Xander Bogaerts start a new chapter after agreeing to an 11-year deal worth $280 million with the San Diego Padres on Thursday, multiple sources confirmed to the Globe.
Bogaerts was at the Celtics’ win over the Suns in Phoenix when the agreement was made. He will be in San Diego Friday morning for a physical to complete the deal.
The contract makes Bogaerts one of the highest-paid shortstops in the game and ends a 10-year stay in Boston that included two World Series championships.
After months of insisting their priority was to keep Bogaerts, the Sox did not meet his price in what has been a lucrative market for free agents.
According to a major league source, the Sox had an offer on the table for six years at roughly $27 million per year, with a slightly higher average annual value than the roughly $25.5 million per year that Bogaerts received from the Padres. Still, even with some belief in Bogaerts’ camp that the Sox might raise their offer, the gap in the number of guaranteed seasons was so enormous that the separation between the offers was decisive.
The decision marked the end of a long and ultimately unsuccessful process for the Sox that started in spring training.
The contract proposal made by chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom added only one season at $30 million to his contract and Bogaerts swiftly rejected it.
In May, Bogaerts told the Globe he would be willing to re-open discussions but agent Scott Boras dismissed that idea, saying at that point he wanted to hear from owners John Henry and Tom Werner.
In July, Bogarts and Boras reiterated their openness to new offers from the Sox but nothing materialized.
Bogaerts played out the season, earning his fourth selection to the All-Star team, finishing ninth in voting for the American League Most Valuable Player and winning his fifth Silver Slugger.
His 5.8 bWAR was first among major league shortstops and his adjusted OPS of 131 second. Bogaerts also showed noticeable improvement defensively thanks in part to a new pre-game routine suggested by the coaching staff.
Bogaerts opted out of the final three years and $60 million of his contract on Nov. 7. The Sox made several offers over the weeks that followed but did not pursue Bogaerts with the same fervor as the Padres.
Bogaerts was at the Celtics-Suns game in Phoenix when the agreement was made.
For Red Sox fans, it’s a familiar feeling as another popular homegrown player leaves the franchise.
Mookie Betts was traded to the Dodgers in 2020. Andrew Benintendi was shipped off to the Royals a year later. Now Bogaerts becomes the latest member of the 2018 championship team to depart.
Only Rafael Devers, Matt Barnes, and Ryan Brasier remain from that team.
Bogaerts takes with him 14 years of memories after signing with the team as a 16-year-old from Aruba along with his twin brother, Jair.
He made his minor league debut in 2010 and in 2012 became the first Red Sox teenager since Tony Conigliaro — more than a half-century earlier — to hit 20 homers in a minor league season. By the following season, Bogaerts had established himself as one of the top handful of prospects in the game.
Bogaerts was promoted to the majors on Aug. 20, 2013, arriving in time to help the Red Sox win the World Series. He turned 21 during the playoffs, joking at the time that he was finally old enough to enjoy the champagne celebrations.
Over time, as the team changed around him, Bogaerts was the same steady presence at shortstop and built a reputation as one of the best players in baseball.
Bogaerts played in 1,264 games for the Sox, 15th in team history. His 1,192 games and 1,179 starts are franchise records for a shortstop, as are his nine Opening Day starts.
Bogaerts’s 44 playoff games rank fourth among Sox players. Only David Ortiz (76), Jason Varitek (63) and Dustin Pedroia (51) had more.
Those players all retired as Red Sox, having agreed to contracts that recognized their importance to the franchise.
“I love my shortstop,” Sox manager Alex Cora said during the final week of last season. “I keep saying it.
“All those stories and the way he’s handled himself in this market. A good-looking kid and no red flags off the field, no red flags on the field. Spokesman for the organization; spokesman for his country.
“For him to post every day and to do it the right way is amazing. It’s a testament to who he is.”
In the end, that was not enough to convince Bloom and team ownership to raise their offer. It was a decision that disappointed many throughout the organization given the relationships they had built with Bogaerts.
Now the Sox are expected to shift Trevor Story from second base to shortstop. The 30-year-old, a shortstop with the Rockies for six seasons, changed positions after agreeing to a six-year, $140 million deal in March.
Story played only 94 games last season because of injuries and had a career low .737 OPS. There also are concerns about his arm strength.
The other alternative would be to use Kiké Hernández, a 31-year-old utility player with only 64 career starts at shortstop.
OVERVIEW
OnMyWay Is The #1 Distracted Driving Mobile App In The Nation!
OnMyWay, based in Charleston, SC, The Only Mobile App That Pays its Users Not to Text and Drive.
The #1 cause of death among young adults ages 16-27 is Car Accidents, with the majority related to Distracted Driving.
OnMyWay’s mission is to reverse this epidemic through positive rewards. Users get paid for every mile they do not text and drive and can refer their friends to get compensated for them as well.
The money earned can then be used for Cash Cards, Gift Cards, Travel Deals and Much, Much More….
The company also makes it a point to let users know that OnMyWay does NOT sell users data and only tracks them for purposes of providing a better experience while using the app.
The OnMyWay app is free to download and is currently available on both the App Store for iPhones and Google Play for Android @ OnMyWay; Drive Safe, Get Paid.
Download App Now – https://r.onmyway.com
Sponsors and advertisers can contact the company directly through their website @ www.onmyway.com
OnMyWay is the Only Texting and Driving Solution That Pays
Trusted and 
By Millions of OnMyWay Mobile App Users