Eight years and $203 million remain on a contract proving difficult to move. Signs point to a challenging financial future for San Diego.
When the San Diego Padres handed shortstop Xander Bogaerts an 11-year, $280 million deal before the 2023 season, fans across baseball had their fair share of questions about how the contract would age. Now, three seasons into the deal, Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter has labeled Bogaerts’ contract as the most untradeable in all of baseball.
With eight years and $203 million remaining on the 33-year-old's contract, there have been signs that the deal will not age too well.
“A middling defender at shortstop even in the prime of his career, his value has always been largely tied to what he does in the batter's box, so to already see him producing below a league-average rate in his age-32 season was alarming,” Reuter wrote in a recent article ranking the most untradeable contracts in the MLB. “The remaining years here are enough to make this a true albatross, and the most untradeable contract in baseball entering the 2025-26 offseason.”
After a 2023 season in San Diego that saw Bogaerts maintain his above-average ability at the plate, the past two seasons haven’t been as kind for the 13-year veteran. In 2024, Bogaerts’ OPS dropped below .700 for the first time since 2014.
Though he was able to bring it back up to .720 last season, Bogaerts' offensive decline over the past few seasons is alarming for Padres fans. With eight years remaining, you’d hope not to see this level of regression until the final years of the contract, but the signs are already there for Bogaerts in San Diego.
As the Padre who is set to have the highest salary in 2026, San Diego needs much more from Bogaerts going forward. In a lineup that’s been somewhat underwhelming considering the likes of Manny Machado and Fernando Tatís Jr., Bogaerts' talent is especially needed.
In the postseason, the Padres were held to just five runs in three games against the Chicago Cubs, resulting in a devastating Wild Card loss. While Bogaerts himself actually played well in the series, San Diego’s struggles at the plate were put on display.
It’ll likely be more of the same next season for the Padres, but hopefully not for Bogaerts. A bounce-back season that sees the four-time All-Star return to a season of 3.0+ WAR could be just enough to make the difference in the Padres' lineup. With the front office focusing on starting pitching this offseason, they’ll be counting on Bogaerts to play to the value of his contract.