Shortstop Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox remain at odds over contract ahead of season opener

NEW YORK — With shortstop Xander Bogaerts set to opt out of his contract after 2022, the question of whether he will be back with the Boston Red Sox next year looms over the team's season. When asked on Thursday whether he expected to come to an agreement with the Red Sox on a contract extension before their season starts on Friday, Bogaerts did not mince words.

«No,» Bogaerts said. «No.»

Boston offered Bogaerts an extension during the offseason, but the 29-year-old turned down the offer. According to team sources, Bogaerts asked for a contract that paid him in line with the game's highest-paid shortstops: Carlos Correa (who makes $35.1 million with the Minnesota Twins), Francisco Lindor (who makes $34.1 million with the New York Mets) and Corey Seager (who makes $33 million with the Texas Rangers).

The Red Sox declined to match that request.

«I can't do nothing about it right now,» Bogaerts said in a deflated tone. «I got a season coming up in front of me. I don't want to put my teammates with that kind of distraction. They don't deserve it. We had time to get something done. It didn't work out.»

Since coming up as one of the game's top prospects, Bogaerts repeatedly expressed his desire to stay with the Red Sox for his entire career, which started when Boston discovered him and his twin brother, Jair, in Aruba at 16 years old. That desire to remain a Red Sox player for life is what motivated him to sign a six-year, $120 million contract at the start of the 2019 season, opting out of free agency despite hiring agent Scott Boras, who rose to fame maximizing player salaries on the open market.

But in the media conference room at Yankee Stadium, Bogaerts seemed resigned that he and the Red Sox would not meet eye to eye on