Red Sox executives have told Xander Bogaerts they won’t trade him this summer, the star shortstop told reporters tonight (via Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald). Asked whether he’s been given personal assurance from the front office he would not be dealt, Bogaerts replied, “Yeah. I don’t know if I should say that, but I hope I don’t get in trouble. But yeah, much better like that. Communication is always huge in everything in life. To get that type of feedback is beneficial, I would say.”
It’s not a surprising revelation, as recent reports have suggested the Red Sox weren’t likely to make Bogaerts available. CEO Sam Kennedy and chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom have each publicly stated there’s been no internal consideration of dealing the four-time All-Star, with Bloom adding they “don’t plan to” have those conversations. That they’ve apparently reinforced those sentiments in private with Bogaerts seems to solidify that he won’t change teams before next Tuesday’s deadline.
Bogaerts can (and almost certainly will) opt out of the final three years of his contract this offseason. Boston took tonight’s contest from the Guardians to climb back to .500, but their 50-50 mark still has them narrowly behind the Orioles at the bottom of the AL East. More importantly, they’re 3 1/2 games behind the Rays, current owners of the final Wild Card spot, with Cleveland and Baltimore also in between. Even after tonight’s win, Boston has only taken seven of their 24 games this month. That raises some questions about how Bloom and his staff will approach the deadline.
Even had Bloom and company wanted to move the slugging infielder, executing a trade would’ve been easier said than done. There’d have surely been no shortage of interest in a 29-year-old star shortstop, but Bogaerts has full no-trade protection. Bogaerts could’ve dictated where he’d have been dealt or blocked a move entirely, but he nevertheless seems relieved to hear he won’t have to consider those possibilities.
Bogaerts is certain to receive and reject a qualifying offer if he opts out this winter, so the Red Sox would stand to collect a compensatory draft choice if he signs elsewhere. The more immediate concern is whether the club can right the ship over the final couple months and more closely resemble last year’s 92-win team that earned a trip to the ALCS.
The Red Sox’s deadline approach can still go in myriad ways. Boston has a handful of impending free agents who’d be in-demand trade targets. They’re reportedly listening to offers on J.D. Martinez, who’d be one of the best hitters available. Nathan Eovaldi would be arguably the top rental starting pitcher on the market. Catcher Christian Vázquez, starters Michael Wacha and Rich Hill, and reliever Matt Strahm have all had decent seasons, although each of Wacha, Hill and Strahm is currently on the injured list.
Should Bloom and his staff look to add to the roster, the bullpen stands out as an obvious possible target. Wacha and Hill aren’t far off returning, but the recent Chris Sale injury could lead the team to look into rotation upgrades. First base and right field, meanwhile, have each been problem areas all season. Adding a corner bat or two to bolster the lineup depth would be a sensible goal. The Sox haven’t tipped their hand much about the direction they plan to take, but in either event, it appears the fanbase can count on Bogaerts remaining at shortstop for the final few months of the season.
Dumb, Get what you can get for him. You could easily get two top 10 prospects and a platoon hitter for him at Minimum.
Way more than that.
@coolhand- I don’t think he’d fetch “way more than that” if he were traded because he’d strictly be a rental. Two top prospects would be a solid return.
Look at the Machado trade. The O’s received the Dodgers 4th ranked prospect (84th in the top 100) and the Dodgers 27th and 28th ranked prospects, plus two other players. I think if the Sox asked for quality over quantity, they could net 2 top 10s and a lotto ticket. No more.
“We are not trading Juan Soto. We made it clear to his agent and to the player.” — Mike Rizzo, June 1, 2022
Juan Soto doesn’t have a no trade clause, nor an opt out pending
Exactly Appalachian. We don’t know what was privately discussed and this could simply have been a PR agreement. If Bogie said I won’t go anywhere or limited his market to one or two teams, Boston’s leverage on the should be return is not there.
You are leaving out Soto declining the contract extension
Outlaw – That has nothing to do with my point.
My point is management lies.
mcmillan – Show me where Rizzo included the qualifier that turning down an extension would cause him to trade Soto.
And BTW, Soto had already turned down another extension BEFORE Rizzo made that BS declaration.
