The San Diego Padres have signed another marquee player to a huge contract, inking infielder Xander Bogaerts to an 11-year, $280 million contract through the 2033 season, President of Baseball Operations and General Manager A.J. Preller announced Friday.
Bogaerts, 30, led the Boston Red Sox in hits, batting average, on-base percentage, walks and runs scored in 2022, and was one of only 11 qualifying Major League players to hit at least .300.
“We are very excited to add Xander to the San Diego Padres,” Preller said. “His consistency and top-level production places him among the best players in our game. Xander’s makeup and championship pedigree are a strong fit for our team as we look to achieve our goal of bringing a World Series Championship to San Diego.”
The 6-feet-2-inch, 226-pound right-handed hitter was voted an American League All-Star reserve by the player ballot, his fourth career All-Star selection. He became one of 26 players in MLB history with at least 150 home runs and at least 300 doubles before turning 30 years old.
The Oranjestad, Aruba native is a two-time World Series champion (2013, 2018) and has played in 44 career postseason games. Bogaerts was originally signed by Boston as an international free agent on Aug. 23, 2009, and has spent all 13 of his professional seasons with the Red Sox organization. He is one of six Aruban-born players in MLB history, and speaks English, Spanish, Dutch and Papiamento. He played for Netherlands in the 2013 and ’17 World Baseball Classics, and was knighted in 2011 by the governor of Aruba.
Bogaerts will wear No. 2. Trent Grisham, who previously wore No. 2 for the Padres, will select a new uniform number in the coming days.
– City News Service