Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox are already considering backup plans in case veteran shortstop Xander Bogaerts departs the club in free agency this winter.

They are exploring the market for a second baseman and have begun reaching out to teams to see who might be available, "hoping to figure out Plan B in the likely event" Bogaerts signs elsewhere, per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.

"It doesn’t seem like they're going to spend big on a shortstop," a source told Feinsand. "They knew this was a possibility when they signed [Trevor] Story last year."

However, Sean McAdam of Boston Sports Journal reported last month that Red Sox owner John Henry and chairman Tom Werner had met with Bogaerts to reiterate that re-signing him is their "top priority."

Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom also said last month, per MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo:

"That's no different than where we've been. Our position hasn't changed on that. I've said this before, but nothing I say really matters unless there's a deal. But our position has been the same, that we want to keep him here for a long time and we want him here on a deal that we're going to look back on and say, 'This was great for everybody.'"

If Bogaerts exits in free agency, which opens Thursday, the Red Sox would reportedly move Story back to shortstop, his natural position. The 29-year-old played second base for Boston last season after signing a six-year, $140 million deal with the franchise.

Before joining the Red Sox, Story served as the Colorado Rockies' No. 1 shortstop for six seasons.

Seeking a lower-priced second baseman would make financial sense for the Red Sox, especially considering Bogaerts—one of the premier shortstops on the market this winter alongside Carlos Correa, Dansby Swanson and Trea Turner—should receive a significant raise from the $20 million per year he was earning in Boston.

However, seeing Bogaerts depart would be a tough blow for the Red Sox in more ways than one. The 30-year-old is the team's longest-tenured player and one of its biggest leaders in the locker room.

In addition, he is one of Boston's best hitters and is coming off a season in which he slashed .307/.377/.456 with 15 home runs, 73 RBI and eight stolen bases in 150 games. He hit .300 or better in three of the last four seasons.

Bogaerts has helped Boston win two World Series titles, has four Silver Slugger awards and has been named an All-Star four times over his 10-year career.

Losing that production would be devastating for a team that went 78-84 in 2022, finishing last in the AL East and missing the playoffs for the third time in the last four seasons.

It's unclear which second basemen the Red Sox might be targeting as a backup plan.

Veteran first baseman Eric Hosmer has exercised his $13 million contract option with the Boston Red Sox for the 2023 season, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

He's now locked into the next two years of the deal before holding another player option for 2025, per Spotrac.

Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reported Boston will only be on the hook for paying the MLB minimum salary for the duration of the contract, while the San Diego Padres will pay the rest.

The Red Sox acquired Hosmer from San Diego at the Aug. 2 trade deadline in exchange for minor league left-hander Jay Groome. The deal came after he declined to be sent to the Washington Nationals in the Juan Soto trade.

Hosmer, who has failed to live up to expectations since signing an eight-year, $144 million deal with the Padres in 2018, was expected to opt in to his contract as he likely would not have been paid more if he became a free agent.

In 14 games with the Red Sox, he slashed .244/.320/.311 with no home runs and four RBI. It was a disappointing second half of the season for the four-time Gold Glover, though he didn't have the best year as a whole.

Between the Red Sox and Padres in 2022, he slashed .268/.334/.382 with eight home runs and 44 RBI in 104 games.

That said, the Red Sox as a whole were disappointing, finishing last in the AL East with an 78-84 record and missing the postseason for the third time in the last four seasons.

Now that he's returning to Boston for 2023, Hosmer should serve as the team's top first baseman, anchoring a unit that also includes Bobby Dalbec and rising star Triston Casas, the club's No. 2-ranked prospect, per MLB.com.

Xander Bogaerts will reportedly join the list of talented free-agent shortstops this offseason.

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Boston Red Sox shortstop is "expected to opt out" of his deal. Heyman noted Carlos Correa is expected to do the same with the Minnesota Twins, which would mean the list of free-agent shortstops would include Correa, Bogaerts, Trea Turner and Dansby Swanson.

Heyman also noted the Red Sox would prefer to keep Bogaerts.

If the 30-year-old stayed locked into his deal, he would have been in line to make $20 million a year for the next four seasons until he was an unrestricted free agent after the 2026 campaign.

