Red Sox 'making right decisions' despite Xander Bogaerts' exit, Rafael Devers' looming free agency, exec says
Sox have finished in last place in two of last three seasons while homegrown talent departs
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Last week, the Boston Red Sox lost shortstop Xander Bogaerts when he signed an 11-year deal with the San Diego Padres worth $280 million.
The Red Sox won the World Series in 2018. A year later, they missed the postseason and fired president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. They replaced Dombrowski with Chaim Bloom from the Tampa Bay Rays. In three seasons, Bloom has made some questionable choices.
Since Bloom's hiring, the Red Sox traded Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Christian Vazquez, all of whom, along with Bogaerts, were key contributors to winning that World Series. Betts was the 2018 AL MVP.
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Xander Bogaerts of the Boston Red Sox reacts during the sixth inning of a game against the Tampa Bay Rays Oct. 5, 2022, at Fenway Park in Boston. (Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
The Sox did bring in Trevor Story last season on a seven-year deal worth $140 million, but maybe he was just a Coors Field wonder. He slashed just .238/.303/.434, all career-lows, and only played in 94 games.
Boston also signed Japanese phenom Masataka Yoshida to a five-year, $90 million deal, but it will be a waiting game to see if the outfielder can adjust to the Major League level.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Sox did make a surprise run to the ALCS in 2021, but that season is sandwiched by last-place finishes in the AL East.
Team CEO Sam Kennedy says he's on board with all the decisions.
During reliever Kenley Jansen's introductory press conference Tuesday, Kennedy discussed Bogaerts' exit in a surprisingly positive manner.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Boston Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy takes part in an event at Fenway Park in Boston to announce the creation of a college football game called the Fenway Bowl Sep. 17, 2019. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
"I try not to look back. You can really harm yourself and harm your plan and harm decision-making if you get too caught up in regrets in the past or any type of fear of the future. I don't engage in any of those two activities. I don't focus on regrets of the past, and I don't worry about the things I can't control in the future. What we're trying to do in the moment is make the right decisions for the Boston Red Sox. That's the job. It comes with painful, difficult decisions along the way.
"We'll keep doing what I said we're going to do, which is making the right decisions."
XANDER BOGAERTS, PADRES AGREE TO AN 11-YEAR, $280 MILLION DEAL: REPORTS
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Red Sox may soon lose another homegrown talent from that 2018 championship team in Rafael Devers. The third baseman is reportedly seeking a deal north of $300 million, but he and the team are about $100 million off.
Devers owns an .884 OPS since the beginning of the 2019 season. Since then, he leads MLB in extra-base hits and is second in total bases (two behind Freddie Freeman).
Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers of the Boston Red Sox during the third inning of the 2022 Little League Classic game against the Baltimore Orioles Aug. 21, 2022, at Bowman Field in South Williamsport, Pa. (Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Since 2018, Bogaerts is hitting .301 with an .880 OPS, earning three Silver Slugger Awards and MVP votes in each season.