Xander Bogaerts said he still talks to Red Sox players and coaches ‘almost every day’
Bogaerts will face his former team for the first time in an upcoming three-game series.
The Celtics lost Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals to the Heat 123-116 on Wednesday night. Boston will try to even the series at home on Friday at 8:30 p.m.
Also on Wednesday, the Red Sox beat the Mariners 12-3. Boston built what ultimately proved to be an insurmountable lead early in the game, smashing nine runs in the first two innings.
Xander Bogaerts’ thoughts heading into a Red Sox-Padres series: After spending the first decade of his Major League career with the Red Sox, shortstop Xander Bogaerts signed with the Padres in the offseason on an 11-year deal worth $280 million.
So far, Bogaerts is hitting .275 with and .806 OPS in 43 games. The Padres, despite an increased payroll and correspondingly escalated expectations, are currently 20-24 (fourth place in the National League West).
Having left a team in which he played a central role for years (and helped win two World Series titles), the inevitable question is simply, does he have any regrets about the decision?
Bogaerts recently gave a response to that during an expansive interview with Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe in which he also discussed (among other subjects) his life in San Diego as well as dealing with the pressure of his new team’s current circumstances.
“I talk to my guys there all the time, the players and coaches, almost every day,” Bogaerts told Abraham. “That team will always be a part of me. But once I could meet with other teams, I saw what they thought of me. I really had no choice in the end.”
According to comments made by Bogaerts’ agent, Scott Boras, back in January, there was a major difference in what the Red Sox were prepared to offer the shortstop compared with other MLB teams in the free agent process.
“It was just really clear to us there was a separation where Boston was going to go for Bogaerts compared to where the market was,” Boras told USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. “They probably made a decision they were going to sign [Rafael] Devers, and were going to pay only one of them.”
On Friday, the Red Sox will begin a three-game series against the Padres in San Diego. It will be the first time Bogaerts will face his former team.
Acknowledging that it will be “fun” to see his old teammates, Bogaerts reiterated that he’s simply trying to help his current team win.
More than that, he’s moved on.
“When I played there, I thought I’d be there forever,” he explained. “But as you get older, as you grow up, life changes. Decisions are made that are out of your control. In the end, the relationships that you build are what matters.”
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Pablo Reyes made another impressive defensive play:
Brayan Bello’s latest start: The 24-year-old notched a birthday win on Wednesday, throwing five innings, allowing one run, and striking out seven. His changeup looked good.
On this day: In 2002, Pedro Martinez began his start against the Mariners with an immaculate inning (striking out the side on a minimum nine pitches).
Boston went on to win, 4-1, with Martinez allowing one run over eight innings (striking out nine).
Daily highlight: Boston University defenseman Lane Hutson went coast-to-coast to score in the 4-1 U.S. win over Austria at the 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championship on Wednesday.
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