SAN DIEGO — Xander Bogaerts thought he’d be in Boston for his complete profession.
He used to need to be in Boston for his complete profession.
It was a sentiment he expressed regularly throughout his Red Sox days. Even after he determined to check free company final fall, he nonetheless held out hope that the franchise he’d been with since he was 16 years previous would come by way of on the eleventh hour.
But through the Winter Meetings in early December, San Diego made Bogaerts a suggestion he couldn’t refuse: 11 years, $280 million. The Boston’s final bid was a number of years and greater than $100 million behind; Alex Cora even advised him he’d be loopy to show down the Padres.
Six months later, the Red Sox are in San Diego for a weekend sequence, and for the primary time in his profession, Bogaerts is Boston’s opponent.
Hours earlier than Friday night’s sequence opener, he sat in his new residence dugout, despatched like to Red Sox followers, smiled as he mentioned his enduring friendship with Rafael Devers, and talked about making ready to face the group he’d lengthy thought he’d be a part of till the day he determined to not play anymore.
It was then that he admitted seeds of doubt about his future in Boston started to take root in his thoughts lengthy earlier than he opted out of his contract final November.
“I don’t know the date, but somewhere in March (2022),” the 30-year-old shortstop stated, a bit wistfully. “You never know what happens at the end of the year, but yeah, somewhere around that time.”
It’s not exhausting to attach the dots to the Red Sox signing free-agent shortstop Trevor Story, which occurred on March 23, 2022.
“(Spring training is) where the thought starts coming in of like, ‘Hey, you know, now you know where they’re at, you know, in their minds, their plans, their whatever,” he stated within the genteel manner that somebody may be open and trustworthy, but purposefully imprecise sufficient to not insult or badmouth. Still, he admitted to hoping for one of the best.
“You never know until it really happens.”
But what had already occurred was the Story signing. And although the workforce maintained that the previous Colorado Rockies infielder was there to play second base (and Story stated a number of occasions all through the season that he wished to play alongside Bogaerts for years to come back), he was additionally clearly a contingency for Bogaerts’ potential departure.
Worse but was how the Red Sox had apparently created a backup plan earlier than even trying to have interaction with Bogaerts on how they may persuade him to not choose out, which despatched a message that they had been ready for him to go away, and had been extra centered on changing him earlier than he was gone than convincing him to remain. Only after giving Story the seventh richest contract in franchise historical past did the Red Sox flip round and lowball their homegrown star; their first provide was solely an extra yr and $30 million added onto his ongoing contract. Bogaerts reportedly felt the entire state of affairs was a “slap in the face,” particularly as a result of he’d simply helped the Red Sox court docket Story.
Bogaerts left Boston having performed extra video games at shortstop than any of his predecessors in franchise historical past. He contributed to 2 of their 4 championships on this century, and his title is sprinkled all through the membership’s all-time leaderboards. He was this era’s Bobby Doerr, nicknamed the “Silent Captain” by teammate Ted Williams for his grace, underrated contributions, and management, all supplied for the betterment of the workforce, by no means for private glory.
Though it was Bogaerts’ choice to choose out, the Red Sox helped it alongside by prioritizing Story, a free agent who performed the identical place, however with considerably worse numbers on the street than at his former residence subject, the hitters’ paradise often known as Coors Field, and with out Bogaerts’ confirmed postseason expertise. Bogaerts’ agent, Scott Boras, additionally instructed that the group’s excessive opinion of their No. 1 prospect, shortstop Marcelo Mayer, additionally factored into their choice to fall again within the Bogaerts bidding conflict.
Bogaerts is comfortable in San Diego, however misses some issues about Boston. “Not the weather,” was an inadvertently ironic assertion, given southern California’s unusually gloomy climate this spring.
“Obviously, the fans” are what he says he misses essentially the most. He praised their dedication to the workforce and and the way their calls for for greatness motivated him.
When the groups took the sector on Friday night, he stated he’d flip the swap from previous buddy to opponent. He’d already frolicked with Alex Cora and had dinner with Devers, however “maybe an hour before game time,” he’d put together to face them.
And for the primary time in his profession, attempt to beat them.
Source: www.bostonherald.com