DO PHILS HAVE THE BUCKS TO SIGN FREE AGENT SS XAVIER BOGAERTS?
By Harvey Hoffman
Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that the Phillies have genuine interest in signing free agent shortstop Xander Bogaerts.
Heyman notes that Phillies team president Dave Dombrowski has a strong link to Bogaerts from his days with the Red Sox.
Bogaerts, 30, opted out of the final three years and $60 million remaining on his contract with the Red Sox to test the open market this winter.
MLBTradeRumors.com projects that he’ll land a contract in the neighborhood of seven years and $189 million.
Since Bogaerts received a qualifying offer that he is sure to reject from the Red Sox, the Phillies will have an extra price to pay in compensation for a signing, since Philadelphia exceeded the luxury tax threshold in 2022. To sign Bogaerts or any other QO-rejecting free agent, the Phils would have to give up $1MM of their international bonus pool, and their second- and fifth-highest picks in the 2023 draft.
