Report: Red Sox Were Over $100M Apart With Both All-star Infielder Negotiations

Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts are All-Stars. And for now, they're Boston Red Sox. But for how much longer, remains to be seen. According to a report by MLB Insider Jon Heyman, there is a huge gulf in contract extension talks between the team and each player. The sides are said to be more than $100M apart—in both cases. 

Third baseman Devers, says Heyman, was looking for a long-term contract that would have made him "a Red Sox for life." Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom, however, was looking at things a little differently. "A kind of half-life deal," writes Heyman in the New York Post. "The team’s exact offer isn’t known, but suffice it to say, they were surely more than $100 million apart." We reported on Wednesday that Devers was looking for more than $300M. 

Sox' offer "a slap in the face"

And the gap was even wider with impending free agent Bogaerts. Sources told Heyman that he was simply offered a one-year extension onto the three years he has remaining on his current contract (that has an opt-out after this season, which he will surely enact).  "Sources suggest it was for about $30 million in that extra year, bringing his potential total to about $90 million." Bogaerts flatly rejected that last week. 

Making matters worse, a friend of Bogaerts described the Red Sox offer as "a slap in the face."

Chaim Bloom has made it clear on @TheGregHillShow approach regarding extensions with Bogaerts, Devers have not 'aligned' with players' approach

— Rob Bradford (@bradfo) April 14, 2022

Bloom admits that the team's approach on the extensions has "not aligned" with the two players' approaches. 

Heyman notes that Boston's offer to their shortstop was so unremarkable that one rival GM suspects they aren't as motivated to re-sign Bogaerts long-term due to the fact that they just signed his impending replacement at short, Trevor Story, to a 6-year, $140M deal. Story is playing 2nd base for this season. 

Sounds like the Red Sox have some work to do if they're going to keep this All-Star infield together. 

Photo Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports