When the lockout finally ends, the Red Sox will have a lot of questions to answer about new additions to the club. Many proposals have been brought up, but there’s one particular free agent who the Red Sox need to sign: Trevor Story.
First thing’s first, the Sox have a bit of a problem right now with the infield: defense. The club finished their 2021 campaign having arguably the worst defensive infield, and Xander Bogaerts (SS) and Rafael Devers (3B) produced -5 and -12 DRS respectively. It’s clear that they’re going to need a lot of help if they want to stick around there. Christian Arroyo was the best defensive infielder with the club last season (5 DRS), but isn’t a viable starter for a “win now” team due to his injury proneness. The Red Sox must make some defensive adjustments to be a championship contender in 2022.
Meet Story. Consistently one of the best fielders in the majors, Story can be the defensive spark the Sox need to win it all. He produced a defensive WAR of 1.6 along with nine defensive runs saved in 2021, so it’s clear he’s great defensively, but don’t be fooled by his pretty average numbers from the plate this past season. Even in a down year, Story hit a .251/.329/.471./.801 quadruple stat line, with 24 home runs. He packs a punch with his offense just as much as his defense, and has the skills to be one of the best infielders in the majors.
Some may question how stuff like contracts, defensive positions, and the overall outlook of the team will look with Story. Though none of these questions have definitive answers, there’s plenty of options.
First, let’s talk about the contract situation. The Red Sox would be remiss to not lock up Devers for the long term, and he’ll most likely eye somewhere in the $300 million range. It’s also pretty clear that Bogaerts will test free agency using his opt-out following the 2022 season, and he’ll be looking for a ton of money as well. Keeping both of these guys would be a challenge, even more so with the possibility of another major free agent coming to Boston. That’s one of the reasons Story would be a great fit, especially because of his likely cheap cost compared to Bogaerts and Devers.
Just like Marcus Semien did following his rough 2020 campaign, Trevor Story may want to sign a one- or two-year deal to serve as a sort of “bounce back” period. John Henry and the rest of the organization seem to have some money to spend, and they should be able to afford his likely price range of $25-30 million. This would be a perfect scenario for the Sox. With promising infield prospects Nick Yorke and Marcelo Mayer lurking in the system, Story would serve as a great guy to have during the transition period, and with such a short deal he wouldn’t be a roadblock.
There’s no one definitive route the Red Sox have to take to make room for Story, but that just means there’s a ton of flexibility. With the defensive prowess Story shows, he could be dropped anywhere on the diamond and excel. The most likely scenario though, would be to play him at short or second, but one somewhat unorthodox idea would be to trade JD Martinez in order to make room for Story at short, while moving around Devers and Bogaerts. Regardless of their decision, Chaim Bloom and the rest of the front office will create a long lasting foundation for success if they sign Trevor Story.
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