The Boston Red Sox just saw how the San Diego Padres signed their longtime shortstop Xander Bogaerts to an 11-year, $280 million contract on Wednesday night.
Bogaerts had been with them for years, even winning the 2018 World Series.
He was one of the best shortstops in free agency.
Having said that, it was evident that the Padres overpaid for him in order to keep him away from the Red Sox.
Now, Boston lost one of their star players after finishing last in the AL East in 2022.
Lots of people seem to think that if the Red Sox let Bogaerts go, they won’t be able to pay star third baseman Rafael Devers either.
They believe Devers will somehow depart because the team failed to re-sign his friend and keep a competitive roster.
But that’s not necessarily true.
The Red Sox Probably Won’t Make The Same Mistake Twice
Red Sox insider Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com explained the situation and provided some hope to disappointed supporters.
“BTW, the whole ‘if Bogaerts leaves, Devers is going to definitely leave too because they’re so tight’ thing is way overblown. He’s going to be disappointed his friend left. But they are different situations. If the Red Sox make the right offer, XB situation won’t matter to him,” he tweeted.
BTW, the whole "if Bogaerts leaves, Devers is going to definitely leave too because they're so tight" thing is way overblown. He's going to be disappointed his friend left. But they are different situations. If the Red Sox make the right offer, XB situation won't matter to him.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) December 8, 2022
Devers is a free agent after the 2023 World Series.
One would think Boston would learn from the Bogaerts situation.
They didn’t lose Bogaerts yesterday: they did it before the 2022 season, and even in 2021, by failing to negotiate a long-term extension with him.
They thought they had already done that in 2019, but they knew there was an opt-out in his deal and that he would likely use it.
Having seen the outcome of the Bogaerts situation, one would think they won’t make the same mistake with Devers, perhaps the team’s true offensive star.
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