Boston Red Sox: 3 issues Chaim Bloom must address this offseason
By John Hynes
The top priority this offseason for Chaim Bloom and the Boston Red Sox is taking care of their two big stars.
An issue that loomed over the clubhouse all year and was heavily covered almost to the point of distraction was the expiring contract of franchise cornerstone Xander Bogaerts.
2022, individually, was an impressive year for Bogaerts as he posted the third best batting average in the AL hitting at a .307 clip. On top of that, he quieted a lot of complaints about his defensive capabilities as a shortstop while also being the main leader in the clubhouse.
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Bogaerts, who just recently turned 30, has proven he has plenty of gas left in the tank and given what he has done for this organization since 2013, it would be a critical mistake for the Red Sox to leave him out of their future plans.
Another Boston superstar is due for an extension with Rafael Devers about to enter his final year of arbitration with the Red Sox. After being selected to his second consecutive All-Star team in 2022 at the age of 25, keeping Devers long term is a no-brainer.
While he is still locked in for one more year in Boston, extending him and securing a franchise player for the future should be equally as urgent of an issue as re-signing Bogaerts.