Red Sox

Xander Bogaerts reportedly plans to opt out after 2022 season, hopes to remain with Red Sox

The Red Sox also hope to agree to a contract extension with Rafael Devers.

Xander Bogaerts of the Boston Red Sox looks on against the Houston Astros in Game Six of the American League Championship Series. Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

By Tom Westerholm

October 26, 2021

Red Sox star Xander Bogaerts can opt out of his contract after the 2022 season, and he plans to do so, according to a report from ESPN’s Joon Lee.

The good news for the Red Sox? Per Lee, citing league sources, Bogaerts wants to re-up with the Red Sox and finish his career in Boston. After this upcoming season, Bogaerts will have three years remaining on a six-year contract worth $120 million.

Bogaerts is reportedly willing to switch to second or third base as well — a move Alex Cora noted the Red Sox might consider this offseason in tandem with Rafael Devers.

“There’s a lot of teams out there that, yeah, Raffy Devers ‘struggles defensively’ but on a daily basis, you want Raffy Devers. Same thing with Xander Bogaerts. Same thing with Christian Arroyo,” Cora said in his end-of-season press conference on Monday. “We’ll address everything we talked about. I mean it’s so early, it’s too soon to start digging so deep into all this stuff, but I do believe the way we ended up playing and the things that we found out as a group defensively is going to make us better not only in the offseason, but also next year.”

One factor that likely won’t matter in the short term but could impact the Red Sox’s long-term thinking: Marcelo Mayer, the smooth-fielding shortstop who the Red Sox snagged with the No. 4 pick in this past MLB Draft. Mayer likely won’t join the big-league club for a few years, but he is currently MLB.com’s No. 9 prospect league-wide and No. 29 on Baseball America.

The Red Sox also reportedly plan to focus on contract extension negotiations with Devers this offseason, as their star third baseman becomes eligible for arbitration for the first time.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox have difficult moves to make regarding Kyle Schwarber and Christian Vazquez, as well as pitchers Eduardo Rodriguez, Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck. In addition, J.D. Martinez will need to make up his mind about his player option — the Red Sox’s DH was reportedly “torn” about the decision in September.