Lou Merloni and Mike Felger discuss whether the Red Sox actually want to re-sign Xander Bogaerts and what Chaim Bloom needs to do differently going forward
Chaim Bloom isn't known as a big spender, but he may have to buck that reputation if he wants to keep two high-profile free agents.
The Red Sox recently extended one-year, $19.65 million qualifying offers to shortstop Xander Bogaerts and pitcher Nathan Eovaldi, who have until Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET to accept those offers and return to Boston or enter unrestricted free agency.
Five major Red Sox offseason storylines to follow
With our All Access Daily newsletter, stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams!
SIGN UP HERE Over the weekend, reports emerged about both players as well as the Red Sox' overall philosophy this offseason. Here's a recap of those reports.
Xander Bogaerts
The Phillies are "believed to have real interest" in Bogaerts, MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported Saturday, citing the "strong link" between Philadelphia president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and Bogaerts from their time in Boston together.
Tomase: Red Sox tell us they want to keep Bogaerts, but actions suggest otherwise
Boston Red Sox
Find the latest Boston Red Sox news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Boston.
This report isn't surprising; the Phillies need a middle infielder after declining Jean Segura's option, and Dombrowski doesn't mind overspending to get the players he wants.
If the Red Sox don't want to offer the 30-year-old Bogaerts a long-term deal -- which some project in the eight-year, $200 million range -- we could see Dombrowski opening his wallet for the five-time Silver Slugger who just batted .307 in 2022 and helped Dombrowski's Red Sox win a World Series in 2018.
Nathan Eovaldi
The Red Sox have offered Eovaldi a multi-year deal, Audacy's Rob Bradford reports. While the terms of the deal aren't known, this signals Boston's interest in keeping one of its top starters for the 2022 campaign.
Eovaldi has been very effective over the last two seasons with a 3.80 ERA and 298 strikeouts over 291.2 innings, and the Red Sox desperately need starting pitching with a rotation that currently consists of the oft-injured Chris Sale, Nick Pivetta, Garrett Whitlock, James Paxton, Brayan Bello, and potentially Tanner Houck.
While the $19.65 million qualifying offer actually would represent a raise for Eovaldi, the 32-year-old likely values longer term on his contract at this point in his career, so it will be interesting to see whether he accepts either of Boston's offers before Tuesday.
For those hoping the Red Sox will be more aggressive in keeping and pursuing talent this winter, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reports Boston is among the MLB teams "indicating a strong willingness to spend."
Whether the Red Sox choose to spend on Bogaerts and Eovaldi as part of their quest to patch their many roster holes remains to be seen.
