Xander Bogaerts’ deal is the Padres’ roster headache nobody can wish away

The Padres spend a lot of time trying to find the next move. But Xander Bogaerts is the leak we can’t ignore. Bleacher Report made note of that when they recently ranked Bogaerts among baseball’s most untradeable contracts, and the point is not that the Padres should shove him out the door tomorrow. It’s that a trade wouldn’t solve anything at this point. Bogaerts has seven years and roughly $175 million remaining on his deal, which runs through 2033. Every year makes a trade harder.

He was still a real big leaguer in 2026. He stole 22 bases, played strong enough shortstop to post positive defensive value, and logged 2.2 WAR. We’re not talking about some scrub. The Padres paid for the hitter who spent years hammering his way through Boston with a .300 average and consistent middle of the order production.

Instead, they got a .231/.332/.344 season with 13 home runs and a 90 OPS+. Don’t expect teams to start lining up in hopes to get a deal done.

How Xander Bogaerts’ $175 million deal affects Padres roster flexibility

His production works in the right spot. But it’s not worth $25 million a year. It is certainly not the production we can comfortably carry through an age-40 season while trying to keep pace with the Dodgers and everyone else in the National League.

The ugliest part is that there is no clean way out of it. Bogaerts has a full no trade clause, and even if he were willing to move, another club would need a reason to take on the deal. The Padres would likely have to eat a mountain of money, attach a prospect (which they don’t have a lot of), or both. It’s not really a solution. It’s paying someone else to inherit a problem we created.

So, instead of Bogaerts being a trade conversation. The Padres need him to become part of their answer. Whether that’s shifting him back to second base, or have him work all the spots in the infield to open up opportunities for another impact bat. Whatever the answer, the team cannot arrange the roster around the version they thought they signed in 2022.

The timing couldn’t be worse. Manny Machado’s salary jumps to roughly $39 million annually beginning in 2027, while Bogaerts continues making about $25.5 million a year through 2033. Together, they will account for about $64.5 million per season from 2027 onward. Machado remains a franchise pillar and has earned far more benefit of the doubt. Bogaerts is the deal that threatens to turn a star-heavy roster into a roster with too little room to breathe.

The Padres still have a window. Fernando Tatis Jr., Machado, Jackson Merrill and the rest of the core give this club enough talent to chase October for years. That is exactly why Bogaerts is so important. San Diego cannot let one increasingly difficult deal dictate every choice around a group good enough to contend. They need to accept that they’re stuck with the contract and they need to continue building around it. 

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow