In a move that has been projected since the beginning of the season, Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts has made the decision to opt out of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent. Bogaerts’ name was included in a list of opt-outs released by the MLBPA Monday morning.
The Red Sox now have until Nov. 9 to exclusively negotiate a new contract with Bogaerts. He’ll officially become an unrestricted free agent free to speak with all 30 teams when MLB free agency begins on Nov. 10.
Bogaerts, 30, signed his current contract as a six-year, $120 million deal back in 2019. That deal pays him $20 million dollars a year, which made him the league’s fifth-highest paid shortstop last year.
However, shortstops contracts soared last offseason, Corey Seager, Carlos Correa, and Francisco Lindor all signed deals worth over $30 million a year last offseason. Spotrac currently projects Bogaerts’ market value at $31 million a year, and his next deal as a six-year, $186 million contract.
Coming off this season, such a deal seems realistic. He hit .307 in 150 games in 2022, with 15 home runs and 73 RBIs. He was nominated for both a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger after the season.
Assuming he doesn’t reach a new contract with the Red Sox by the end of the week, Bogaerts will be one of the top shortstops in free agency this year. He’ll be joined by Trea Turner, Dansby Swanson, and Correa – whose deal from last year included an opt-out.
If the Red Sox can’t sign Bogaerts, Trevor Story would likely take over as the team’s shortstop. Story was signed to a six-year, $140 million contract last spring.
Xander Bogaerts career stats
Year Age Tm G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG Awards 2013 20 BOS 18 44 7 11 2 0 1 5 5 13 .250 .320 .364 2014 21 BOS 144 538 60 129 28 1 12 46 39 138 .240 .297 .362 2015 22 BOS 156 613 84 196 35 3 7 81 32 101 .320 .355 .421 SS 2016 23 BOS 157 652 115 192 34 1 21 89 58 123 .294 .356 .446 AS,SS 2017 24 BOS 148 571 94 156 32 6 10 62 56 116 .273 .343 .403 2018 25 BOS 136 513 72 148 45 3 23 103 55 102 .288 .360 .522 MVP-13 2019 26 BOS 155 614 110 190 52 0 33 117 76 122 .309 .384 .555 AS,MVP-5,SS 2020 27 BOS 56 203 36 61 8 0 11 28 21 41 .300 .364 .502 MVP-17 2021 28 BOS 144 529 90 156 34 1 23 79 62 113 .295 .370 .493 AS,MVP-12,SS 2022 29 BOS 150 557 84 171 38 0 15 73 57 118 .307 .377 .456 AS Career 10 Y 1264 4834 752 1410 308 15 156 683 461 987 .292 .356 .458 162 avg. 162 620 96 181 39 2 20 88 59 126 .292 .356 .458 Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at [email protected].
