'I look good, I feel good': Bogaerts arrives to camp, talks defense and contract

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Xander Bogaerts, the longest-tenured player and the unquestioned team leader on the Red Sox, had to play some defense before he even got to the field for the team’s first workout on Tuesday.

What he was defending was his ability as a shortstop.

Defensive metrics weren’t kind to Bogaerts last season, as he ranked 16th among shortstops in the Majors by defensive runs saved at minus-5, per FanGraphs. But Bogaerts feels there is so much more to the puzzle. He made only nine errors in 523 chances, logging 1,169 innings. Bogaerts had a fielding percentage of .983, his second best in nine years on the job.

“Oh, man, I look good, I feel good,” said Bogaerts. “I feel like I can continue doing it for a while. I don’t think there’s anything in my way that can stop me right now from accomplishing that goal. Just being ready physically to be able to withstand a whole 162 games on your body. I know it’s not easy. As I get older, I’ve got to take more care of my body. Just try to improve every year.

“A lot of early work, a lot of extra work. Continue to make the routine plays. I think for me that’s more important.”

With Carlos Correa and Trevor Story both on the free-agent market, it has been suggested at least from media outlets that Bogaerts could switch positions in the near future if the Red Sox had an opportunity to land one of those players.

Bogaerts, still in his prime at the age of 29, didn’t seem pleased when the idea of a position switch was presented to him by the media. He said nobody from the Red Sox has discussed it with him.

“Oh, you guys came with that one, huh?” Bogaerts said. “I’m a shortstop, man. That’s where I’ve played my whole career. Obviously it’s a position I take a lot of pride in. If you look at my numbers, they’ve been pretty good for these years. I like being there. That’s it.”

Considering that Bogaerts possesses a relentless work ethic, don’t be surprised if he makes improvements on defense as he enters his ninth full season. Red Sox manager Alex Cora gave him some suggestions heading the offseason.

“You saw it, he looks even [stronger] than last year,” said Cora. “It's amazing. I don't know how he does it, but he looks stronger and more agile and more explosive. It's a testament to who he is, but there were a few things that we talked about in November in our exit meetings that he needed to do, and it seems like he did and we just need to keep building up.

“One thing is for sure: Whatever he touches, he turns into outs. It's just a matter of a few adjustments here and there, and we can help him with positioning, and we'll see what the final product is going to be.”

Defense wasn’t the only hot-button topic with Bogaerts. He has an opt-out clause after the 2022 season, which would allow him to chase dollars similar to what Corey Seager (10 years, $235 million) landed with the Rangers in early December.

“I mean, you’re aware. You see what’s going on. It’s not like you’re not seeing what’s going on out there. So you have to be a little open-minded,” said Bogaerts. “I’ve enjoyed my time here and obviously you want to be here for a long time, and we’ll see what happens. Anyone that comes here wants to stay for quite some time.”

When Bogaerts gets that chance to opt out -- assuming the Red Sox don’t sign him to an extension before then -- he will be halfway through the six-year, $120 millon pact he signed in 2019 with the only professional team he has ever known.

The contract question was the first Bogaerts fielded in front of his locker on Tuesday. He had barely even finished his breakfast.

“Oh, man. I mean, I just got here [to camp], man. We’ll see,” said Bogaerts. “We don’t have much time if any [if the extension] is going to happen [before the season]. Obviously, I love being here. Everyone knows it. I think that’s pretty clear. We have time if that’s going to happen. Not as much time as we normally have though.”

One thing that is clear is the mutual respect Bogaerts and the Red Sox have for each other.

Bogaerts has two World Series championships. The first came two months after his first callup, when he broke into the starting lineup in the middle of the 2013 postseason and played fearlessly.

Five years later, he was a cornerstone of a juggernaut squad, though somewhat overshadowed by the likes of Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez and Chris Sale.

These days, Bogaerts is front and center when you think of the Red Sox.

“Like I said before, and I’ll say it again, he was my shortstop in the World Series, he was my shortstop in the Wild Card Game,” said Cora. “I bet there's a lot of managers out there if you ask them who you want in a big game playing shortstop, they'll say Xander and I feel the same way.”

That opinion goes well beyond the dugout.

“Without question,” said Red Sox president/CEO Sam Kennedy. “Bogey has been one of the most consistent players for us and he represents everything that's great about the Red Sox.”

In Bogaerts and his close friend Rafael Devers, the Red Sox probably have more thump on the left side of the infield than any team in the game. Devers has two years of arbitration eligibility left before he can test the free-agent market following the 2023 season.

One of the most accomplished players in Red Sox history and a newly minted Hall of Famer hopes to see that duo together for years to come.

“Well, we just had a team meeting where David Ortiz surprised us [on video] and talked about the left side of our infield and the type of players that we have over there. So those two guys are guys that you'd love to see as part of the Red Sox forever,” said Kennedy. “They've been a part of the Red Sox since their teenage years. They’re World Champions and hopefully we can keep them for the long term.”