You’re not going to get anything for him if he doesn’t want to go because of the full NTC. So why would you risk straining the relationship exploring deals he may just veto?
I think out.of respect for the player and the player’s life you would.
If you are not going to the World Series with him, and know you won’t keep him = the player should have the opportunity to maximize his potential in life.
Blooms’ no blunderhead. Bet Boston become buyers.
But there is always the chance he opts in. And there is always the chance he could be permitted to talk extension with the new team before the trade with the expectation that once dealt, he signs the contract. Either scenario boosts his trade value
123 – Unless Xander has a serious injury or illness that will keep him sidelined for more than a year, he is NOT going to “opt in” as you put it.
Xander is gone, he’s worth a helluva lot more than the remainder of the extension.
You cannot get two top ten prospects and another guy for a guy who is going to be a free agent that would not be eligible for the qualifying offer. Not to mention most teams who would trade for him have worse farm systems therefore their top 10 prospects aren’t as good. Red Sox better of keeping him and hoping to sign a new contract when he opts out.
Not going to get anything close to that. Look at what Baez/Bryant/Machado brought back in rental deals. That being said absolutely trade him cuz he will opt out
Machado is a good comparison. Bryant and Baez aren’t in the same league player wise, so to speak.
Not getting anywhere near two top 10’s for a 37 year old rental. Dude can play but the GM who makes that deal just collected his last paycheck.
37?
Leave him alone, he’s on a roll.
Yeah, like when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor…..
I bet they trade him, its just posturing to get the best return, at least i hope. It would be a very dumb move not to with story there and xander opting out. I say all this as a jays fan
Murphy. Read the above posts. Bogie controls everything. He says no and it’s no. He says I’ll go just to the Yankees or Dodgers and there is no or limited bidding. Bogie previously said he wanted to stay in Boston so the team needs to plan on how best to build a roster for next year and beyond. Sale’s contract is still in play next year but then it ends. What payroll they have planned for the next three years is unknown to us. While they can certainly afford to again break the bank, is it a good plan? Not in my view. DD did what he was brought in to do but farm and payroll issues left the team in the situation Bloom inherited. Signing Story was a surprise but was a hedge given Bogie’s opt out clause. The team needs in my view to build on defense and pitching first, then look at the lineup.
One thing they do need to do is get below the CBT. If Bogaerts does leave they would at least get a higher draft pick.
If they get rid of enough money they could also take some back, if that’s what they need to do to make a trade work.
He’s got a full no trade. If he doesn’t want to go so be it. Glad they discussed it though. It’s a business, but it’s good to air it out.
Plus they can now get a pick with the QO.
Y2KAK: If you would’ve read the article, you would’ve noticed that Xander has FULL NO TRADE CLAUSE. That means that he’d have to approve of where he’d be going. This is also normally limits what an acquiring team would offer as compensation.
Good point, if the Sox would deal him to a team he would approve, I think Chaim would still ask for the asking price I listed and then might go after what machado got. Thank you for reminding me that Bogaerts has a no trade clause(seriously) but I still think Bogaerts commands a nice package in return
I would not trade him. You never trade an established good player for prospects who may never make it. When was the last time you got a top prospect is a deal. Seabold looks terrible and looks like he needs more seasoning in the minors. None of the rookies that have been brought up look earth shattering and the pitchers give away games in the first inning against good teams.
But if the GM lets the player leave for just a pick, they never hear the end of it. Avila still hears about how he let Scherzer walk, even though they were contending his last year in Detroit.
You never trade a good player for prospects? Um, the entirety of baseball would disagree. Plenty of these deals have worked out. Tons in fact. And they’re losing him anyway so…
That’s just AL34 being AL34. He has to think of something to complain about, even if he is the only person on the planet that thinks you should never acquire prospects.
He was the one that coined the phrase “Seward’s Folly”.
So instead of trading him for prospects who might work out they should keep a player in a non contending team, to see him opt out and hit FA? You realize that some prospects do work out right?
Bogaerts is overrated. He’s struggled with weak contact this season and with his opt out and Boras, no team will trade top prospects for him. IMO, the Red Sox know this, which is why they’re telling Xander that they’re not trading him.
