Red Sox may not get last shot at signing Xander Bogaerts
BOSTON -- Baseball's Winter Meetings are on the horizon. A free agent frenzy could follow.
However, it doesn't sound like that is creating any urgency with the Boston Red Sox to sign the guy they've tabbed as their primary target this offseason: Shortstop Xander Bogaerts.
With the Winter Meetings set to begin Sunday in San Diego, The Boston Globe's Alex Speier is reporting that there has only been "limited recent contact" between the Boston brass and Bogaerts' camp, according to a major league source. That doesn't paint a very promising picture that Bogaerts will end up back with the only team he's ever played for.
But that's not the only disappointing update in a disappointing offseason saga. Another source suggested to Speier that the Red Sox may not even get the last crack at signing Bogaerts, a luxury that free agents usually give to the team they may be leaving.
Bogaerts' agent Scott Boras recently refuted a report that his client has cut off ties with Boston, as did Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy. So the door does appear to be open for a return. Speier also reported that Bogaerts remains Boston's target over other free agent shortstops on the market, a robust group that includes Carlos Correa, Trea Turner, and Dansby Swanson.
But if Bogaerts is indeed their main target this winter, the Red Sox have a funny way of showing it.
