The Boston Red Sox are making sure they don’t lose Xander Bogaerts by locking up the short stop for years to come.
This is no April Fools joke Boston Red Sox fans.
Following many rumors that the Red Sox about a possible Xander Bogaerts trade at some point during the season, the defending World Series champions are reportedly very close to locking up the young short stop with a six-year, $120 million deal.
A bit of a surprise? Yes.
BREAKING: The Red Sox and shortstop Xander Bogaerts are nearing a contract extension, sources said. Deal is not finalized, but is close.
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) April 1, 2019
Considering the number of players the Red Sox have hitting free agency in 2019, Bogaerts was expected to be the odd man out, hence the trade rumors.
But, as multiple reports indicate, the two-time World Series champion is about to keep his talents in the city of Boston with a contract extension that rivals other high-profile players who were set to hit free agency like Colorado Rookies third baseman Nolan Arenado and St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt.
As timing says everything, Bogaerts is coming off his best season offensively. Not only did he come up with some clutch hits in 2018, he was one of the team’s top run producers. With a .288 batting average and mostly hitting in the No. 5 spot, Xander Bogaerts showed some pop with 23 homers with a 103 RBI.
If it wasn’t for the seasons of J.D. Martinez and Mookie Betts, Bogaerts would’ve gotten a lot more attention through the season. Ironically, the likely contract extension could mean one of those two players may not be back following the 2019 season.
Which leads to the first of three thoughts about the reported six-year extension between the Boston Red Sox and Xander Bogaerts.
What about Mookie and J.D.?
After extending Chris Sale and now Xander Bogearts, it appears the Boston Red Sox have an order of priority when it comes to locking up a few of their own players.
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Like manager Alex Cora mentioned prior to the season, the defending World Series champions will lose some of their core players following the 2019 season. With Bogaerts assumed to be one of those players, what does the contract extension mean Mookie Betts or J.D. Martinez if he decides to opt out after the season?
Like Sam Minton mentioned in his article, the deal likely has no impact on whether the team reaches a long-term deal with Mookie Betts or not.
However, if Martinez decides to opt out, the Red Sox are in better position to move on from the veteran slugger.
With young players like Sam Travis, Michael Chavis and Bobby Dalbec knocking on the door for an opportunity in the Major Leagues, the Red Sox will be smart not to pay Martinez the type of money he may demand if he decides to opt out.
Besides, the team will need to focus its finances on making Mookie Betts once of the top paid players in MLB, especially after the recent contract Bryce Harper signed with the Philadelphia Phillies and the contract extension Mike Trout signed with the Los Angeles Angels.
Take this Xander Bogaerts extension as a good bet that the team is determined to make sure their other young star stays in Boston for a while.
Taking care of their own
It’s always great when the Boston Red Sox take care of one of their own instead of throwing money at the likes of Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez.
Now, it’s quite fine when the team spends some money on players like Chris Sale and J.D. Martinez to add to a young core but paying a player like Xander Bogaerts who great up in the farm system and has been a part of a winning atmosphere goes a long way to both rebuilding the team’s farm system and not paying for long-term bad contracts.
With other homegrown players like Andrew Benintendi, Mookie Betts and eventually Rafael Devers showing signs of stardom, it is important to lock these players up to not only maintain current success but set the team up for a competitive future.
The Bogaerts reported extension also means you never know what the Red Sox will do when it comes to contracts or even extensions. Though Bogaerts is not a pitcher, ownership is certainly making a statement that they learned from past mistakes, particularly not re-signing Jon Lester.
As one of the top shortstops in the league, the overall message is it’s better to take care of their own than throw money at the problem in the offseason.
Again, unexpected, but a good move for the Boston Red Sox.
Still something to prove
The reported six-year contract extension doesn’t mean Xander Bogaerts doesn’t still have something to prove with the Boston Red Sox.
With a reported player opt-out option after the 2022, Bogaerts has a chance to establish himself as the best shortstop in the league and demand even more money if he does decide to opt out.
As far as what he needs to prove to the team in 2019.
First, he needs to continue to hit with a combination of power and average while providing solid defense at the position. In doing so, the 26-year-old infielder will continue to grow as a leader on the field as well as off the field.
Simply put, he has to make the Boston Red Sox long-term investment worth it. As Chris Sale is finding out after just one start, fans and the media will start questioning the money if any signs of struggle or underperforming peaks its head.
With not much in terms of prospects ready for a Major League opportunity, Bogaerts certainly has some time to shine and prove that his 2018 season was more the norm than just a one-time career season.