Red Sox: 3 essential items in any Xander Bogaerts contract offer

There are three essential things that the Boston Red Sox must offer Xander Bogaerts.

Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts has been one of the most underrated players in all of baseball in recent years. He is, seemingly, even being undervalued by his own team as it looks like a contract extension is not close.

Currently, Bogaerts is in the third year of a six-year, $120 million deal but he has an opt-out after the 2022 season, an opt-out that it seems he will likely exercise. If he does, the 29-year-old will be a free agent.

In 2021, Bogaerts hit .295/.370/.493 with 23 home runs, 79 RBI, 90 runs, and 156 hits. He was an All-Star for the third time in his career, came in 12th in AL MVP voting, and won a Silver Slugger Award. It was his fourth straight season with MVP votes.

In 2022 so far, he has hit .325/.385/.457 with four homers and 17 RBI in 40 games.

If the Red Sox offer Xander Bogaerts these three things in a new contract offer, he would be much more likely to stay.

1) The Boston Red Sox must offer Xander Bogaerts at least five more years

Five years is the absolute lowest that the Boston Red Sox should offer Xander Bogaerts in a contract offer. Bogaerts will be 30 this offseason. His stats are comparable to Francisco Lindor. Lindor is a year younger but he’s in his first of a 10-year, $341 million deal.

That is probably more than Lindor should have gotten and with Bogaerts being older, he won’t get a contract that long.

Six or seven years would probably be optimal for Bogaerts and his camp but he needs to have at least a five-year deal.

2) The Boston Red Sox must offer Xander Bogaerts at least $30 million per season

The Boston Red Sox are currently paying Xander Bogaerts $20 million per season, which is absolutely astonishing. Lindor is making an average of $34.1 million per year, Carlos Correa is making $35.1 million this season with Minnesota, and Corey Seager has an average annual value (AAV) of $32.5 million.

Bogaerts is definitely in company with those players so he should get at least $30 million per season but $32+ million wouldn’t be out of the question.

He also thinks that he should get a similar contract to those players but, apparently, the Red Sox balked at the idea of that.

3) The Boston Red Sox must offer Xander Bogaerts a full no-trade clause

If the Boston Red Sox truly want to keep Xander Bogaerts on the team and he truly wants to stay a member of the Red Sox for most of (if not all) of his career, a full no-trade clause needs to be included.

This would be tough for both sides as Bogaerts would have to approve a trade but Bogaerts would have to forego an opt-out but it would truly show that both sides want to be together for a long time.