by The San Diego Padres and free-agent shortstop Xander Bogaerts have agreed an 11-year, $280 million deal, major league sources have confirmed the athlete. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman was the first to break the news. Here’s what you need to know:
- Bogaerts cut .307/.377/.456 with 73 RBIs and 15 home runs in 150 games last season.
- He ranked 5th the athlete‘s Keith Law’s list of the best free agents of 2022-23.
- Bogaerts gave up the last three years and $60 million of his Red Sox contract on Nov. 7 to become a free agent.
scouting report
With the signing, Bogaerts is expected to continue playing shortstop while Ha-Seong Kim plays second baseball, Jake Croneworth plays first baseball and Fernando Tatis Jr. moves to outfield.
Bogaerts has had a platforming year that’s a little different from his norms, not hitting 20 homers for the first time in a full season since 2017, but playing his all-time best defense at shortstop. Bogaerts, who turned 30 on Oct. 1, had his best defensive season by advanced metrics – it was only his second year with a positive outs-over-average count of plus 5.
The increase in his defensive production makes up for the loss of his hard contact, but the likely trend for all players in their 30s is for defensive value to fade and they move down the defensive spectrum.
The immediate motivation of the Padres
The Padres considered Bogaerts the top hitter among the Big 4 shortstops in that free-agent league. Trea Turner was her top priority, as evidenced by an unsuccessful $342 million bid. Then San Diego had a scintillating but brief flirtation with Aaron Judge.
After general manager AJ Preller scored a 0-on-2 on Superstar goals, he was unopposed a third time. By agreeing to a surprisingly high commitment to Bogaerts, the Padres far outsold the competition. The Boston Globe reported that the Red Sox’s bids for their longtime shortstop were under $200 million. – Lin
Other emerging factors for San Diego
At this point, no sweepstakes seems too outlandish for the Padres. But her unmistakable desire to make a splash was driven in part by considerations for the future. With recent nine-figure deals, it seems increasingly likely that Manny Machado will exit after the 2023 season and maybe seek another $300 million payday.
The Padres recognize that renewing Juan Soto, the sport’s most prolific 24-year-old hitter, could go a long way. For at least one season, San Diego looks set to benefit from one of baseball’s most potent offensive fours: Soto, Machado, Bogaerts and Fernando Tatis Jr. – Lin
Would that have made sense for the Red Sox?
Bogaerts was the heart and soul of the Red Sox in many ways, but at some point this deal didn’t make sense to the Red Sox, not so much the $280 million as the 11-year term. While earlier in the day the Red Sox were clearly optimistic that they were working toward a deal, presciently Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom said when asked about a timeline for working on a Bogaerts deal, “I don’t know. It’s not my place to say, but I think the game teaches you not to speculate too much about these things.”
Earlier in the week, the Red Sox narrowly missed out on free-agent deals for Zach Eflin, Andrew Heaney and Tommy Kanhle, but that’s taking it to a whole new level. After a productive day with Chris Martin, Kenley Jansen and Masataka Yoshida signing or pending contracts, such a conclusion to the meetings brings the club back to square one. -Jennings
What’s next for Boston
The Red Sox have a few questions to answer now, first and foremost, what are they going to do from here? Who will they follow shortly? Dansby Swanson or Carlos Correa in free hands? A trade? Or will they shortstop Kiké Hernandez or Trevor Story and fill an outfield or second base hole instead? How do they fill Bogaert’s hole in the middle of the lineup? – Jennings
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(Photo: Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
