Opinion: Red Sox Routinely Fail To Take Care Of Their Own

Jon Lester, Mookie Betts, and now Xander Bogaerts, who agreed to a deal with the San Diego Padres. Will Rafael Devers be the next homegrown Red Sox star to depart Boston?

While some may find the size of Xander Bogaerts’ new deal shocking, the shortstop’s departure from the Red Sox is anything but.

Bogaerts agreed to a monstrous 11-year, $280 million contract with the Padres in the wee hours of Thursday morning. The pact, not yet official, will make Bogaerts the latest homegrown, championship-winning, franchise cornerstone to depart Boston after the Red Sox dragged their feet in negotiations and/or made lowball offers.

Other examples in recent memory under owner John Henry and company include Jon Lester and Mookie Betts.

Each departure came with its own set of circumstances, but Red Sox fans must be sick and tired of watching beloved icons play elsewhere. In Bogaerts’ case, matching San Diego’s offer or even coming close to it may have been well beyond what’s come to be expected of Boston's current regime. But the Red Sox should have made a more serious offer to the 30-year-old in spring training, when a four-year, $90 million proposal was reported. And the six-year offer for roughly $160 million Boston most recently extended, per The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, made San Diego’s titanic package an easy choice for Bogaerts, who has spent his entire professional career with the Sox.

“I expect fans will be hurt,” said Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom – who also oversaw Betts’ trade to the Dodgers – per The Globe’s Julian McWilliams. Bloom, whose team struck deals with closer Kenley Jansen and Japan’s Masataka Yoshida on Wednesday, added that Boston expects to construct a winning team, though he admitted that things will look different without Bogaerts.

But heartbroken fans in Beantown must be wondering when the team will take care of its own.

Rafael Devers, slated for free agency after the 2023 season, presents yet another opportunity for the Sox to sign a star they developed for the long term.

At 26 years old, the third baseman is an even stronger candidate for a contract that reaches double-digits in length. But Devers, a World Series champ and two-time All-Star, will command an exorbitant amount of money on the open market. Considering how far the Red Sox were from San Diego’s offer to Bogaerts, it’s fair to wonder if Boston is willing to swim in those deep waters. Based on recent history, a trade seems more likely over the next few months.

And so, the fear of failed negotiations and another infuriating exit will continue to haunt the fanbase, at least until the Red Sox demonstrate that there’s no need for concern.