Mistake
Bogaerts can nix any trade–did you not read that? Why fight with him over that when he might still be a target for re-signing if his market does not develop like he hopes (i.e., Lindor money).
He sure can veto a trade but why would he do that when he can increase his free agent value playing for a potential championship team.
What he can do is already established. Playing in a few playoff series isn’t going to change it.
Are you saying that a star player that has postseason experience and success adds no value on top of regular season performance?
I never said that. I don’t even recall thinking that.
I mean he has two rings
He has all the experience he needs regular season and post so I say yes, 1000% him going to a contender changes his value not one dollar. His value is unchanged whether he stays in Boston or wins a ring he’s already won. Everyone knows who he is, he’s not gonna “break out” and double his value he’s done that already
A traded player isn’t subject to a qualifying offer. That’s what would increase his value. Of course it’d only make a few million difference on what’s going to be a 9 figure contract.
Gone by the next sunset.
Unless the guy truly wants to leave, given he has the no-trade agreement, it would have to be him deciding to leave. Oh well, wait it out and see what happens. Worst case, he doesn’t sign until after the draft and you get nothing.
If you were a top star athlete would you want to play in Boston at Fenway Park?
I would want to play wherever they paid me the most money.
YourDreamGM8 hours ago
I would want to play wherever they paid me the most money.
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That would be a horrible decision. I’m older, so it matters less, but I wouldn’t leave my current job for almost anything. If I were Bogaerts and the choice was between the Nats and the RS, I wouldn’t switch for even 20% more. He already has more than he could ever spend.
Quality of life matters.
Joe – You wouldn’t leave your current job because older workers have a much harder time finding work, have more difficulty learning a new job, and don’t want to give up accrued benefits such as vacation time.
And BTW good players will often accept the challenges associated with joining a bad team, and relish being a big fish in a little pond.
If you were a star athlete would you want to play in Baltimore with that crime rate? I’m sure we could do this for any city.
Sure, I would do what every player does, and live in the suburbs. Crime is in the poorer neighborhoods. Players don’t tend to live there.
“Crime is int the poorer neighborhoods”
Camden Yards is right next to a crime ridden neighborhood. There was a shooting at the stadium last year. But, you would refuse to play at Fenway because its old, or whatever his logic was?
Don’t get me wrong, I’d play in Baltimore for the right money. Shoot, I’d play in Moscow for a Million, But I just wouldn’t bring any illegal contraband.
All kidding aside, I see no logic in the thinking Fenway would be out of the question as first poster said, and only brought up Baltimore because of his name.
If I was a star athlete I’d 100% want to play at Fenway ! Historic organization committed to winning and get to be part of rs/yank rivalry while not having to be a yankee. Dream come true. And I’m not a Red Sox fan at all
Big mistake! Why not see who is interested?? I would love to see him traded to the cards maybe even Eovaldi for Gorman/Libertore (bloom actually drafted him) or better yet Edman.
As good as Bogaerts is, he is a rental and there is no way St. Louis would give up Gorman for him and I doubt they would trade Liberatore either. You would probably get a couple nice prospects but not their top prospects. Teams don’t value 2 months and a playoff chase the same way they did in the past. Cost controlled young assets have become way more valuable in today’s baseball front offices. Especially when they are higher rated talents in their organization. 6 years of a kid who management sees as a key piece in the organization trump’s 2 months these days.
I bet they called him into their office and said to him, “Xander, look man, we have no intention of trading you. You’re a key part of this organization. We love you, man.”
Did they say anything to JD or are they willing to move him? Has Martinez ever received a QO?
He was traded in season so I don’t think so.
He has a full no trade clause…they making feel at home hoping he signs at a reduce cost.
The only thing surer than Bogey opting out at season’s end is that the next contract he signs will not be printed on Red Sox letterhead. Given that, why on earth would the Sox brass assure him he won’t be dealt before the trading deadline? Seems absurdly counterintuitive, no? Letting your de facto team captain and perennial All-Star walk in the midst of his prime for nothing more than a compensatory draft pick? Just stupefyingly puzzling …
They clearly think they will extend him. If they don’t extend him you can say this. But as of now there’s plenty of time to work out a deal. Allowing him to know now that he won’t be traded is a decent show of good faith after the lowballing that took place prior. It may even make Devers a little happier as well. I think they extend them both.
