Xander Bogaerts reportedly reached the end of his tenure with the Boston Red Sox after landing a massive 11-year deal worth $280 million with the San Diego Padres on Thursday.
However, when Bogaerts agreed to the deal, the longtime Red Sox shortstop reportedly wasn’t too far from the Boston faithful. In fact, Bogaerts, along with a sea of Boston fans, who took over the Footprint Center in Phoenix, watched the Boston Celtics absolutely obliterate the Suns, according to The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham.
Boston fans in attendance rejoiced with “Let’s go Celtics” chants taking over the building, as seen in video courtesy of Jeremy Grant Schnell of Arizona Sports. Meanwhile, little did they know, Bogaerts would be on the West Coast for much longer than just Major League Baseball’s winter meetings.
The 30-year-old veteran closed the door following four All-Star appearances and two World Series titles with the Red Sox and joins a Padres team that last season came up three wins short in the National League Championship Series.
Bogaerts reportedly will be in San Diego on Friday to complete a physical and finalize the deal, according to the Boston Globe.
