How Red Sox's Xander Bogaerts Responded To Chaim Bloom's Recent Comments
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Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts has heard what chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom had to say about him, which could impact his upcoming free agency decision.
The initial comment from Bloom was in response to a question about Bogey's value, and should allow those rooting for the slugger to sign a long-term deal in Boston to breathe a sigh of relief.
"I will put it this way: Normally when you look at players at the point in their career that he is getting to, on paper that is usually the time to get off the bus," Bloom told Rob Bradford on WEEI's "Bradfo Sho" last Monday "To me, it’s basically a threshold issue. It’s because of all those things he brings that he is the type of guy you want to have here for a long time. That you want to have here hopefully for his whole career."
Bogaerts responded to this statement on the same podcast, just over a week later.
"It makes you feel good that they see you in that way," Bogaerts told Bradford on WEEI's "Bradfo Sho." "I love baseball, man. When I’m finished playing I go back home and I watch the games on the West Coast or whatever games are still left. Some guys play baseball and when they go home they do other stuff. I love baseball 24-7. I have said it multiple times, I hope I’m here for a long time because I enjoy it a lot."
The last sentence of his response is more reason for optimism. Both sides appear to want to get a deal done, which could make things a lot easier come November. Even manager Alex Cora chimed in on a different podcast, saying "we're prepared to bring Xander back."
Red Sox's Alex Cora Says He Is 'Prepared To Bring Xander (Bogaerts) Back'
Finding the right price will be the biggest hurdle, but even that aspect of a potential deal should not be too hard to agree upon. The 29-year-old likely will receive somewhere between $25 million to $30 million per season, likely closer to the latter.
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