FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The market continued to shape itself for Xander Bogaerts when another prime-time shortstop signed a lucrative deal in the wee hours of Saturday morning.

This time, it was Carlos Correa agreeing to terms on a three-year, $105 million deal with the Twins on Tuesday.

As Bogaerts got ready to hold court with the media in front of his locker on Saturday, teammate J.D. Martinez playfully said, “Xander’s going to be rich.”

For Bogaerts, who has three years and $60 million left on a contract that includes an opt-out following the 2022 season, the Correa news had to be eye-opening.

Though Correa’s contract is shorter in years than expected, it's high on AAV.

“I mean, I guess it’s what he wanted,” Bogaerts said of Correa’s pending deal. “That’s what he signed. He deserves it. He’s been an excellent player throughout his career since he came up. He’s been injured a couple times, but when he’s been on the field he’s definitely one of the best players in the game.”

It will be interesting to see how the Red Sox handle the contract situation with their team leader. Boston’s No. 1 prospect Marcelo Mayer is also a shortstop, but probably at least three years away from the Major Leagues.

Could shorter-term deals with large AAVs become a trend? And could the Red Sox simply tear up the existing three years left on Bogaerts’ contract and bump up his annual salary over a shorter-term deal like the one Correa signed?

It should be noted that Bogaerts has proven to be more durable over his career than Correa while putting up comparable production.

In his eight years as Boston’s starting shortstop, Bogaerts has played in 144 games or more six times. The only exceptions? The 2020 season, in which he played 56 of the 60 games the Red Sox played. And '18, when he suffered a fracture to his left index finger early in the season but still played 138 games.

“I don’t know. I guess that’s what they’re doing now,” Bogaerts said of shorter-term deals with higher annual salaries. “I don’t have any answer as to why they’re doing that. I don’t work in the front office. I just play on the field. I have no answer for that at all.”

Correa now leads the pack at that position in AAV at $35.1 million. Francisco Lindor is a close second at $34.1 million. Corey Seager ranks third at $32.5 million. Fernando Tatis Jr.’s salary is modest for the next couple of years, but his AAV over the length of his deal is $24.39 million. Then it’s Bogaerts, who rounds out the top five at this position at $20 million annually. But he could drop to sixth as soon as free agent Trevor Story signs.

This has to help Bogaerts, right?

“I don’t know how much it helps. I don’t know much about that. But he is deserving of it,” said Bogaerts. “When he’s healthy and on the field, we all saw what he did last year. He’s an exceptional player.”

So too, is Bogaerts, who quietly knows he is, at the very least, in the same caliber of all the other star shortstops in the game. And Bogaerts also has the cache of a couple of World Series rings in his possession.

“Yeah I mean, you don’t want to look at yourself in a bad way,” said Bogaerts. “You don’t want to be the last one in the pack. Obviously you put yourself up there with some of those shortstops. I’m a fan of pretty much most of them. Pretty much all of them are good players.”

In typical Bogaerts fashion, he is able to stay in the present because that is best for himself and his team.

“There’s a long way to go,” said Bogaerts, shifting the conversation away from his contract. “I’m here. Excited for this year. We have a couple more weeks of Spring Training. Hopefully we add some people. Right now, the squad is good. Trying to get healthy. Get everyone healthy. We’ll see what happens down the road but right now just focused on getting ready for the season.”

Meanwhile, Red Sox manager Alex Cora is thrilled that he can continue to write the name “Bogaerts” into his lineup card for at least one more season.

“He’s the same guy. Like I said, he’s so consistent in what he does,” said Cora. “He prepares. He goes about his business. He worked on a few things in the offseason we talked about in November and you can see it on the field. He is still a beast. He is still really, really good.”