Could Yankees steal Red Sox’ most important free agent target?
Would you rather have Xander Bogaerts on the Los Angeles Dodgers with Mookie Betts or Xander Bogaerts in pinstripes with the New York Yankees?
Unfortunately, either nightmare scenario could become a reality now that the Boston Red Sox have let Bogaerts reach free agency.
This week, MLB insider Jon Heyman reported that the Yankees have ‘touched base with Bogaerts’ in addition to other superstar shortstops in this year’s free-agent class, Carlos Correa and Trea Turner. The shortstop position has been a bit of a black hole for the Yankees in recent years since Didi Gregorius left for the Philadelphia Phillies ahead of the 2020 season.
Could the Yankees steal Xander Bogaerts from the Red Sox?
Bogaerts, who made it abundantly clear that he only wants to play in Boston for the entirety of his career, has a deluge of suitors as a free agent; everyone is smarter than the Sox, it would seem. The Dodgers, Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and St. Louis Cardinals are among those reportedly ready to give Bogaerts what Boston won’t. But even worse than losing Bogaerts to any of them – the Dodgers especially – would be seeing him in pinstripes for most of the next decade. Even with divisional play reducing from 19-game season series to 13 games next year to account for more inter-league contests,
Hopefully, the Yankees are only inquiring after Bogaerts to needle the Sox, the way many speculate Boston is doing with Aaron Judge. They have Oswald Peraza and Anthony Volpe in-house to vie for the shortstop gig, and it’s hard to see Bogaerts choosing the Bronx over Boston or anywhere else. Of course, these rivalry antics will only be amusing if a) the Yankees don’t get Bogaerts and b) the Red Sox do.
Losing Xander Bogaerts is unacceptable. But if the Sox lose Xander Bogaerts to the Yankees, they may as well shutter the franchise and go into Witness Protection.
