Scott Boras shut down the possibility of an in-season Xander Bogaerts contract extension
"That’s our stance."
Though the “Re-sign Xander” chants have been heard from Red Sox fans at Fenway Park recently, it doesn’t appear that Boston will actually have the opportunity to do so before the end of the 2022 season.
Xander Bogaerts, the 29-year-old Red Sox shortstop, could opt out of the three years and $60 million remaining on his current contract at the end of the season.
After Boston’s initial offer of a one-year extension worth $30 million was rejected in April, it appeared that the window of opportunity for agreeing to a new deal before the end of the season with Bogaerts was gone.
The window briefly seemed to reopen with comments Bogaerts made on May 15 regarding potential talks between the Red Sox and his agent, Scott Boras.
“I don’t know how this would work. But if they talk to Scott behind closed doors and it’s something that’s fair, he can come to me,” Bogaerts told Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. “We’ll see how that goes.”
Yet as fast as the possibility to reach an agreement swung back open, Boras slammed it shut on Tuesday.
“There won’t be any negotiations during the season,” Boras told Abraham. “That’s our stance. I look forward to talking to [Red Sox owners] John [Henry] and Tom [Werner] about Xander after their season.”
(Boston Globe Media Partners, which includes Boston.com, is also owned by Red Sox principal owner John Henry).
Waiting until after the season puts Bogaerts in a stronger negotiating position. The Red Sox would have to compete with other MLB teams bidding for the three-time All-Star’s services, should he opt out. The offer of a single year at $30 million — added to the final three years of the six-year, $132 million contract extension Bogaerts signed in 2019 — falls far short of the current value for top players at his position.
Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor, and Corey Seager (all shortstops) make at least $33 million in 2022, according to Spotrac.