Xander Bogaerts, Padres finalize $280M, 11-year deal

SAN DIEGO >> It didn’t take long for Xander Bogaerts to be asked whether he expected to be the San Diego Padres’ full-time shortstop even though the team already has two stalwarts at the position.

“I play infield. I play shortstop,” a smiling Bogaerts said after pulling on a No. 2 home white pinstripe jersey and brown cap during a news conference Friday at Petco Park.

Bogaerts and the Padres finalized a $280 million, 11-year contract after the four-time All-Star passed his physical.

Bogarts gets a $5 million signing bonus and annual salaries of $25 million through 2033. He gets a full no-trade provision, a hotel suite on road trips and will make charitable contributions of 1% of his earnings.

The deal with the 30-year-old Bogaerts shows owner Peter Seidler’s willingness to continue to spend big in an attempt to win an elusive World Series title.

The Padres already have two shortstops on the roster, including Fernando Tatis Jr., who will be eligible to return April 20 from an 80-game suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. The other is Ha-Seong Kim, who played well while filling in for Tatis, an All-Star in 2021 who missed all of last season.

Bogaerts joins an already deep lineup that includes third baseman Manny Machado and outfielder Juan Soto.

“The roster is so stacked, top to bottom, it’s unbelievable,” said Bogaerts, a native of Aruba who signed with the Boston Red Sox at age 16 and helped them win the World Series in 2013 and 2018. “When they beat the Dodgers here, seeing how amped up the fans were during the playoffs, it was fun to watch on TV.”

The Padres eliminated the 101-win New York Mets in the wild-card round before beating the 111-win NL West rival Los Angeles Dodgers in the Division Series. They lost the NL Championship Series to the Philadelphia Phillies in five games.

With Bogaerts’ arrival, it’s expected that Tatis will move to the outfield when he returns, with Kim taking over at second base. All-Star second baseman Jake Cronenworth likely will shift to first. Tatis was on the cusp of returning from a broken left wrist when he was suspended by MLB on Aug. 12. He then had surgery on his troublesome left shoulder as well as a follow-up surgery on his wrist.