“No progress has been made toward a deal,” as the Red Sox and Xander Bogaerts‘ Agent Scott Boras met yesterday, writes Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. Previous reports suggested other teams had overtaken the Sox in the race to sign the All-Star, although Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom said Bogaerts was still a high priority for the club.
As you might expect, Boras emphasized the great interest his client draws from multiple teams, without closing the door on other applicants. Referring to the Red Sox, Boras said, “All I know is that we’re going to keep talking and having a dialogue and continuing the process with them. The Red Sox, they kind of have a four star property. These guys have proven over time that they win and they go for wins…I think everyone around them understands that without the ‘X’ the Sox are so-so.”
While puns are an integral part of the Boras experience, his agency’s general policy of not letting a player’s former team make a so-called last-minute offer is also notable in relation to Boston’s odds. “We’re not the right kind. We’re letting the teams know they have to push through,” Boras said. “We never shy away from making an agreement with any team and we certainly don’t give preference to anyone on the market. Otherwise I think the free agent’s right would be muted if you did this.
It remains unclear if Bogaerts’ signing is still a realistic proposition for the Red Sox, given many of the team’s actions over the past year (i.e. signing from Trevor story, or a low renewal offer to Bogaerts last spring) seem to indicate the Sox are preparing for a future without Bogaerts in the roster. Another clue could be Boston’s interest Kolten Wongas reported by The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, the Sox had some talks with the Brewers before Wong was assigned to the Mariners.
A source says Speier that if the Red Sox traded for Wong, “it wouldn’t have taken 100 percent [them] out of the market” to re-sign Bogaerts. The Sox would have hypothetically used Bogaerts, Story and Wong in the middle infield mix, or possibly even flipped Wong in a trade to another team if Bogaerts was actually re-signed. While Wong appears overqualified for such a part-time role, “the Sox are looking to explore ways to add high-end depth” after injuries hampered the position-player mix in 2022.
With Bogaerts’ future in Boston still up in the air, another familiar face could be a possibility for the team, like MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo (Twitter link) reports that the Red Sox met today with Christian VazquezThe agents of . Cotillo noted that Vazquez may not be directly involved in this meeting as MDR Sports Management also represents several other players including free agent catchers Robinson Chirinos and Roberto Perez.
Reese McGuire and Connor Wong are Boston’s reigning catchers with prospects for the 2023 season Ronaldo Hernandez and new waiver claim Caleb Hamilton also in the mix. It seems like the Sox are at least exploring the market for more help behind the plate, considering Boston was mentioned as one of the many teams with a trade interest in athletics. Sean Murphy. However, Cotillo reports that there is “nothing going on” between the Red Sox and the top catcher in the free agent market. Willson Contreras.
Andrew Heney was also on Boston’s radar this offseason, and Cotillo tweets that the Sox were one of the many teams that made the left-hander a contract offer. However, the Red Sox fell through when Heaney opted to sign with Rangers on a two-year deal and $25 million in guaranteed money.