Red Sox Were More Aggressive For Mid-Tier Scott Boras Client Than Xander Bogaerts

The Red Sox told a different story to the media

Scott Neville | Dec 21, 2022

Red Sox Were More Aggressive For Mid-Tier Scott Boras Client Than Xander Bogaerts /

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox brass spent an entire year assuring their fanbase that re-signing Xander Bogaerts was their top priority.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom even went as far as to say that Bogey was their "Plan A."

Bogaerts' agent Scott Boras reportedly disagrees with said assessment entirely.

Listen to the full conversation with Joon Lee. Click the share button to listen on Apple or Spotify, and don't forget to follow the new feed to get notified when the latest episodes drop.

"I talked to Scott Boras a couple days ago and he's like 'they were not as aggressive as we expected on Xander Bogaerts but they were super aggressive on (Masataka) Yoshida,' " ESPN's Joon Lee told ITM Podcast's Steve Perrault and Joey Copponi.

Boras represents both players and would know better than anyone how much effort the Red Sox actually put into both pursuits.

Hearing that Bloom and company were "super aggressive" for Yoshida and underwhelmed Boras in their efforts to retain Bogaerts is a massive blow to Red Sox fans.

It sounds as if the year-long promise that Boston would do everything in their power to keep Bogey in a Red Sox uniform lacked both effort and a competitive offer.

The Red Sox have not operated like a large-market team for years, and their charade of acting like one in press conferences is up. The most consistent trend in the Red Sox offseason is discovering the difference between their words and actions.

John Henry is not as invested in the team as he was in the past. Bloom is not going to build a Los Angeles Dodgers-like system by combining an elite farm system with a high payroll.

It would take a massive change in philosophy for the Red Sox to return to the powerhouse they once were -- a team that won four championships in the span of 15 seasons.

The team has the money and could become the perennial championship contender they once were -- all they need is for Henry to start investing in the team that once was the lifeblood of the Fenway Sports Group.

More MLB: Red Sox, Rafael Devers Reportedly 'Galaxies Apart' In Negotiations

Published Dec 21, 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