Red Sox Notebook: Betts insists all is well with Red Sox after arbitration; Bogaerts has second thoughts about playing hurt

FORT MYERS, Fla. – If Mookie Betts is bitter over a couple of thorny contract negotiations with the Red Sox, he’s hiding it well.

A year ago, Betts was renewed by the club when the two sides couldn’t reach agreement. Then, earlier this month, he went salary arbitration with the Sox and won, gaining a $10.5 million salary for 2018.

“There were no hard feelings, nothing wrong,’’ said Betts. “I love these guys. That doesn’t change. I just have to continue to go out and play and have my same relationship that I always have.’’

As for the arbitration process and hearing, Betts added: “I didn’t take anything personal. Nothing was said personal. I think we still have a relationship. It’s just a business, the business of baseball. Knowing that, you don’t take things personally. You take the emotions out of it. They have to take of themselves and I have to take care of myself. Again, there are no hard feelings. You just worry about 2018.

“Two people (sometimes) cannot agree. That’s OK. That’s part of life. It happened twice, that’s OK. I love it here, I love the guys here.’’

But Betts also signaled that signing an extension to keep him in Boston past 2020 – when he’ll be eligible for free agency – isn’t a big priority. Betts last spring rebuffed overtures from the club on a multi-year deal that would have been worth nine figures.

“Right now, I’ll worry about 2018 and keep my eyes focused there,’’ he said. “I’ve enjoyed my time here, for sure. Now that 2018’s here, I can focus on this calendar year. Next we will kind of focus there. But right now, I’m just focused on 2018.’’

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With the benefit of hindsight, if Xander Bogaerts had to do it all over again, he would probably have taken additional time to recover from a hand injury he suffered in the first week of July.

Bogaerts was hit in the right hand by a pitch at Tropicana Field, and after a single day off, returned to the lineup. But his production suffered in a major way. For the next 50 games – almost a third of the season – Bogaerts hit just .190 and slugged .293 with only two homers in the next 188 at-bats.

He rebounded somewhat in the final few weeks of the season, but he wasn’t the same.

“It’s not always that you’ve got to force something, you know?’’ said Bogaerts. “If you can play through something, to a certain extent, you can do that. But don’t always force it. Sometimes forcing it is not the right thing.’’

In hindsight, does he regret playing through the injury?

“A little bit honestly,’’ he conceded, “but (wanting to play), that’s just who I am – I enjoy playing baseball. If I have something broken, that’s probably the only way I won’t be in the lineup. But, to a point, I do regret it. You live and you learn. It’s a new year, so now we can deal with stuff better.

“Yeah, it definitely would have (been smart to take some time). But we were in the heat of things. We were pushing for the playoffs, so you don’t want to be the guy on the bench not helping the team win, so…As I said, you learn and I definitely did.  Health is No. 1. If you’re not healthy, you cannot (perform).’’