Boston Red Sox fans haven't gotten much good news on the Xander Bogaerts front, and that didn't change Sunday.
Bogaerts has been meeting "in person" with interested suitors in free agency this weekend, while the Red Sox "have not made a competitive offer" to the star shortstop, The Boston Globe's Pete Abraham reports.
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SIGN UP HERE Abraham's report comes just days after The Athletic's Peter Gammons reported at least three teams claim they've been told Bogaerts has "severed Boston ties" and plans to sign elsewhere. So, the Red Sox' chances of keeping their longest-tenured player and franchise leader don't look great.
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It's worth noting that these reports could be the result of Bogaerts' camp trying to gain leverage in negotiations. Several teams have been tied to the 30-year-old shortstop in free agency -- the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and rival New York Yankees, to name a few -- and the more competition there is for his services, the more he could earn on his new deal.
There's still time for the Red Sox to make Bogaerts a "competitive offer," and legendary slugger David Ortiz -- who is a member of the organization as a "special assistant" -- still believes his former team will "come through" and re-sign Bogaerts.
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At the moment, though, the odds don't favor Bogaerts staying in Boston. Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom would have to go against his principles to offer a hefty long-term deal to a 30-year-old shortstop, and he appeared to plan for Bogaerts' potential departure last offseason by signing Trevor Story to a six-year contract.
The Bogaerts market should heat up this week as MLB's Winter Meetings begin -- and the Red Sox seemingly face an uphill battle.
