How Much Red Sox's Xander Bogaerts Is Expected To Make This Offseason

Bogey is worth investing in this winter.

Scott Neville | Nov 7, 2022

How Much Red Sox's Xander Bogaerts Is Expected To Make This Offseason /

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Boston Red Sox

While the Rafael Devers contract discussions are sweeping headlines, the Boston Red Sox's most immediate concern regards the player who lines up next to him, shortstop Xander Bogaerts.

The 30-year-old opted out of his contract Monday, officially becoming a free agent for the first time in his career.

In a market full of shortstops, how much will the elder statesman of the class get?

FanGraphs released their yearly median crowdsource projections for the top 50 free agents, and had Bogaerts tabbed for a six-year, $168 million deal. That contract would have an average annual value of $28 million, which is in line with what most have thrown out there.

The biggest question for Bogaerts revolves around the years, not the money. If the Red Sox can lock their star shortstop and unofficial captain in for six years, they should do so. And for that price? There shouldn't even be a second thought.

The fear is that he will get seven or possibly even eight years, which would likely put Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom out of the running. He's said before that normally it's "time to get off the bus" when talking about a 30-year-old shortstop, but Bogaerts is an exception. Still, he doesn't seem too keen on signing long-term deals with players that are toward the end of their prime. History would back up his philosophy.

While Bogaerts' market value being seven or eight years would be unexpected, it only takes one other team to break up any chances of a potential reunion.

Still, these projections have been fairly accurate in the past, and Bogaerts' expected price tag is more than reasonable. The Red Sox would almost certainly sign that deal in a heartbeat.

More MLB: Red Sox Free-Agent Fit Signs Elsewhere, Thinning Relief Pitcher Market

Published Nov 7, 2022

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu