Boston Red Sox

Some within the Boston Red Sox organization reportedly hope the front office will admit it made a mistake with shortstop Xander Bogaerts.

"There are voices in the organization who really, really hope that the team's ownership is willing to admit the spring offer to Bogaerts of a one-year extension was a serious mistake and pay the homegrown shortstop," Buster Olney of ESPN reported Wednesday.

While Bogaerts signed a six-year, $120 million extension in 2019, he can opt out of the deal after this season. Boston offered him the one-year extension in spring training that would have locked him into a new four-year, $90 million contract.

The writing may be on the wall for Bogaerts' future with the Red Sox, considering Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported one of the shortstop's friends said, "He's going to leave," earlier this month.

Heyman also noted one of Bogaerts' friends called the one-year extension offer a "slap in the face."

Bogaerts' agent, Scott Boras, told Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe on Tuesday that negotiations will "definitively" wait until after the season. That echoes what the player said in April.

"I can't do nothing about it right now," Bogaerts said, per ESPN's Joon Lee. "I got a season coming up in front of me. I don't want to put my teammates with that kind of distraction. They don't deserve it. We had time to get something done. It didn't work out."

Lee reported Bogaerts sought a deal from the Red Sox that would pay him around what Carlos Correa ($35.1 million annually with the Minnesota Twins), Francisco Lindor ($34.1 million annually with the New York Mets) and Corey Seager ($33 million annually with the Texas Rangers) make.

Despite previous assertions that Opening Day was something of a deadline for the negotiations, Bogaerts recently told Abraham the Red Sox could come up with "something that's fair" in discussions with Boras.

From Boston's perspective, it has Trevor Story, who can slide from second base to his natural shortstop position next year if Bogaerts doesn't return.

Still, the incumbent shortstop is a four-time Silver Slugger and three-time All-Star who helped lead the Red Sox to two World Series titles. He is also off to an excellent start to the season while slashing .338/.399/.466 and posting three home runs and 15 RBI.

Considering he is just 29 years old and playing at such a high level, he will likely make more on the open market if he opts out of his deal, which would otherwise run through 2026 and pay him $20 million per year, after this season.          

The Houston Astros unloaded on the Boston Red Sox during Tuesday's game at Fenway Park, launching five home runs off Nathan Eovaldi in the second inning to take a 9-1 lead. 

Two of those home runs were hit over the Green Monster, and the same lucky fan caught both home run balls.

The Red Sox have struggled this season, and giving up five home runs in one inning tied the MLB record. With that said, it didn't seem like the fan who caught the home run balls was too upset about the score. 

The Red Sox entered Tuesday's game fourth in the AL East with a 14-21 record, one of their worst starts over the last several years. 

Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts is hoping to stay put with a long-term contract extension, but it appears negotiations are on hold.

Bogaerts' agent Scott Boras told Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe that contract talks "definitively" will wait until after the season ends.

In April, Bogaerts indicated Opening Day was his unofficial deadline to agree to terms on an extension. But his stance seemed to have softened, as he told Abraham he would be open to negotiating during the 2022 season.

"I don't know how this would work," Bogaerts said. "But if they talk to Scott behind closed doors and it's something that's fair, he can come to me. We'll see how that goes."

Bogaerts signed a six-year, $120 million extension in March 2019, but he's eligible to opt out and become a free agent after the season. Even though he would be leaving $60 million guaranteed on the table, the 29-year-old is likely to make more than that on the open market.

A three-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger, Bogaerts is one of the best players at his position. This season, he leads the Red Sox with a .346 batting average, which ranks fourth in MLB. Bogaerts has added three home runs and 15 RBI for Boston, which is fourth in the AL East with a 14-21 record.

Bogaerts has expressed a desire to stay in Beantown, so the Red Sox should feel safe in waiting until after the season to resume contract talks.

Three members of the Boston Red Sox organization, including catcher Kevin Plawecki, tested positive for COVID-19.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters the two other positive tests came from staffers who don't work in coaching roles. Cora added that Plawecki has been vaccinated.

Connor Wong, who opened the season with the Worcester Red Sox in Triple-A, will be added to the active roster to replace Plawecki ahead of Monday's game against the Minnesota Twins.

Wong will back up Christian Vazquez, who was given the start behind the plate.

Plawecki has appeared in four games this season, going 1-for-10 with one RBI. He started Sunday's 8-1 win over the Twins.

Wong made his MLB debut last June and logged six appearances. A third-round pick in the 2017 draft, he has a .272/.332/.494 slash line with 56 home runs and 186 RBI over 295 appearances in the minors.

Ahead of the regular season, MLB and the MLB Players Association amended the COVID-19 protocols to cease regular testing for asymptomatic individuals. Under the terms of the protocols, Plawecki could miss 10 days but has the opportunity to expedite his return.

Beyond Plawecki, Cora said he's bracing for multiple members of the roster to be unavailable when the Red Sox begin their four-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays on April 25. Unvaccinated players are unable to travel into Canada.

The Boston Red Sox "haven't engaged in any contract conversations" with starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi, according to WEEI's Rob Bradford.

Bradford added that the right-hander prefers not to negotiate a new deal during the 2022 MLB season. However, "there is an expectation" his representatives could discuss terms with the Red Sox once the season ends. 

Next winter is shaping up to be a pivotal period in Boston. Eovaldi and J.D. Martinez are due to hit free agency, while Xander Bogaerts can opt out of the $80 million he's owed over the next four seasons. Meanwhile, Rafael Devers can hit free agency after the 2023 season.

According to the New York Post's Jon Heyman, the gap between what the Red Sox were offering Devers and Bogaerts and what the players wanted might have been $100 million or more.

While he's unlikely to command ace-level money, Eovaldi will figure to have a lot of suitors should he reach the open market.

The 32-year-old finished fourth in the American League Cy Young voting in 2021 after going 11-9 with a 3.75 ERA and an AL-leading 2.79 FIP in 32 appearances. He hasn't gotten off to a great start in 2022 (allowing four home runs and five earned runs over 10 innings), but it's still very early. 

The state of the Red Sox's starting rotation heightens the need to retain Eovaldi beyond 2022.

Behind him, Boston is leaning on Michael Wacha, Rich Hill, Tanner Houck and Nick Pivetta as its starters. Chris Sale is on the 60-day injured list, and James Paxton is still recovering from his Tommy John surgery.

What the Red Sox decide to do with Eovaldi won't make or break their championship hopes in 2023, but it will clearly signal their short-term goals for next year.

At $7.01 billion, the New York Yankees are once again the most valuable franchise in Major League Baseball in 2022.

As seen in the graph tweeted by Sportico's Michael McCann, the Yanks lead the way, followed by the rival Boston Red Sox at $5.07 billion, while the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants round out the top five:

The same teams occupied the top five spots last year as well, although the Yankees saw their value rise from $6.75 billion in 2021.

In fact, the same 10 teams are represented in the top 10 of Sportico's list this year compared to last, with the only difference being that the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels swapped places. Atlanta went from eighth to seventh.

Of course, the Braves are coming off their first World Series championship since 1995.

As Sportico's Kurt Badenhausen noted, the average MLB franchise is worth $2.31 billion in 2022, although there is a sizable gap between the teams.

The five most valuable MLB teams are worth $25 billion in total, which means they are propping up the average value significantly compared to teams near the bottom of the rankings, such as the Miami Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays, Kansas City Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Oakland Athletics, all of whom have a value of $1.34 billion or lower.

The $2.31 billion average value is a 5 percent increase from last season with jersey advertisement patches and an expanded postseason playing a role, per Badenhausen.

That increase is aided by the fact that only two franchises—the Marlins and Baltimore Orioles—saw their value fall compared to last year. Meanwhile, the Houston Astros had the biggest rise in value since 2021 at 10 percent.

It comes as little surprise that the most profitable and valuable teams all reside in huge markets, including two teams from New York City (Yankees and Mets) and Los Angeles (Dodgers and Angels) inside the top eight.

The Yankees are traditionally at or near the top of such lists on an annual basis, as they are among the most valuable franchises not only in MLB but in all of sports.

For the past three years, the Yankees have finished second only to the NFL's Dallas Cowboys on Forbes' list of the most valuable sports teams in the world, but Badenhausen reported that they are now the most valuable sports franchise in the world for 2022.

Despite their value, the success fans have come to expect has largely eluded them. Although the Yanks have reached the playoffs the past five seasons and haven't had a losing record since 1992, they also haven't won or reached a World Series since 2009.

The Red Sox, Dodgers, Cubs and Giants have all won a World Series more recently, as have teams outside the top 10 in valuation, such as the Astros (11th), Washington Nationals (12th) and Royals (28th).

New York could also be in danger of losing superstar outfielder Aaron Judge to free agency during the offseason, as the sides have yet to come to terms on a new deal. But based on the fact that the Yankees are worth over $7 billion, letting him walk for financial reasons would be a tough sell to the fanbase.

The Boston Red Sox announced Sunday that they have signed reliever Garrett Whitlock to a four-year contract extension that spans 2023-26 with club options for 2027 and 2028. 

The deal is reportedly worth a total of $18.75 million from 2023-26, according to ESPN. The club options are worth $8.25 million in 2027 and $10.5 million in 2028, ESPN added. 

Whitlock said in a press conference Sunday, according to MLB.com's Ian Browne:

“Absolutely. I mean, it's still so surreal. It's crazy. It really hasn't felt like it has hit yet. You know, as me and Jordan were talking this morning, it was just like two years ago -- I was working two jobs, you know, trying to survive the COVID season and everything like that. And so, now, just to be sitting here doing this, it's all very surreal.”

Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom added:

“This is a great day. You all know the talent that Garrett has that's been on display from Day One in Fort Myers last year, all the way up through October. I think a lot of you also know the person that he is -- and when you make this type of commitment, that's just as important. He works hard. He competes. He’s a really good teammate. He's humble. He wants to learn. He respects everyone.”

The Red Sox landed Whitlock by selecting him in the Rule 5 draft from the New York Yankees. The Pinstripes left him unprotected for the draft after he underwent Tommy John surgery. 

The 25-year-old burst onto the scene with Boston during the 2021 season. He appeared in 46 games, posting an 8-4 record with a 1.96 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 81 strikeouts across 73.1 innings. 

It was an impressive season for Whitlock, who was one of Boston's better relievers last season. There was talk of him potentially entering the starting rotation as the Red Sox used him as a starter during spring training. However, Rich Hill earned the team's final rotation spot. 

If Hill or any of Boston's other starters struggle this year, it's possible Whitlock sees some time in the rotation. 

This season, he has appeared in one game, allowing two hits, one of which was a home run, and striking out four batters in 2.1 innings against the Yankees on Opening Day in the Bronx. 

The Red Sox enter Sunday's game against the Yankees having lost two straight games to the Bronx Bombers. Tanner Houck will be on the mound for the final game of the series before the team travels to Detroit for a series against the Tigers. 

Xander Bogaerts and the Boston Red Sox won't come to terms on an extension before Friday's Opening Day game against the New York Yankees, he told reporters Thursday. 

The star shortstop added that the Red Sox made him an offer but "it didn't work out." 

The news comes after MLB insider Hector Gomez reported the Red Sox and third baseman Rafael Devers were not making progress on an extension. The club offered the 25-year-old a contract, but he reportedly declined because it was lower than what he is willing to consider, Gomez added. 

Bogaerts, 29, signed a six-year, $120 million extension at the start of the 2019 season and will make $20 million in 2022. He has a player option worth $20 million for the 2023 season, though ESPN's Joon Lee reported in October 2021 that he plans to opt out.

Based on how the shortstop market has been over the last few years, it's possible Bogaerts gets an extension worth more than $20 million annually. However, he likely won't receive a deal similar to that of Carlos Correa, who agreed to a three-year deal with the Minnesota Twins worth $35.1 million per year. 

For reference, New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor makes $34.1 million annually, and Texas Rangers star Corey Seager makes $33 million per year. All three players are younger than Bogaerts and are viewed as better players at the position. 

Still, Bogaerts has made a name for himself in Boston, helping the Red Sox win two World Series. The three-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger hit .295/.370/.493 in 2021 with 23 home runs and 79 RBI in 144 games. 

And while Bogaerts has spent his entire nine-year career in Boston, the Red Sox might be willing to let him walk following the acquisition of Trevor Story, who signed a six-year, $140 million deal with the franchise this offseason. 

Red Sox manager Alex Cora noted that Bogaerts would remain the team's shortstop this season and that Story, who has played the position his entire career, would play second base. 

If Bogaerts plays elsewhere in 2023, Story could shift back to shortstop, but considering there's a full season of baseball ahead, it's best not to consider the what-ifs just yet.