Xander Bogaerts posts cryptic message amidst rumors of Red Sox fallout

BOSTON, MA - JANUARY 16: Xander Bogaerts #2 of the Boston Red Sox poses for a portrait during the 2020 Boston Baseball Writers Dinner hosted by The Sports Museum on January 16, 2020 at the Seaport Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - JANUARY 16: Xander Bogaerts #2 of the Boston Red Sox poses for a portrait during the 2020 Boston Baseball Writers Dinner hosted by The Sports Museum on January 16, 2020 at the Seaport Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) /
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Xander Bogaerts has entered the chat.

After weeks of radio silence, the now-free agent took to Instagram to share a photo and a cryptic message on his IG stories:

"“I never dreamed about successs, I worked for it”"

Xander Bogaerts sends cryptic message on social media amidst report he severed ties with Red Sox

Bogaerts is an infrequent social media user. His last Instagram post was almost a year ago, on December 4, 2021. And he’s not usually one for cryptic or pointed messages.

Red Sox Nation will spend hours reading into this. Is the extra ‘s’ in “success” a typo or hidden message? Does the red watch have meaning? Did he choose this photo because it looks like he’s sitting at a negotiating table?

The photo is from the Boston chapter’s annual BBWAA Awards Dinner in January 2020. Red Sox head of photography, Billie Weiss, took these portraits of Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, Triston Casas, Michael Chavis, and Marcus Walden, all honored at the event. Casas uses his portrait as his profile picture on Twitter.

It’s noteworthy that this post comes hours after legendary sportswriter Peter Gammons tweeted that he’d heard from three teams that Bogaerts has “severed Boston ties,” which feels like something his agent, Scott Boras would spread around:

Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy moved somewhat quickly to counter Gammons’ report, telling Chris Cotillo that they are still engaged with Bogaerts:

The public has no clue what’s happening behind the scenes, but one thing is clear: Bogaerts is echoing sentiments he’s expressed in the past. He wants what he’s earned through hard work. He’s not demanding anything other than what he’s proven he deserves.