SAN DIEGO — On Monday night, the Red Sox met with Agent Scott Boras and discussed free-agent shortstop Xander Bogaerts. However, no progress has been made towards an agreement, according to a source familiar with the talk.
So continued a slow process involving the Red Sox and their four-time All-Star, who Boras said has now met in person with representatives from multiple teams, including multiple owners. The Sox did not have a face-to-face meeting with Bogaerts during his free agency.
“You’ve been dating Xander for years,” Boras said.
As Monday’s call revealed, the team remains locked in talks over the shortstop. Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom said Monday that retaining Bogaerts remains the team’s top priority offseason, but that the team always expects Bogaerts to fully explore his free agent market before making a decision about his future.
Is this approach too passive?
“I don’t know their strategy. All I know is that we keep talking and having the dialogue and continuing the process with them,” Boras said during a 30-minute media session. “The Red Sox have a kind of four-star ownership. 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.”
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Bloom expressed amusement at Boras’ pun, but disagreed with the agent’s assessment.
“We think we’re going to be good,” Bloom said. “We hope it’s with Xander. We really do. If that doesn’t work out, we still want to be a playoff-caliber team.”
Scott Boras is representing both Xander Bogaerts and free-agent shortstop Carlos CorreaMarcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press
Still, the possibility of Bogaerts’ departure has become more and more real as the off-season has progressed. Boras described a market where several teams have made multiple offers for his star shortstop clients (Bogaerts and Carlos Correa) over the past few days. And through his meetings with other potential bidders, Boras said Bogaerts has developed increasing confidence in a number of teams.
“Xander has now had the opportunity to exercise his rights as a free agent. He has met with a variety of teams and experienced who he is in the eyes of many opponents he has played against. I think it was a very thorough process that gave him a better understanding of who he is in the baseball world,” Boras said. “He also learned the approach of many teams and owners. The owners who met him were really, really impressed and he with them. It’s been a real education for him over the past few months or so.”
Interestingly, while Boras said all his discussions with other teams have been about signing Bogaerts as shortstop for 2023, the agent identified the potential future versatility of the positions as one of the 30-year-old’s selling points.
“Xander’s strengths are OPS. He has elite bat-to-ball skills. I think Xander is aging really well in this game because of his bat-to-ball ability, his multiple position ability to play third and second base, and his arm strength,” Boras said. “Xander meets a lot of line rides in Fenway. Many of them would be home runs in other places. His [slugging]his on-base are true qualities for anyone playing on the dirt.
Boras suggested that if another team is pushing for a deal to be struck with Bogaerts or one of his players, he would not give that player’s former team one last chance to outbid their competition.
“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.
Alex Speier can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @alexspeier. Peter Abraham can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @PeteAbe.