Wednesday was an exciting day for the Red Sox, who signed franchise cornerstone Rafael Devers to a 10-year contract extension.
The deal for Devers was finalized just over a month after Boston reached a vastly different conclusion with another homegrown talent. Xander Bogaerts, who joined the Red Sox organization all the way back in 2009, ended his lengthy Boston tenure by signing an 11-year free-agent contract with the San Diego Padres.
Watching Bogaerts take his talents to the West Coast was tough for Red Sox chairman Tom Werner.
“Personally, I was very disappointed,” Werner told reporters Wednesday, per MassLive. “I love the guy. He’s a role model. He’s one of the most impressive guys I’ve ever met. He had the right to become a free agent. I’m happy for him that he made the deal with the Padres because it’s an extraordinary deal. I was disappointed we weren’t able to come to terms with him.
“I love Xander and I don’t know, maybe there was a moment in time where we could have made a deal with him, but it was also his right to become a free agent. I expected him to test the market.”
Werner admitted he was “slightly” surprised the Padres kicked their offer to Bogaerts all the way up to 11 years. The longtime Red Sox owner, however, did stress Boston wanted to keep the star shortstop in the only MLB uniform he’d ever known.
The Red Sox will reunite with Bogaerts in late May when they visit Petco Park for a three-game series with the Padres.
