Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts. Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports

Red Sox reportedly haven't made Xander Bogaerts a 'competitive offer'

Xander Bogaerts' chances of returning to the Boston Red Sox continue to get slimmer and slimmer after a report Sunday from Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe revealed that the team has yet to make the four-time All-Star a "competitive offer." 

The latest news regarding Bogaerts and the Red Sox comes a week after a Peter Gammons report said the shortstop had "severed ties" with Boston. 

Bogaerts opted out of his six-year, $120M deal with the Red Sox at the end of the 2022 season. The Phillies immediately emerged as a suitor with "real interest" and reportedly have a meeting scheduled with Bogaerts ahead of the MLB Winter Meetings. 

On Sunday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today linked the Chicago Cubs to Bogaerts, who view him as a "top priority." 

Red Sox insider Marino Pepen confirmed the Cubs' interest and that a "formal offer" will come any minute now. 

In October, Boston's chief baseball officer Chain Bloom said the Red Sox wanted to keep Bogaerts in Boston "for a long time," adding, "but nothing really matters unless there's a deal." 

Bloom has yet to put his money where his mouth is, and it looks like it will cost the Red Sox a middle-of-the-lineup, multiple-time All-Star. 

The Red Sox made Bogaerts an offer worth around $90M in April, per the New York Post. However, Bogaerts' price tag has significantly risen since he hit the open market. 

Wherever Bogaerts lands, former general manager Jim Bowden predicts he'll ink a deal in the seven-year $196M neighborhood.

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