If they hadn’t ponied up 6 years and $140M this past offseason to bring in a guy who’s the same age and plays the same position, I’d be inclined to agree with you, but they did.
Read above. in my view it was a PR statement likely dictated by Bogie. They probably said to him something like “make a theoretical lust should we get calls on you” and his agent sent back a blank sheet of paper. Case closed.
They don’t have a choice they gave him an incredibly player friendly contract. Who’s the ass hat that gave out 3 voidable years AND a no trade clause? One or the other it’s called GM 101
You don’t understand. He was eligible earlier so they agreed on a compromise to still field a payroll centered team and compete while he got two more years where he was comfortable while still being young enough to get a long next deal. There also could have been an informal agreement to later remove the opt outs but the firing of DD changed things. JDM opted in, Bogie opts out. Without those clauses, who knows how high the AAV would have been to get them to sign their last deals? JDM had little choice and probably expected to opt out if not renegotiated but COVID changed things.
@zohn
Its not puzzling. They don’t view him as a SS, and he wants the money of a SS. Boston already has a better defensive SS to move forward with. Signing him for $30+MM long term, because he can hit, is a fools errand. Let another team make that mistake. Its easy for another team to move him off SS, than it would be for Boston.
Is it smart to give a player a big raise to play through his 30’s? He already should be moved off SS. Smart teams think with their head, not their heart. Personally, I’d field offers for him. If he wants 200 plus, let him walk if you don’t trade him.
Idk, a bad series against Milwaukee this weekend could change things.
Xander will fetch a slightly better package than what NYY gave for Beni…
Like an organizations #12 #17 and #25.. and possibly less than that..
Eovaldi might fetch a nice BP arm with control ..or a #15ish type spec.
Ditto JD Mart
Stupid not to trade all 3 ..u can always address them back in FA.. just got to get a slightly > prospect than u could get with a comp pick..cause I am sure all 3 would be QO if they stay
The Sox may actually wish to re-sign Bogaerts if/when he opts out. That probably doesn’t happen if they ship him off somewhere. There is no reason to gut this team just because.
i honestly see them doing ALOT this week, like the dodgers deal years ago, this team is going nowhere, i can name 7 guys right now id trade, they need a total overhaul, i went to the game the other night, and i was looking at the faces of the outfielders, ( thats where my seats were) and ive never seen a team so unhappy to play baseball, they like, know their gonna loose so they are ready too, ive never, ever seen this team look this bad. Its 1 thing to try and simply loose, but they cant even do that. I just hope it becomes clear what they have is not working, im not even saying sign other players to pretend for 2 months, im saying trade ALOT of the team, play fake baseball for 2 months then this winter overhaul everything, id trade absolutely anyone, i also wouldnt bring back alex cora, this time around he simply isnt the answer.
If you’ve never seen the team look this bad then you don’t remember 2012, 2014, 2015, or much of the 1990’s.
To be fair no Rafael Devers, Trevor Story, or Keke Hernandez in the lineup. JD Martinez battling back spasms. Chris Sale making two starts and back on the shelf, Eovaldi missing significant time, Rich Hill and Michael Wacha missing extended time. Thats a lot of key players not contributing so sure, they probably do look defeated, especially when right now it seems like a 2 run defecit is insurmountable. Blowing up the roster doesn’t fix that
That’s about right. They are 7 games off my projected W/L. For the sake of discussion, let’s say our lineup health is about average. And then we had 35 rotation starts made by SPs other than our regulars. Particularly Sale.
Replacing the #5 with the #6 makes relatively little difference. Replacing Sale with Bello, Seabold, etc., is huge.
And while W/L is not a great reference, our replacement SPs are 5-14, and a 5.24.
That said, if you want a silver lining, these starts should be useful down the road. Crawford has done very well. Winc has been okay. The only way to get these guys into the rotation is to let them take a few beatings and figure it out.
