that I have to do. Like I said just now, I was very thankful and appreciative for my time with the other team, the Red Sox, and I met a lot of people who helped me out and helped me be the player I am today.”
With the Padres roster a star-studded one, featuring Juan Soto, Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr., Bogaerts revealed that signing with a club with intentions to compete in the Fall Classic was certainly on his mind when weighing his options, rather than seeking a deal solely for the long run.
“My priority was just going to a team that was very competitive, a team that wanted to win,” Bogaerts said. “… This is not a window, this is something that’s built for the long run, especially with the guys that they have on the roster and the commitment to the guys that they have on this roster is for the long run. And I’m definitely looking forward to bringing a banner here and being a part of that.”
Last season, during Bogaerts’ fifth Silver Slugger-winning campaign, he batted .307/.377/.456 with 15 home runs, 38 doubles and 73 RBIs in 150 games played with the Red Sox. Bogaerts also ranked 15th in WAR (5.4) under the offensive category — the second-highest among shortstops in all of Major League Baseball.
