Xander Bogaerts is adored at the Fenway Park and the Red Sox management wants to see their star player stay at Boston.

Xander Bogaerts is now a free agent after the Boston Red Sox refused to sign him for 2023 despite his history with the team. Despite the fact that this could seem like bad news for fans, many MLB experts think Bogaerts will remain in Boston.

The Red Sox utterly missed the playoffs in 2022, and hope steadily faded throughout the regular season. This left fans with a bitter taste in their mouths. Although there were many obvious problems, Bogaerts maintained consistency and pure talent.

He's one of the finest shortstops in the league, and unless the Red Sox sign another free agent like Dansby Swanson, Carlos Correa, or Trea Turner, it will be difficult to replace him. Fans would undoubtedly feel insulted, though, given that Bogaerts has contributed to the team's two World Series victories.

Given that Story is a shortstop who has filled in at second base so that Bogaerts can continue playing there, it doesn't appear probable that they will try to acquire a big-league shortstop if Bogaerts leaves. He's a good player, but that will cause problems when the entire squad is reorganized to fill a void that no one currently on the team can fill.

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"Right now, Xander Bogaerts is a free agent, but I still think the most likely scenario is the Red Sox finding a way to re-sign him. My understanding is that all of their public comments are not merely pandering" - tylermilliken_

Will Xander Bogaerts come back to the Red Sox?

While trying to retain Xander Bogaerts and third baseman Rafael Devers for the long term this winter, Chaim Bloom will have his job cut out for him. Mookie Betts was traded by Bloom in his first significant move as Boston's top baseball executive.

It's possible that the Red Sox may be without both Bogaerts and Devers this year, but we'd prefer not to see that happen. By granting Bogaerts his requested increase, the Red Sox should act like the big-market powerhouse they are.

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"Report: Latest on Red Sox' attempts to keep Bogaerts, Eovaldi – Major League Baseball News" - USSportsNew2021

Many veterans believe that Xander Bogaerts should spend the rest of his career with the Red Sox. He started his career in Boston and grew up to become one of the most beloved players among the Red Sox faithful. His wants and needs are understandable considering he had a stellar season with both the bat and in defense, but the Red Sox do not have that much money to meet his needs.

If a deal has to be struck, then Xander might be required to come down with his expected offer before the clock winds down for Boston, because an SS such as Bogaerts wouldn't be left alone for too long.

About the author

Karan has been a baseball sports betting expert, analyst and content strategist at Sportskeeda since 2022. He holds a Master's degree in Sports Management from Virginia Commonwealth University, and worked with the VCU Rams baseball team as a trackman analyst. He started following the sport at 18, watching postseason on television.

Karan is a fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers owing to their successful history in the sport, and their consistent performances at the highest level. He admires Mookie Betts’ on-field defensive and offensive prowess, along with his off-field charitable exploits, while Bruce Bochy is his favorite coach.

The Mets’ miraculous rally from a two-run deficit in the 1986 World Series Game 6 in the bottom of the 10th inning despite being two outs and two strikes down is his all-time favorite baseball moment.

Karan’s strengths are player profiling and technical deep dives, for which he always refers to reliable sources such as the social media handles of the best MLB analysts.

When not strategizing, he likes to read, listen to music, go for a run, and watch sit-coms.

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Edited by Gaelin Leif