The question the Red Sox have to answer is can they get more in return for him than the pick they get from the QO?
Staring up at the Baltimore Orioles in the standings, man that must be tough. Toronto would be in that situation too if they weren’t allowed to play teams missing all their unvaccinated players.
Like he’d veto a chance to go to the World Series…..lol
Boston still intends to go to the ball…..
I may be missing something substantial here, so please correct me if I am. But it seems to me that if the front office doesn’t anticipate paying to keep him when he hits free agency, they should ask him for a list of teams to which he’d accept a trade and waive his no-trade clause. Categorically stating that they’re not trading him makes no discernible sense unless they’re absolutely committed to giving him a big extension.
Maybe they just want to take a shot at the playoffs.
I agree. It’s not like an NTC is not irrevocable, nor does it prevent the Sox from fielding offers. They would just need to obtain Boegardt’s approval to enact the trade. Good communication with the player and his representatives is paramount in these situations.
I agree with you, Fink. I think the Red Sox may be trying to avoid fan backlash for not resigning Xander. So, it seems to me the way to do that is make it look like you want to resign him and when he signs somewhere else you say you did all you could to resign him, but it just didn’t work out. This will look a lot better to fans than trading him in my opinion. I would rather they trade him if they know they will not resign him.
@ Fink## The optic would be awful for Boston. David Ortiz has publicly pleaded with them to get a deal done for Bogaerts. Bloom is still taking heat for trading Betts and doesn’t want to go repeat history. Plus, he’s a draft and develop exec. When Bloom was hired, John Henry clearly stated that the boom/bust way of doing business was something the Sox wanted to get away from. Create a sustainable model that would allow them to compete year after year. they will make another play for him, but my gut tells me they let him walk and take the draft choice, publicly allowing them to save face.
Either trade him or put together an offer now because once you get to the off season he is gone.
Sorry, Sox fans. Bloom County is driving that team right into the cellar. I realize his legacy of zero championships makes him a solid GM, but as dozens have already said, you get some prospects for a potential free agent.
It’s amazing that people can’t figure out that keeping Bogaerts now means that they have every intention of re-signing him.
It’s a little tougher to see that the low offers given to Bogaerts (and Devers) last winter were because of their defensive performance. Bogaerts looked like he would need to move to 2B or the OF within a couple of years. He worked his butt off all winter and is on a pace to be 4 runs above average, an improvement of 11 runs..
Without going into the details, signing Bogaerts to a fair contract makes complete sense for the Sox. financially.
Well good luck resigning him. I don’t think that is going to happen.
But, Chaim Einstein-Bloom is “building the farm system,” right? The big league club is riddled with holes, but that blessed, built-up farm system …
LOL
Not enough power to pay big money for him… Better hitter than Correa but average defender. Where would Boston play him ? Move on . Boston at least seems to know who to pay for unlike the Tigers with Baez… Boggy is being a jerk, like a lot of selfish players. Boston has done a lot for him but does he care about helping a team he will likely leave..
“Boggy is being a jerk, like a lot of selfish players.”
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Ah, HA!
A non-Red Sox fan.
This guys ego is huge. He’s vindictive to anyone that doesn’t give him his way (a perfect player for the Red Sox or Yankees). He’s got the fans on his side to such a point that when he sat for a game two the manager was afraid to move Story to SS until he returned….and you can bet that was at the direction of the FO and Owner. A real team player. Just the sort of guy to build a team around. LOL
the manager was afraid to move Story to SS
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From what I heard, Story and the RS had agreed that they would not jerk Story around, and that he would play 2B the entire year. Which makes sense on a couple of different levels.
Yeah that had been mentioned on several early broadcasts because they wanted Story to get comfortable at 2B, especially early in the season when every ball hit his way was an adventure. I’ve never heard about Bogaerts being “vindictive” or demanding anything so i guess we’ll find out soon enough
In most situations in baseball, as in life, most of the decisions we make have logic behind them, even if they don’t always work out. But some people would prefer to see something negative or nefarious behind everything.
