It had been a few days since an All-Star-caliber ballplayer signed a contract extension. That changed Monday as the Boston Red Sox announced they had reached an extension with shortstop Xander Bogaerts. ESPN's Jeff Passan reported that the deal is worth $132 million over seven years. The deal was first reported Sunday night, and the team confirmed it Monday.
Some $12 million of the the new contract will come this season, meaning Bogaerts' extension is really six years and $120 million. The deal will include an opt-out after the third season:
BREAKING: The Red Sox and shortstop Xander Bogaerts are nearing a contract extension, sources said. Deal is not finalized, but is close.
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) April 1, 2019
Shortstop Xander Bogaerts and the Boston Red Sox are finalizing a seven-year, $132M contract extension, league sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 1, 2019
Hear that Bogaerts has an opt out after the third season of the deal. #Redsox
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) April 1, 2019
Bogaerts, 26, was set to be one of the top free agents available this winter. Instead, he'll seemingly spend the rest of his expected prime in Boston.
Since 2016, Bogaerts has hit .285/.352/.455 (113 OPS+) while averaging nearly 20 home runs and 12 stolen bases per season. He's accumulated roughly 10 Wins Above Replacement during that time, per Baseball Reference -- and that's with a pessimistic view of his defense.
The Red Sox have also locked up Chris Sale in recent weeks. This leaves Mookie Betts, a free agent after 2020, as the Red Sox's next big piece of business. Betts, for his part, hasn't seemed interested in an extension.
Bogaerts joins Chris Sale, Justin Verlander, and Paul Goldschmidt, among others, as impending free agents to sign long-term extensions this spring. Houston Astros starter Gerrit Cole and Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon are now expected to be the top players available this winter.
