Baltimore Orioles. Mandatory Credit: James A. Pittman-USA TODAY Sports
These three free agent destinations for Xander Bogaerts would break the hearts of Boston Red Sox fans.
Boston Red Sox baseball and Xander Bogaerts go together well. For him to enter free agency and potentially land somewhere else should have fans feeling a little ill.
Bogaerts does remain a candidate for the Red Sox in free agency. It would be a smart move for them to re-sign him. Unfortunately, he is desirable to a couple of other ball clubs, too.
It’s these three MLB teams that could be looking to break the hearts of Red Sox fans by signing Bogaerts away.
1. Red Sox fans will cringe at the idea of Xander Bogaerts signing with the Orioles
The only thing worse might be if Bogaerts ends up with the New York Yankees. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem likely. He would never do that to even the most critical sports fan in Boston.
The Baltimore Orioles are a little bit different. While there is no connection to him, they are a potential destination for other free agent shortstops. Namely, it’s Carlos Correa who has been speculated about for some time. Correa has plenty of suitors, too. What if he ends up with the Chicago Cubs? The Orioles may look to steal the longtime division rival away from the Red Sox.
If you checked out of the 2022 MLB season, it will come as a shock to see the Orioles not only finished ahead of the Red Sox but also made a late-season push for the postseason. They are well-positioned to go a step further and make it into the playoffs. Inking someone like Bogaerts could be the first of several major offseason moves.
Next year’s MLB schedule does balance out a bit more with all 30 teams playing each other. This still won’t ease the pain if Bogaerts ended up in Baltimore. After all, it’s the Orioles who will be competing in the already tough American League East against the Red Sox.