Even with the positional competition, he figures to receive what could be the last major deal of his career given his age. His resume includes two World Series titles, four All-Star selections and four Silver Sluggers.

He was excellent again in 2022 with a .307/.377/.456 slash line, 15 home runs and 73 RBI. He was a bright spot for a Red Sox team that finished in last place in the American League East.

There is some additional context for Boston when it comes to Bogaerts and Rafael Devers, who is scheduled for arbitration in 2023 and free agency in 2024. The high-profile team traded franchise cornerstone Mookie Betts after the 2019 season, and he proceeded to join the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Los Angeles won the 2020 World Series with Betts in the lineup.

Heyman previously reported "the mistake of trading Mookie Betts raises the urgency" for Boston when it comes to the Bogaerts and Devers decisions and appeasing a fanbase that is likely still upset with the previous decision and the poor finish in 2022.

The Red Sox will have to compete with other teams on the open market, though, as Bogaerts seems to be headed to free agency.

The Boston Red Sox and third baseman Rafael Devers reportedly have some significant ground to cover if he is going to remain with the team when his contract expires after the 2023 season.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Thursday that "the gap is said to remain large" even though the two sides reopened contract discussions. Heyman noted Boston offered $200 million-plus, but Devers is looking for at least 10 years and $300 million-plus.

Boston notably traded Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of the 2020 season, which is a decision that Heyman pointed out "raises the urgency" for the team to keep homegrown stars in Devers and shortstop Xander Bogaerts.

According to the report, the original offer for Devers was for approximately $168 million and eight years. What's more, the proposal to Bogaerts of $20 million and one year more apparently "insulted" him and had some media members who cover the team wondering if it was an actual offer.

Bogaerts has a player option on his current deal for next season.

Devers seems like a potential foundational piece for Boston as it looks to bounce back from its last-place finish in the American League East. He is just 26 years old and already has a resume that includes two All-Star selections and a Silver Slugger.

He slashed .295/.358/.521 with 27 home runs and 88 RBI this season after finishing the 2021 campaign with career-best marks of 38 long balls and 113 RBI.

Devers also proved he can perform on pressure-packed stages when he helped lead the 2018 Red Sox to the World Series title by slashing .294/.351/.382 in the playoffs.

Competing in the AL East figures to be a daunting challenge for years to come thanks to the presence of the New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays and even the resurgent Baltimore Orioles, so it would make sense for Boston to look to keep its key young performers such as Devers.

It will take more money than it has offered to this point to make that a reality, but fans can at least take solace knowing the discussions remain ongoing.

The Boston Red Sox's disappointing 2022 season is over, and the club will embark on a journey to keep star shortstop Xander Bogaerts in 2023 and beyond.

Red Sox management, including owner John Henry and chairman Tom Werner, has already begun that process, meeting with Bogaerts "several times" in the last week to express that retaining him is the club's "top priority," according to Sean McAdam of Boston Sports Journal.

The sides did not engage in actual contract discussions during these meetings, which were conducted without Bogaerts' agent, Scott Boras, per McAdam.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said this week, per McAdam:

"That's no different than where we've been. Our position hasn't changed on that. I've said this before, but nothing I say really matters unless there's a deal. But our position has been the same -- that we want to keep him here for a long time and we want him here on a deal that we're going to look back on and say, 'This was great for everybody.' ...We want to build around him and win.''

Bogaerts, who is widely expected to decline his $20 million player option for 2023, said last week that he hadn't "given any thought" about the opt-out and was going to wait until after the season to decide "what's best."

If he opts in, he would be under contract with the Red Sox through 2026 at $20 million per year, which is below market value for an elite shortstop.

Star shortstops Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor and Corey Seager all put pen to paper on deals worth at least $30 million annually over the last year. It's unclear if Bogaerts will receive a pact worth that much, but he will likely be offered more than $20 million per year on the open market.

Before the 2022 campaign began, the Red Sox offered Bogaerts a deal that would have paid him $90 million over four years, which would have replaced the final years of his current deal and run through 2026. One of his friends told Jon Heyman of the New York Post the offer was viewed as a "slap in the face."

