Count Xander Bogaerts among those surprised by Red Sox’ slow offseason

"When I was there it was like, ‘We’re going after the big guys.’"

Xander Bogaerts is now playing for the Padres. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

February 28, 2024

2 minutes to read

More than 3,000 miles separates San Diego Padres infielder Xander Bogaerts from his old home in Boston.

But the longtime Sox shortstop and two-time World Series champion still keeps close tabs on the team that first signed him as a teenager back in August 2009.

And like many other former Red Sox stalwarts (and fans, for that matter), Bogaerts has been surprised by his former team’s inaction during this offseason.

“Yeah, I am,” Bogaerts said on Rob Bradford’s Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast when asked if he was surprised at the Red Sox’ passive winter so far. “They’re kind of known for going out there and being one of the teams that is always in the end.”

Expectations were high for the Red Sox this offseason, especially with a new chief baseball officer in Craig Breslow taking the reins and team chairman Tom Werner pledging in November that the franchise was going to go “full throttle” after a third last-place finish in the past four seasons.

But with spring training now in full swing, the Red Sox have not exactly opened up their checkbook in an effort to bolster a flawed roster. Even with proven starters like Jordan Montgomery and Blake Snell still available in free agency, the Red Sox have only made one noteworthy addition to their starting rotation by signing righty Lucas Giolito to a two-year contract in December.

Red Sox president Sam Kennedy acknowledged last month that the team’s payroll this season will “probably be lower” than it was in 2023. The payroll last year was $225 million. Those fiscal limitations have reportedly frustrated agents well aware of Boston’s reputation as one of the top spenders in baseball over the past two decades.

“I’m not talking bad about them. I’m not bashing them,” Bogaerts said of the Red Sox. “When I was there it was like, ‘We’re going after the big guys.’ We always wanted to get big guys to improve the squad and always be there in the end. Even if a guy doesn’t end up signing, they are always the team that is in on the big guys. Maybe last year they didn’t do that, and maybe this year, so far … There is still time. They can still do some more.”

Boston’s sluggish offseason even prompted third baseman Rafael Devers to express his frustrations earlier this month.

“Everybody knows what we need. You know what we need, and they know what we need,” Devers explained via a team translator when asked about the state of the Red Sox roster. “It’s just some things that I can’t say out loud, but everybody that knows the organization and knows the game knows what we need.”

Devers’ frank comments came as a surprise to Bogaerts, who played alongside him for six seasons in Boston.

“No. I wouldn’t imagine him doing it,” Bogaerts said when asked if he ever expected Devers to be so forthright. “Coming up right away? No. But the last years with the Red Sox I could see that. He’s more mature. He knows what type of player he is. He knows what he is capable of doing. He felt very much more comfortable with himself.”