Best bang for your buck: revealing shortstop free agent values vs Cardinals

Seven All-Star caliber shortstops have been signed recently, and the Cardinals passed on each one of them. Were they wise to run with who they already had?

St. Louis Cardinals v Pittsburgh Pirates
St. Louis Cardinals v Pittsburgh Pirates | Justin Berl/GettyImages
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Xander Bogaerts

Xander Bogaerts was a centerpiece in the Red Sox's pursuit of a World Championship in 2018. He spent the first ten seasons of his career in Boston and was beloved by the fanbase. After relations soured between the infielder and the front office during the 2022 season, Bogaerts signed with the San Diego Padres to the tune of an 11-year/$280 million contract.

Bogaerts has had a great career thus far. His career WAR total is 36.1 spread across 10.5 seasons. He has earned a smidge over $103 million. Fangraphs posits that his free agent value for his career is right around $289 million. Bogaerts's surplus value, according to Fangraphs, is $186 million.

Bogaerts passes Semien as the best value shortstop when compared to recent free agents and the infielders for the Cardinals.