@zohn
Its not puzzling. They don’t view him as a SS, and he wants the money of a SS. Boston already has a better defensive SS to move forward with. Signing him for $30+MM long term, because he can hit, is a fools errand. Let another team make that mistake. Its easy for another team to move him off SS, than it would be for Boston.
Will even be worse for him in 2023 when the shift goes away and there’s no SS on his side of 2B helping him cover ground.
The only thing we know about the Red Sox is that they can’t win when their pitching staff is decimated with injuries. That means they’re like every other team in baseball. The other thing that we know about the Red Sox is that when their pitching staff is fully healthy they’re as good as any team in baseball. That is NOT true of every team in baseball. So tighten your underpants and wait and see what happens with their pitching staff and all their injured arms. If they get enough of their talent back on the mound, then we’ll see what they can do.
Don’t fall asleep on this team. Last year they were one missed strike from putting the Astros in a pretty deep hole. They crushed the Yankees and the Rays with no difficulty.
So, wait and see what happens.
I don’t know that we would win even with our starters healthy. We lost so much in April. This just hasn’t been our season.
Starters were healthy, and recovered just fine from bad April. In June, Red Sox had 3rd best record in AL. Then all the injuries hit.
That’s about right. The regular rotation SPs had an ERA of 4.14, which given Fenway, is probably slightly better than average. And a record of 22-16. I think that was about we should’ve expected.
@whyhayzee; agreed, back to a healthy staff gets them on a sweet run. Way to early to count them out.
The Red Sox situation is an interesting one and the majority of their fans reflect it…..
The team is in the Luxury Tax. If they stay in it the penalties they’ll pay – besides the money – will limit what they can do in drafting.
They have 2 star position players that want substantially more money, and are “insulted” that the Red Sox did not offer them a new contract for those big bucks even though there was no legal reason for them to do so.
Meanwhile, even with the 2 insulted players, the team is around .500 and dwindling – being passed by an Orioles team with a payroll 22% then that of the Red Sox; a group of young players that play strong fundamental team ball – including defense (which the Red Sox do not) – and they have even more quality prospects on the way to the majors next year and beyond.
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What do Red Sox fans want? Easy:
1) Fire the Manager and Baseball Ops / GM.
2) Pay the 2 stars astronomical long-term contracts (and don’t think about what will happen if one gets hurt for a season or goes downhill).
3) With the rest of the roster make one-sided trades by taking on even more salary of established players for your garbage – like they and the Yankees did when there was no revenue sharing, pseudo salary cap, etc.
4) Build up the farm system.
Is that too much to ask? This is an elite and entitled franchise with elite and entitled fans and they want it and want it now. They deserve it! They have been treated like an ordinary MLB franchise for 2-3 year now. This is outrageous!
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Now, the ML roster needs to be fixed in time for the 2023 season because if it isn’t the star players will not be happy (even with their new contracts) and will show their irritation on the field and possibly voice some dissatisfaction to the media. The fans understand that building a farm system can take some time, so they don’t have to be pumping can’t-miss blue-chip prospects up to the ML team until 2024. And above all else – don’t concern yourself with what that the other teams in the AL East and AL are doing other than the Yankees, because everything in MLB revolves astound the Red Sox and Yankees. Just look at how the the national baseball media covers the sport.
To your point (and as a Yankees fan) it’s a lot more fun to root for a home-grown player than an “import” and a lot more exciting to see a group of younger players come together. But (and I know I’m making a contrary argument) MLB /the CBA weirdly structure things to create counter-incentives. Realistically, the only way smaller market teams can build is through draft picks, a strong scouting and instructional system, and more than a little luck. They have to do it that way. But bigger market teams are pushed in the opposite direction. Low draft picks/loss of draft picks/compensatory picks/competitive balance picks make it harder for them to access the best young talent through the draft….and four years later they are bidding up the prices in free agency for the players they couldn’t draft.. So the system creates incentives to either strip down and increase profitability, or spend a lot for competitiveness. It doesn’t reward the team that just wants to put a quality product and not a black hole on the field
Mikenmn;
You’re blaming the system?
Don’t agree.
The Yankees last great teams were built when they went into a rebuild that netted them a core of Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, Mariano, Pettitte, Pasada, and others. From there they moved guys in and out – no different than what the Astros do today as they’ve been sustainable contenders.
