For the first time in his career, Xander Bogaerts is officially a free agent.
According to the Major League Baseball Players Association, Bogaerts was one of nine players to opt out of their current deals, meaning they will be hitting the open market.
Bogaerts is bypassing the opportunity to make at least $20 million a season over the next three years, a deal that also included a 2026 option for another $20 million that would have been guaranteed with 535 plate appearances in 2025.
The 30-year-old shortstop ultimately played four seasons under the extension signed at the outset of the 2019 campaign. During that time he trailed only San Diego's Fernando Tatis Jr. in combined OPS, nothing the most hits and total bases of any player at the position.
Bogaerts - who hit .307 with an .833 OPS in 2022, while turning in the best defensive season of his career - will be heading into a free agent market that includes fellow shortstops Carlos Correa, Trea Turner and Dansby Swanson.
