Red Sox's Xander Bogaerts Not Ruling Out New Deal Before End Of Season

Bogey is more than willing to listen

Scott Neville | Sep 28, 2022

Red Sox's Xander Bogaerts Not Ruling Out New Deal Before End Of Season /

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Boston Red Sox

Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts does not appear to be close to reaching a new deal as he sits just weeks away from opting out of his current contract, but he's open to the idea of coming to a new agreement in the final days of the season.

In his most recent appearance, Bogaerts shed some light on his current contract situation. He said there has been no further contact from the Red Sox but was still hopeful.

"There's still nine games here, so who knows what happens," Bogaerts told Rob Bradford on WEEI's "Bradfo Sho" on Tuesday.

Bogaerts also responded to Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom's statement made on the same podcast a week prior, which was very complimentary.

"It makes you feel good that they see you in that way," Bogaerts said. "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."

Given the fact that the Red Sox are not only officially eliminated from postseason contention but have been out of the race for a long time, it's somewhat stunning that the Red Sox front office has not been more active in negotiations with their long-time shortstop, especially when he appears to be ready.

It would be shocking if the two sides could reach a deal with just one week left in the season but they certainly could get some of the groundwork in place as a big offseason awaits.

Regardless of the lack of activity, both sides have been clear about wanting to get a deal done, which is half of the battle.

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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