Xander Bogaerts’ rough August makes Padres contract look even more questionable

When the San Diego Padres signed Xander Bogaerts to an 11-year, $280 million contract, he was coming off a five-year run with the Red Sox where he averaged an .880 OPS and displayed an all-around game that was very appealing. The fit was always a little weird for the Padres given the number of infielders they had under contract, but AJ Preller can't decide when the best bats become available, and was willing to make it work.

Bogaerts' 2023 season with the Padres was a mild disappointment considering what he had done previously, but he still hit .285 with 15 homers, and his .790 OPS was very reasonable. However, 2024 saw Bogaerts' production drop off significantly before he landed on the IL with a shoulder injury.

One hoped that Bogaerts' recovery would also allow for him to make some adjustments and get back to his normal excellent self. At the start, it looked like that was exactly what was going to happen. Unfortunately, his production lately has created even more doubts about his long-term viability and whether or not San Diego made a major mistake in giving him the deal they did. And his three-hit (with a homer) night on Thursday isn't changing much.

Xander Bogaerts' subpar performance lately should have Padres fans very concerned

Bogaerts returned to the Padres' lineup in mid-July and he honestly looked pretty good the rest of that month. The power wasn't really there, but he at least passed the eye test as a guy who was seeing the ball well and appeared to be in a good spot.

Since August 1, the picture is decidedly less rosy. Over the course of the next 30 games, Bogaerts has 123 plate appearances where he has posted a mediocre .252/.301/.324 line with just four extra-base hits, including two homers and only eight walks to his name. That might be okay for a stopgap replacement type of guy, but not one that is making north of $25 million a year through 2033.

Perhaps Bogaerts is still feeling the effects of the shoulder injury that sidelined him or perhaps his transition to second base has impacted him more than he is willing to let on publicly. One hopes it is one of those more temporary reasons, because "Bogaerts just stinks forever" now would prove to be a very costly and unfortunate reality.

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