Red Sox Bolster Offense, Sign Trevor Story

The ridiculous narrative that the Red Sox no longer act like a big market franchise and refuse to spend money on high end talent is now over. Yes, Chaim Bloom was forced to cut payroll, by the man who writes the checks, John Henry. Yes, Chaim Bloom is good at getting players on team friendly contracts, after all Tampa needs to do that to stay competitive. Today, Chaim Bloom signed Trevor Story to a 6 year 140 million dollar contract. Ending the narrative he will not spend money on the biggest names in Free Agency.

Chaim Bloom has repeatedly stressed that every move the Red Sox will make is designed to help the club in the short term as well as the long term and that is exactly what this Trevor Story deal is. Here is a breakdown of the newest member of the Red Sox.

What makes this addition so exciting for the Red Sox is that Trevor Story is a difference maker. In 2021, Story hit 24 home runs and stole 20 bases while having an OPS of .801 and a 4.2 Wins Above Replacement. The crazy thing is, that is a down year for Trevor Story. He has a tough injury issue, with an elbow issue that likely affected his 2021 season. His combination of speed and power gives the Red Sox lineup a massive boost. One player agrees. According to Alex Spier of the Boston Globe ”Rich Hill was informed of the Trevor Story agreement. Initial reaction: “Oh, wow.” He said the presence of story changes “the architecture” of the Red Sox lineup, giving the Sox a hitter with great bat-to-ball, strike zone coverage, power, and defense.”

Trevor Story Hits Spray Chart

One thing for Red Sox fans would need to be aware of is the criticism people give Rockies players for the Coors Field Effect." The “Coors Field Effect” is nonsense to me. Yes, it is an extremely hitter friendly ballpark. A lot of hitters have Home/Road splits that look like a tale of two seasons and that freaks out some people. However, stats like DJ LeMahieu and Nolan Arenado have shown that the “Coors Field Effect” is not really something to be concerned about. Good hitters can hit in any ballpark. It’s the Major Leagues. That narrative needs to be put to bed. If anyone tells you Trevor Story was only good cause of Coors Field do not listen to them. He can flat out hit. This is how his Spray Chart looks when it is adjusted to Fenway Park.

The leader of the Red Sox rotation, Nathan Eovaldi has publicly told reporters his delight over the signing of Trevor Story. Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald tweeted, “Nathan Eovaldi said the Trevor Story signing shows the players in the clubhouse that the Red Sox front office believes in them. Said he can pitch to contact more reliably with Bogaerts/Story up the middle, Kiké/JBJ in the OF.” Not only is this signing a morale boost for the players but aid one of the team’s biggest flaws. One of the biggest weaknesses of the Red Sox the past couple years is the team's defense. Xander Boegarts is not the world's best defensive Shortstop. In fact, his range really limits him. Devers makes plenty of errors at Third. Story provides the Red Sox with a great defender in the middle infield who will be a real asset to the Sox pitching staff with balls hit in play. Which they desperately needed. Story will play at Second Base, primarily due to Boegarts’s desire to stay at Shortstop and Story’s elbow concerns but Xander’s future in Boston is up in the air. He has an opt out clause after this season, which he will definitely take advantage of. This past offseason, the game’s other elite Shortstops signed record breaking deals. Corey Seager signed for ten years and 325 million (32.5 AAV) with the Texas Rangers and Carlos Correa’s 35.1 million AAV for the next three seasons is the highest annual salary for an infielder ever. There is no way Bogaerts will not try to get a raise from his 20 million dollar AAV. With Scott Boras as his agent, he will likely want a contract that the Red Sox will not want to give him. John Henry is notorious for letting home grown talent walk in Free Agency. It is infuriating for fans but at least Trevor Story is a great insurance option if Xander departs in Free Agency. Which is a massive concern the Red Sox will need to address after this season. But let’s focus on the positives. The Red Sox added a great player to their lineup. No matter where he plays long term his bat, power, speed and defense will help the Red Sox win games in 2022 and beyond. Also, his six years 140 million dollar contract, with a club option for a seventh year is an extremely team friendly deal, given the market price for high caliber shortstops these days.

Noteworthy

According to MLB Insider, Jon Heyman “The Rockies, Story’s longtime team, was willing to pay more than the $140M he got from Boston. However, Story is said to see Boston as a better chance to win.”