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Padres still have a $280 million Xander Bogaerts problem
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- Padres still have a $280 million Xander Bogaerts problem
Padres still have a $280 million Xander Bogaerts problem originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Fernando Tatis Jr. is catching fire at the right time for the San Diego Padres .
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Other members of the lineup are not carrying their weight.
However, is that to be expected?
Shortstop Xander Bogaerts is having another poor season at the plate. As the four-time All-Star ages, his offensive production has fallen off a cliff.
"As a whole, the Padres offense has been drastically better since the All-Star Break, led by Fernando Tatis Jr.'s 1.060 OPS," Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller wrote Wednesday. "But Xander Bogaerts—in season No. 4 of that 11-year, $280M deal, no less—is still batting just .200 and slugging .309 since the intermission."
This is just the fourth season of Bogaerts' 11-year deal with the Padres. By the time his contract runs out in 2033, Bogaerts will be 41.
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He has not posted an OPS above .800 since he left the Boston Red Sox following the 2022 season, and his power numbers aren't impressive.
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"Throughout his career, though, Bogaerts' least productive month has been August, and his best month has been September," Miller added. "Can he turn it around again?"
Bogaerts has 11 home runs in 126 games this season, and he had 11 homers in each of the previous two years.
At this point, the Padres should be thankful he's still producing a positive bWAR.
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