While the Red Sox finished last in the AL East with a 78-84 record and missed the playoffs, Bogaerts had a solid season. He was one of Boston's best and most consistent hitters, slashing .307/.377/.456 with 15 home runs, 73 RBI and eight stolen bases in 150 games.

The 30-year-old has spent his entire 10-year career with the Red Sox, helping the team win two World Series titles and earning four All-Star selections and four Silver Slugger awards.

The BoSox have exclusive negotiating rights with Bogaerts until the end of the World Series. If the sides are unable to strike a deal, he can then begin negotiations with other franchises should he opt out.

If Bogaerts signs with another team, the Red Sox have a solid backup plan in Trevor Story, who can shift back to his natural position at shortstop from second base, but then they will be left with questions about who to play at second in 2023.

Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said third baseman Rafael Devers is "hugely important" to the team's future after it missed the 2022 MLB playoffs.

Bloom stated Thursday the Red Sox "would like to" get a contract extension done with Devers, who's set to enter his final year of arbitration in 2023.

When asked about a potential Devers trade, Bloom told reporters, "That's not on our radar."

The 25-year-old infielder has been a key cog in Boston's lineup since getting called up to the major leagues in 2017. He's compiled a .283/.342/.512 slash line with 139 home runs and 24 stolen bases in 689 appearances across six seasons.

Devers ranked sixth among qualified third basemen in WAR (4.9) during the 2022 season, per FanGraphs.

His individual success wasn't enough to help the Red Sox contend in the highly competitive AL East, though. They finished last in the division with a 78-84 record. It marked the third time in the past four years the club missed the playoffs.

The Dominican Republic native told Christopher Smith of MassLive last week he's hopeful the team will re-sign both himself and shortstop Xander Bogaerts.

"That would be really nice," Devers said. "I hope it happens like you said—they sign Bogey long term and then me long term. But I don't know what's going to happen. The only thing I know is to play ball. I don't know about [contract] numbers or anything like that. I'll leave that to the team and my agent."

The two-time All-Star signed a one-year, $11.2 million contract with Boston in March. He'll be in line to receive another boost to his base salary for 2023 via arbitration.

For now, Bloom is maintaining the club's desire to keep the third baseman for the long haul, but the key question is whether that stance will change if the sides can't agree on a long-term deal.

The Red Sox can't afford to watch Devers leave in free agency after the 2023 season without getting assets in return, so the options boil down to an extension or a trade.

Both sides are expressing interest in going the new-contract route, but the next handful of months will show whether that's a realistic outcome.

The Boston Red Sox intend to pitch to New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who is looking to break the American League home run record, on Thursday night.

"I didn’t come here to have a vacation this weekend," Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters.

Judge enters Thursday's game hitting .317/.421/.705 with 60 home runs, 128 RBI and 16 stolen bases in 144 games.

The two-time Silver Slugger joined the exclusive club of players—Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Babe Ruth, Sammy Sosa and Roger Maris—who have hit 60 home runs in a season when he hit a solo home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday.

Judge is tied with Ruth for eighth place on the single-season home run list. Ruth accomplished the feat of hitting 60 home runs in a season as a member of the Yankees in 1927.

The MVP candidate is just one home run shy of tying Maris' AL single-season record of most homers in a season. Maris set the record when he hit 61 as a member of the Yankees in 1961.

However, Judge told reporters earlier this week that he hasn't been thinking about the numbers:

"I don't think about the numbers. When you talk about Ruth and Maris and [Mickey] Mantle and all these Yankees greats that did so many great things in this game, you never imagine as a kid being mentioned with them. It's an incredible honor. It's something I don't take lightly at all. But we're not done. We still have a couple games left in this season and hopefully a couple of more wins come with them.

"I'm trying to enjoy it all, soak it all in, but I know I still have a job to do out on the field every single day and I just have to keep my head down, keep preparing and stay mentally focused."

That said, Judge's 61st home run of the season could very well come Thursday night in the Bronx. In 80 career games against the Red Sox, the star slugger has hit 21 home runs. He has only hit more career homers against the Baltimore Orioles (35) and Toronto Blue Jays (27).