Large market teams can – and do – rebuild on the fly. The Dodgers do it. While they spend a lot on name players, they have just as many guys they found on the scrap heap. They worked with them and are getting major production for reasonable and oftentimes low salaries. The Mets are going to do it (if you think Mr. Cohen’s plan is to forever be spending money on FA’s I’d suggest you follow what he’s doing investing in an infrastructure of analytics, scouts and coaches).
The Yankees and Red Sox have a large portion of spoiled, entitled fans that don’t understand the sport. All they want to talk about is how much money the team is spending on payroll. Ridiculous and sad. These are sports fans? Their ownerships and FO’s are intimidated by them along with the national sports media which has always been headquartered in the NE. Another thing – contrary to the narrative being spread, a large portion of quality MLB players in their prime want nothing to do with playing in Boston or NYC.
Of course the system is not entirely to blame….it takes ownership to make those decisions. But the system does incentivize certain types of behavior at the top and bottom of the barbell. As for players not wanting to play in NY or Boston, that’s an excellent reason that Free Agency works well for players—it’s not just money, it can also be location if they prioritize it. We must read different things, because I don’t see anyone pushing a narrative that a baseball players are desperate to play for NY or Boston. And the truth is (and I love my city) you have to want to be here as there are a lot of tradeoffs. Whomever you root for….great, enjoy it. Don’t assume your parody of how you think a Yankees or Red Sox fans applies to everyone.
This is an elite and entitled franchise with elite and entitled fans and they want it and want it now.
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This was all predicted after 2004. I never want to go back to the “loveable loser” days, but it is unrealistic and counter-productive to think we can win the WS every year. RS fans need to accept that we need to roll thru periods where we will be WS contenders, years where we will be WC contenders, and years where we are merely .500.
Boegy is a core player for the Sox along with Devers and Story moving forward. They have to try and make the playoffs when you are close. There biggest problem is like everyone else pitching. Your can never have enough pitching. I would expect them to add some arms in the next few days.
So…. Why theHell the Redsopa are talking training one of the best SS in the game??? Simply, they don’t wanna pay the price!!! What a “crappy team”
So…. Why theHell the Redsopa are talking training one of the best SS in the game??? Simply, they don’t wanna pay the price!!! What a “cr@ppy team”
So…. Why theHll the Redsopa are talking training one of the best SS in the game??? Simply, they don’t wanna pay the price!!! What a “cr@ppy team”
I hope so. He is a good player who deserves to be paid. Story should never have been signed.
So…. Why theHll the Redsopa are talking training one of the best SS in the game??? Simply, they don’t wanna pay the price!!! What a “chipy team”
So…. Why theHll the Redsopa are talking training one of the best SS in the game???
So…. Why H the Redsopa are talking training one of the best SS in the game???
So…. Why the Redsopa are talking training one of the best SS in the game???
Where is Paxton? I don’t hear anything that he is close to returning or even pitching. Bloom paid this guy 11 million this year when that money could have been put to better use. Are you kidding me. This guy may never pitch. That was like going outside and throwing 11 million into the air.
And only one person catching it.
Paxton remains limited to throwing bull pen sessions. Not likely to make a significant contribution until 23.
AL3415 hours ago
Where is Paxton?
===========================
He is rehabbing. Don’t you follow the Red Sox at all?
Where is Paxton that Bloom paid 11 million for this guy to rehab? I have heard nothing about him or if he is close to returning. That 11 million could have been put to better usage for a reliever. Paxton May never make it back. Bloom is a small market GM but this Was a waste of 11 million dollars.
Wacha has not been anything in two years and Hill is 43 years old. How much did they think those two were going to give you. What was the plan here, to wait for Seabold, Bello, or Crawford ? None of them look that good. None of our rookies look great.
Not that Sox fans ever want to listen to Yankee fans but in the case of Paxton there is a solid case of “we told you so”……..this guy shows enough when healthy (which is probably about 1/3 of the time) to provoke dreams of Ace-like potential but is as fragile as GLASS….he get hurt reaching for his shower shoes let alone in the shower……..but of course, there will undoubtedly be another team after his time with the Sox expires that thinks he now has put all his health problems behind him and will give him another contract that he won’t live up to…..and no amount of analytics will prove he’s worth it folks.
