Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy Names Biggest Mistake In Xander Bogaerts Negotiations

Boston lost a homegrown star in the offseason

Scott Neville | Feb 17, 2023

Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy Names Biggest Mistake In Xander Bogaerts Negotiations /

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox lost one of the most productive homegrown stars in the history of the organization this winter.

A player who was the closest thing the team had to a team captain and also happened to still be in the middle of his prime -- shortstop Xander Bogaerts.

After such a monumental loss, there are sure to be plenty of discussions regarding the details of what became a failed negotiation.

Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy did not get into the specifics of the deal but did bring up one of the bigger mistakes that has led to such a dramatic fallout from the fans.

"We had to talk a lot about (the team's attempt to extend Bogaerts), and maybe we made a mistake by addressing it and saying how much of a priority it was," Kennedy told ITM Podcast's Steve Perrault and Joey Copponi on Monday. "That was the truth. Obviously, we didn't get it done so maybe it was a mistake to continue to address it but we wanted to try to be accountable with our fans and with our media."

One thing is for sure, hate them or love them, the Red Sox front office has been extremely transparent with their decision-making and has not waivered from criticism.

Kennedy, Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and anyone else who has spoken to the media has been self-deprecating after both a failed season and inability to keep Bogaerts in Boston.

While that might not mean much to Red Sox Nation at the moment, New England's fanbase has a history of backing anyone willing to own up to their mistakes, put their head down and come back stronger than ever.

Time will tell if the Bloom era will yield any results but a parade in Boston has historically healed all wounds.

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Published Feb 17, 2023

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