This season, Judge has hit five home runs in 14 games against the Red Sox and is hitting .309/.424/.618 against the Pinstripes' archrival.

Michael Wacha, who has arguably been Boston's best pitcher this season, will take the mound for the visitors Thursday. He is 11-1 with a 2.61 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 92 strikeouts in 114 innings across 20 starts.

If Judge hits his 61st home run in front of the crowd at Yankee Stadium, it will be an incredibly special moment. That said, he's just trying to help his team get in better position for the playoffs.

The Yankees enter Thursday first in the AL East with a 90-58 record, 6.5 games ahead of the second-place Toronto Blue Jays. The Houston Astros have the best record in the AL at 99-51, eight games ahead of the Yankees.

If Aaron Judge is hoping to make the New York Yankees nervous about the possibility of retaining him in free agency, he is going about it in an excellent manner.

Following the Yankees' 7-6 win over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, Judge was asked about the possibility of signing with his team's biggest rival.

"Ooh," Judge told reporters with a smile. "We'll talk about that at the end of the year."

The American League MVP front-runner also lavished praise on Red Sox fans:

"They're some of the best in baseball. They're going to boo you, they're going to say some things, they're going to make you laugh. It's all part of it. A lot of great history here, and this is one of the best places to play, so it's always fun going out there and trying to put on a show for them."

Judge has already made a statement to the Yankees with a historic performance this season. He hit two more homers Tuesday, bringing his total to 57 through 142 team games.

The four-time All-Star is four homers away from tying Roger Maris for the most in a single season in American League history.

Everything Judge says publicly at this point can be interpreted as a leverage play.

General manager Brian Cashman told reporters at the start of the season that Judge had rejected a seven-year, $213.5 million extension that would have started in 2023. It's rare for a GM in any sport to go on the record about contract details when no agreement was reached.

That decision by Judge looks like it will pay off. ESPN's Jeff Passan noted the 30-year-old "will get" more than $300 million from a club this offseason.

It's reasonable to assume the Yankees will be favored to retain their superstar center fielder, especially given his incredible campaign, but Judge's decision to leave the door open for Boston was a brilliant tactical strategy.

The Red Sox face the possibility of losing shortstop Xander Bogaerts, who can opt out of his deal to become a free agent this offseason. Third baseman Rafael Devers has one more year of arbitration before he can become a free agent.

If ownership and the front office want to get back some of the goodwill that was destroyed when Boston traded Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers in February 2020, paying to sign Judge and take him away from New York would go a long way.

Judge has already set career highs in homers (57), RBI (123), stolen bases (16) and total bases (352). He's on pace to finish with career bests in batting average (.310), slugging percentage (.692) and OPS (1.105).

Former MLB All-Star Bill Lee was taken to a Georgia hospital after he collapsed in the bullpen while warming up to pitch for the Savannah Bananas in an exhibition game Friday night.

"He was able to leave the stadium with medical attention and was taken to a local hospital," Bananas president Jared Orton told the Associated Press.

Lee, 75, pitched for the Boston Red Sox and Montreal Expos during a 14-year career that ended in 1982 and was commonly referred to by his nickname, "Spaceman."

The California native is a member of the Red Sox Hall of Fame after spending his first 10 seasons with the AL club. His lone All-Star appearance came representing Boston in 1973.

He compiled a 119-90 record with a 3.62 ERA across 416 career appearances (225 starts).

A biopic about his life, fittingly titled Spaceman, was released in 2016 starring Josh Duhamel and featuring former MLB closer Eric Gagne among the executive producers.

Meanwhile, the Bananas have become a popular attraction in a similar mold to basketball's Harlem Globetrotters.

They wear bright yellow jerseys and embark in a series of antics in exhibition baseball games.

ESPN produced a five-part series about the franchise, Bananaland, which debuted Friday on ESPN+ ahead of the game in which Lee was slated to pitch, which aired on ESPN2.

The Bananas are scheduled to play another "Banana Ball" game Saturday night in Savannah.

A separate version of the organization by the same name plays traditional baseball in the Coastal Plain League, a collegiate summer league.