Xander Bogaerts has signed an 11-year contract with the San Diego Padres, according to the New York Post.
Xander Jan Bogaerts (born October 1, 1992; Dutch, nicknamed “the X-Man” and “Bogey” or “Bogie“, is a professional baseball shortstop from Aruba, currently he is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox and also internationally for the Netherlands baseball team.
After being signed by the Red Sox as a free agent in 2009, Bogaerts made his MLB debut in 2013, appearing in 30 games between the regular season and the postseason and helping the Red Sox to the World Series championship to win. He became the starting shortstop for the Red Sox in 2014 and has been awarded the American League’s Silver Slugger Award at that position in consecutive years, 2015 and 2016, and again in 2019 and 2021. He has the most shortstop games for the Red Sox, who set the record in 2022.
Perhaps most notably, he’s been with the Red Sox since he was a teenager, where he took on the role of shortstop on their 2013 World Series-winning team as a 20-year-old rookie, and later in the 2018 season won another title.
one season later, new General manager Chaim Bloom traded Mookie Betts from that club. Now Bogaerts is gone too, likely replaced by Trevor Story, who signed a six-year, $140 million deal shortly after the lockdown ended in March.
Bogaerts was one of four notable free agent shortstops on the market this winter. Turner signed an 11-year, $300 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. Carlos Correa and Dansby Swanson remain free agents.
The Red Sox tried to keep Bogaerts but didn’t even get $200 million in their final contract offer, according to Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.
Xander Bogaert’s career summary:
– 4x All-Star.
– 5x Silver Slugger.
– 2x World Series Champion.
– 2019 All-MLB 1st Team.
– Most consecutive 1+ hit/1+ RBI/1+ run GPs (8) by an SS in MLB history.
Bogaerts turned 30 in October and was the oldest of this offseason’s notable free-agent shortstops (also Carlos Correa, Dansby Swanson and Trea Turner, who signed with the Philadelphia Phillies earlier this week). He crossed out .307/. 377/.456 in 2022, although he dropped to 15 home runs after averaging 29.7 home runs per 162 games from 2018-21. The drop in performance was mitigated by improved defense. Bogaerts qualified very well on the field in 2022.
The Padres ended the winter meetings on a surprise, reportedly agreeing to an 11-year, $280 million deal with Xander Bogaerts. The agreement contains no option or opt-out clauses, although it does contain a full no-trade clause. Bogaerts is represented by Boras Corporation.
It should be noted that the Padres’ signing of Bogaerts means the Boston Red Sox, his former team, will now surely be on the lookout for a new shortstop of their own. That could see Carlos Correa and Dansby Swanson win the draw so it will be more interesting to see how it goes.
The Padres keep making huge deals
While the Red Sox have been reluctant to provide players with massive funds, the same cannot be said of the Padres.
The club made their first attempt in 2019 when they signed Manny Machado to a 10-year, $300 million free agency deal. When Fernando Tatis Jr. became a top-tier power hitter, he received a $340 million 14-year extension. Then last year the Padres traded five prospects and Luke Voit for point guard and king Juan Soto.
Add in Bogaerts and you have a collection of four of MLB’s biggest bats (although Tatis’ shine has obviously faded in light of recent events). It’s a good way to continue gaining momentum after the team made it into the NLCS for the first time since 1998.
Of course, Bogaerts is a bit of an awkward fit considering the Padres already had a decent starting shortstop in Ha-Seong Kim. Then there’s Tatis, who was previously the team’s shortstop, and the super-utilitarian Jake Cronenworth. Four shortstops in a lineup is an enviable problem, but it likely means the Padres will have to move players, a task made easier with the designated batsman.
A possible 2023 lineup could look like:
- Xander Bogaerts, SS.
- Juan Soto, RF.
- Manny Machado, 3B.
- Fernando Tatis, LF.
- Jake Cronenworth, 1B.
- Ha-Seong Kim, 2B.
- Austin Nola, C.
- José Azocar, DH.
- Trent Grisham, CF.
There had been noise surrounding the club’s search for another star shortstop, Trea Turner. He was reportedly offered $342 million by the Padres before signing an 11-year, $300 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.
They then turned their attention to Aaron Judge and reportedly offered the slugger $400 million in what would have been the second-largest contract in MLB history. He turned it down and rejoined the New York Yankees for nine years and $360 million.
Bogaerts and Turner were two of the top four shortstops to reach free agency this offseason, leaving Carlos Correa and Dansby Swanson for teams still hoping to make waves at that position.
It’s a lot of frightening proportions that could drastically rock both leagues. After a few failed attempts, the Padres landed their desired Superstar. The Red Sox’s optimism of a few hours ago has been dashed by a determined organization that now poses as a big-market behemoth. Bogaerts earns one of the largest contracts in MLB history, setting the stage for an intriguing bidding war for the two remaining unsigned star shortstops.
The New York Post’s Jon Heyman was the first to report that Bogaerts and the Padres had agreed an 11-year, $280 million deal. MLB.com’s Jon Morosi reported that the deal contained no opt-out clauses and a full no-trade clause.