Bogaerts inks 11-year deal with Padres

Xander Bogaerts has opted out of his contract with the Red Sox to become a free agent, and MLB.com is keeping track of the latest rumors surrounding the shortstop.

Read all about Bogaerts here.

Dec. 9: Bogaerts agrees to 11-year deal with Padres
Bogaerts agreed to an 11-year deal with the Padres on Friday. Terms of the deal were not announced, but a source told MLB.com that it's worth $280 million. More >

Dec. 7: Bogaerts getting close to a deal?
The Red Sox reportedly made a couple of huge signings on Wednesday, the final day of the Winter Meetings in San Diego. Boston first locked up frontline closer Kenley Jansen on a two-year deal. They then added one of the better outfielders in the market in Japanese on-base machine Masataka Yoshida, on a five-year contract worth a total of about $105 million.

The Red Sox's biggest offseason priority, shortstop Xander Bogaerts, is still unsigned. But multiple reports give the sense that a Boston-Bogaerts reunion could soon become a reality.

A source told The Boston Globe's Pete Abraham on Wednesday afternoon that there is "momentum" building between Bogaerts and the Red Sox. This jibes with a report earlier in the day from MLB Network insider Jon Heyman, who tweeted that the two sides were engaged in "heavy discussions."

This latest update represents a change from what Abraham reported just a couple of days ago, when he wrote for the Globe that the Red Sox had yet to make "a competitive offer" to their longtime shortstop (subscription required).

The Red Sox are far from the only team vying for the four-time All-Star. The Padres, who reportedly presented big offers to Aaron Judge and Trea Turner, are a part of that group. The Cubs, who could possibly add two of the remaining top-shelf free agent shortstops, have also been involved. Heyman says there are six teams in on the 30-year-old.

The D-backs were said to have "serious interest" in Bogaerts, but WEEI's Rob Bradford has has heard that Arizona is not in the Bogaerts chase.

Dec. 6: Will Padres turn their attention to Bogaerts?
The Phillies won the Trea Turner sweepstakes on Monday, beating out the Padres, among other suitors. According to ESPN's Buster Olney, San Diego not only made Turner a higher offer than Philadelphia but actually would have made him baseball's highest-paid shortstop.

In the end, however, Turner preferred to return to the East Coast. So now the question is how the always-aggressive A.J. Preller and the club's front office will respond to that setback. One possibility: Bogaerts.

Olney notes that San Diego is "pivoting hard" from Turner to the top position players remaining on the market, a group which certainly includes Bogaerts, a player with whom the club has been in contact this offseason.

However, like Turner, signing Bogaerts likely would require some shuffling in the Padres' lineup. For example, Ha-Seong Kim could move to second base, Jake Cronenworth to first and Fernando Tatis Jr. to the outfield (when he returns from his suspension). While that might not be the team's best defensive alignment, Bogaerts' bat (133 OPS+ since 2018) obviously would be a significant upgrade for a club in need of an offensive boost.

But landing Bogaerts will not come cheaply. While he won't match Turner's total dollars, Bogaerts still could push his way toward a $200 million commitment, per Olney.

Dec. 5: D-backs among most serious suitors for Bogaerts
The D-backs have emerged as one of the most serious suitors for Bogaerts, according to MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi.

Bogaerts has been receiving a ton of interest, with the Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham reporting Sunday that between eight and 11 teams have shown interest in the 30-year-old. Abraham also noted that the Red Sox were not "positioned" in that large group of clubs going after the shortstop.

As Morosi notes, Bogaerts has ties to D-backs general manager Mike Hazen, who was an executive in Boston’s front office when Bogaerts made his MLB debut in 2013.

Shortstop is a major area of need for an up-and-coming D-backs club. Veteran Nick Ahmed is entering the final season of a four-year contract and coming off a 2022 campaign in which he played just 17 games before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. Even when healthy, Ahmed isn’t a strong hitter, posting a lifetime 77 OPS+.

The D-backs did take Jordan Lawlar with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2021 Draft, but the youngster likely won’t be ready to debut until 2024 at the earliest.

We could see the shortstop market start to move now that the first domino has fallen, with Trea Turner and the Phillies reaching an 11-year, $300 million deal (per a source) on Monday.

Dec. 5: Bogaerts drawing interest from at least 8 teams
The first big domino in this offseason’s free-agent shortstop market fell Monday when Trea Turner reached an 11-year, $300 million deal with the Phillies (per a source). Philadelphia was reportedly considering Bogaerts as a Plan B if it was unable to sign Turner, but the 30-year-old Bogaerts has plenty of other teams in pursuit as well.

According to Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe (subscription required), between eight and 11 teams have shown interest in signing Bogaerts. However, the Red Sox -- the only team Bogaerts has played for since signing with them in 2009 -- appear to be lagging in the bidding.

Abraham has heard that the Red Sox have not made a competitive offer to their four-time All-Star and, as of Sunday afternoon, were not "positioned" in that large group of clubs going after the shortstop.

MLB.com's Jon Paul Morosi is keeping an eye on the D-backs as a suitor. Morosi also considers St. Louis to be a possible destination for Bogaerts.

Bogaerts met with multiple teams over the weekend. The Cubs, Dodgers and Padres are among those who reportedly are trying to woo the two-time World Series champion. The Yankees and Twins also have been linked to Bogaerts in previous reports, and Morosi mentioned the Marlins as a possible surprise team in the sweepstakes on Friday.

"Bogaerts remains hopeful the Sox will step up their interest but has been impressed with the pitches made by other teams," Abraham wrote.