How Red Sox's Xander Bogaerts Responded To Chaim Bloom's Recent Comments

Bloom's comments got back to Bogey

Scott Neville | Sep 28, 2022

How Red Sox's Xander Bogaerts Responded To Chaim Bloom's Recent Comments /

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Boston Red Sox

Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts has heard what chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom had to say about him, which could impact his upcoming free agency decision.

The initial comment from Bloom was in response to a question about Bogey's value, and should allow those rooting for the slugger to sign a long-term deal in Boston to breathe a sigh of relief.

"I will put it this way: Normally when you look at players at the point in their career that he is getting to, on paper that is usually the time to get off the bus," Bloom told Rob Bradford on WEEI's "Bradfo Sho" last Monday "To me, it’s basically a threshold issue. It’s because of all those things he brings that he is the type of guy you want to have here for a long time. That you want to have here hopefully for his whole career."

Bogaerts responded to this statement on the same podcast, just over a week later.

"It makes you feel good that they see you in that way," Bogaerts told Bradford on WEEI's "Bradfo Sho." "I love baseball, man. When I’m finished playing I go back home and I watch the games on the West Coast or whatever games are still left. Some guys play baseball and when they go home they do other stuff. I love baseball 24-7. I have said it multiple times, I hope I’m here for a long time because I enjoy it a lot."

The last sentence of his response is more reason for optimism. Both sides appear to want to get a deal done, which could make things a lot easier come November. Even manager Alex Cora chimed in on a different podcast, saying "we're prepared to bring Xander back."

Red Sox's Alex Cora Says He Is 'Prepared To Bring Xander (Bogaerts) Back'

Finding the right price will be the biggest hurdle, but even that aspect of a potential deal should not be too hard to agree upon. The 29-year-old likely will receive somewhere between $25 million to $30 million per season, likely closer to the latter.

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Published Sep 28, 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