Latest Xander Bogaerts report will enrage Red Sox fans

The Red Sox do not seem to be moving with much urgency on Xander Bogaerts. 

Longtime Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts may not be the No. 1 shortstop available in MLB free agency this winter, but he could very well be the best bang-for-buck player available at the position.

Boston, having been his home for a decade, had all the advantages coming into the Winter Meetings but do not seem to be taking an aggressive approach to show Bogaerts what he means to the team.

A report from Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe is sure to give Red Sox fans a great deal of frustration:

Red Sox might have royally screwed up with Xander Bogaerts contract offer

It’s one thing to start lower than your projected final offer as a negotiation tactic. It’s another to not even start with a competitive offer for a player who has given his all for a decade in Boston.

We saw the Braves give Dansby Swanson about 40 percent less in their first offer than what he is looking for in total value, with the caveat that it’s likely just their first offer. Their opening was still a competitive nine digits, though.

It’s unclear exactly what Boston has offered Bogaerts, but clearly, it’s not enough.

What’s worse is it doesn’t feel like Boston really has much recourse if they miss out on Bogaerts. While teams like the Dodgers, Cubs, and even now Cardinals seem to be in the running for a mix of Bogaerts, Swanson, Trea Turner, or Carlos Correa, the Red Sox really only feel like a competitive fit for just one: Bogaerts.

To swing and miss there would be huge and really set Boston back in the start of free agency, and unless Boston makes a major negotiations turnaround, fans have every right to be upset.