If one of Xander Bogaerts’ career goals was to land a bigger contract than his idol Derek Jeter, he did just that on Wednesday night.
At the Winter Meetings in San Diego, Bogaerts and the Padres agreed to an 11-year, $280 million contract that will keep him in Southern California until after his Age 40 season. Bogaerts, who will be 30 next year, had been full time with the Red Sox since 2014 before hitting free agency this offseason.
The deal skyrocketed Bogaerts into the top five deals in MLB history in terms of overall money, two of which are currently on the Padres’ roster. Fernando Tatis Jr. is in second at $340 million.
Among other names in the top 10 are Alex Rodriguez (twice, at Nos. 6 and 7) and, of course, Jeter. Trea Turner and Corey Seager are also recent additions.
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Highest-paid shortstop in MLB history
All of the five highest-paid shortstops in MLB history are still active. Before Bogaerts’ deal, Turner was the most recent addition to the club after he signed with the Phillies on a $300 million deal for 11 years.
Of the next five, only Wander Franco of the Rays is still active as they bought out several years of his team control. Alex Rodriguez is taking two spots, and Troy Tulowitzki rounds out the top 10 with his expensive contract.
Jeter, for his part, sits at No. 8 with the 10-year, $189 million he signed ahead of the 2001 season, which had its market set by Rodriguez’s $252 million deal with the Rangers.
Here’s a look at the full top 10.
| Player | Team | Year signed | Years | Money |
| Francisco Lindor | New York Mets | 2021 | 10 | $341 million |
| Fernando Tatis Jr. | San Diego Padres | 2021 | 14 | $340 million |
| Corey Seager | Texas Rangers | 2022 | 10 | $325 million |
| Trea Turner | Philadelphia Phillies | 2022 | 11 | $300 million |
| Xander Bogaerts | San Diego Padres | 2022 | 11 | $280 million |
| Alex Rodriguez | New York Yankees | 2007 | 10 | $275 million |
| Alex Rodriguez | Texas Rangers | 2000 | 10 | $252 million |
| Derek Jeter | New York Yankees | 2001 | 10 | $189 million |
| Wander Franco | Tampa Bay Rays | 2021 | 11 | $182 million |
| Troy Tulowitzki | Colorado Rockies | 2011 | 10 | $157 million |
The way these names are bunched together is interesting (with Franco being an outlier, given the Rays exist in their own spending sphere).
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Clearly, the current market for shortstops is set, and Carlos Correa could find himself on this list before long if he decides he didn’t like the short-term contract with the Twins last year. But shortstops, generally speaking, get paid in bunches, with Rodriguez and Jeter pacing each other for several years.
For his part, Bogaerts is an excellent addition to a Padres team that is clearly ready to spend whatever it takes to get past the NLCS next year. He hit .307 last season and drove in 73 runs for the Red Sox.
The Padres are adding Bogaerts to a roster that already includes Tatis (whom it has been rumored could be shifting to the outfield), Juan Soto and Manny Machado. It’s abundantly clear that AJ Preller is being extremely aggressive in San Diego.
Correa and Dansby Swanson are now the biggest dominoes waiting to fall in the shortstop market. Depending on the years, Correa could top Bogaerts or even Turner. But expect Swanson to fall around the lower end of this top 10 list, if he surpasses Tulowitzki at all.