Fansided

3 teams that could steal Xander Bogaerts from the Red Sox

By David Salituro

BOSTON, MA - MAY 18: Xander Bogaerts #2 of the Boston Red Sox hits a solo home run during the first inning against the Houston Astros on May 18, 2022 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - MAY 18: Xander Bogaerts #2 of the Boston Red Sox hits a solo home run during the first inning against the Houston Astros on May 18, 2022 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) /
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WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 24: Trea Turner #6 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a two-run home run in the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on May 24, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 24: Trea Turner #6 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a two-run home run in the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on May 24, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) /

3. Los Angeles Dodgers

If there is a prized free agent on the market and money to be spent, the deep-pocketed Los Angeles Dodgers will be in the mix.

The Dodgers made a blockbuster trade at the deadline in 2021, acquiring Max Scherzer and Trea Turner from the Washington Nationals. A year later, Scherzer is gone, signing with the New York Mets in the offseason. And Turner may soon be following Scherzer out of town when his contract expires at the end of this season.

If Turner doesn’t resign with the Dodgers, the club can look to replace him with another All-Star shortstop in Bogaerts. Over the last four seasons, Turner has a .886 OPS and 62 home runs; Bogaerts has hit 71 homers with a .893 OPS. Turner won a batting title last year with a .328 average. Bogaerts is batting .323 this year with already eight three-hit games.

Bogaerts won’t come cheap for the Dodgers, but they have shown some propensity for throwing money around. They handed Freddie Freeman a $162 million deal this offseason. Betts signed a $365 million deal over 12 years in 2020. The Dodgers have the second-highest payroll in the league at $257 million, behind only the Mets. Paying the luxury tax isn’t an issue for them.

Bogaerts would also be reunited with Betts, recreating the magic they had with the Red Sox in 2018. For a team that expects to be in World Series contention every year, it would be a deal they wouldn’t be able to pass up.

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