“Everybody has a price”
– Ted Dibiase.
Translation: “You’re gone.”
What I believe the translation to this is…
Xander, “No, I will not waive my No Trade Clause no matter what.”
Bloom, “What abou….”
Xander, “No”
Bloom, “But…
Xander, “No! I’m gonna spend some time with my bud, Devers, and then I’m OUT OF HERE!”
The “relief’ he feels is knowing that he only has to spend a few months in Boston and not having to deal with silly, low ball offers from the Boston front office anymore.
IRT Bogaerts, the smart move is to trade him. That said:
1-Bogaerts has all the leverage. We can’t do anything about it. For all we know, his agent might’ve already told the FO that he will decline all trades, and this is just a publicity move.
2-If we do intend on signing him, this should be helpful.
3-I don’t see it (right now), but we are still .500, only 3.5 out of the playoffs, and only 5.5 out of the #1 WC.
4-A trade would be better, but we still get a draft pick out of it.
My next step would be to ask Bogaerts if there are any teams that he would accept a trade to. Tell him that, if he says no, we will respect his wishes and never say a word publicly or privately. Heck, he’s earned that privilege. If he gives us a list of two names, I’d call them up and tell them about the four teams Bogaerts will accept a trade to.
My offer to Bogaerts:
2023 (age 31) — $33m
2024 (32) — $33m
2025 (33) — $33m w/ player opt-out at end of season
2026 (34) — $25mm
2027 (35) — $25mm
Team option for three years at:
2028 (36) — $20mm
2029 (37) — $20mm w/ player opt-out
2030 (38) — $18mm
Mutual option for:
2031 (39) — $12mm
Mutual option for:
2032 (40) — $10mm
This commits the Sox to at most 5 years at $150mm, but it lets Bogaerts opt out after three years at age 33. He can earn his way to retirement with Boston, but has chances to get out if he wants..
In 2025, at age 33, Bogaerts can chose a guaranteed $50mm for 2026-27, and bet on himself to be playing well enough at age 35 for the Sox to pick up the option for another $58mm from 2028-30.
If they pick it up, but he thinks he can do better in 2029 when he’s 37, he can opt-out. If he doesn’t then he’s got a golden parachute for his age 39-40 seasons, and if he’s just done by then the Sox can cut him loose.
Full no-trade protection. But also a commitment from Bogaerts that he’s amenable to a position change, 3b, 1b or DH.
BCJD……..There is no way I’d do that….. major overpay.
simple way is to add 5 mill to the next 3 years of his current contract….. then add a fourth year @ 25 per year.
With his declining power this year and addiing an additional year…. that should be good enough…. he is going to have to move off SS at some point when Mayer is ready. His defense is not good enough as a SS to merit those #’s you are proposing.
Your $100mm/4 years isn’t going to get it done. My $150mm over 5 years may be an over-pay, but it gets it done and comes with a team-friendly additional five years and shows their commitment to Bogaerts as a team cornerstone.
If your offer is what it would take…. then sorry but thanks for your years here Xander.. and good luck with your next team.
Xander’s agent Boras goes for overpays and he is usually successful at getting some team to overpay.
Guess the Sox couldn’t get Rick Burleson or Rico Petrocelli out of retirement.
Johnnie LeMaster on line one.
Baez, Fulmer, Chafing, G Soto, Cisneros, eRod, Skubal
Could.make a difference in Beantowne.
And Jimenez and……
Or anywhere for.that matter…..
Except.Detroit, apparently
Wondering where the RedSox might be if they had Benintendi in center, Renfroe in right, and Verdugo in left. Mitch Moreland wouldn’t have cost much to keep around, and I would be just as happy with Arroyo at second as Story. Betcha we wouldn’t be last in the AL east!
They should absolutely trade Xander, Eovaldi, and JD but I can see them foolishly thinking they’re contenders and hanging on to them
Not dealing him is extremely dumb. Good god.