Trevor Story has found his next home.
The Colorado Rockies’ former shortstop has agreed to terms on a deal with the Boston Red Sox, according to multiple reports on Sunday. His contract is for six years and worth $140 million, per The Athletic. Story leaves the Mile High City team, which drafted him back in 2011, after six seasons in the bigs.
He’ll join a Red Sox team just four years removed from its last World Series title. In addition to a new team, he’ll also play a new position. The Red Sox already have their starting shortstop, four-time Silver Slugger award winner Xander Bogaerts. Story agreed to play second base in Boston for the 2022 season, according to MLB, in his effort to claim his first championship hardware.
The two-time World Series winning shortstop Bogaerts signed a six-year, $120 million contract with the Red Sox in March 2019. That deal has an opt out after the 2022 season, which if he uses, could put Story back at shortstop.
The Rockies were willing to pay Story more than $140 million, but the two-time All-Star chose the Red Sox because he viewed their championship odds as better than the Rockies, per reports. The Rockies, of course, traded away their best homegrown product, third baseman Nolan Arenado, to the St. Louis Cardinals in January 2021.
And the club has been in flux for the last three seasons. The Arenado trade didn’t exactly bring happy feelings for its fanbase — which is also probably still reeling at watching other former players, DJ LeMahieu and Tyler Anderson, produce for opposing teams. The Rockies did, however, pick up Kris Bryant who, no doubt, becomes the new face of the franchise.
Story, coming into his age-29 season, has not yet hit his peak and is a big pickup for the Red Sox. He is a career- .272/.340/.523 hitter who’s been on MVP ballots three times in the last five years. He also has two Silver Slugger awards on his resume.
Story was on several other team’s radars, including the Yankees. But the Bombers were never serious about adding the shortstop. Their infield was also already crowded and the Yankees were more on the lookout for a stopgap at short until prospect Anthony Volpe is ready.
Aaron Boone initially claimed Gio Urshela would be their starting shortstop (after Gleyber Torres’ failed tenure) when spring camps opened up and the lockout ended earlier in March. Then Brian Cashman traded Urshela and Gary Sanchez to Minnesota for the Twins’ Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Josh Donaldson and Ben Rortvedt; re-signed first baseman Anthony Rizzo; and traded away Luke Voit. So, their infielders now include DJ LeMahieu, Kiner-Falefa, who will play at short for the Yankees, Donaldson, Rizzo and Torres.
Still, the Yankees’ and others’ interest in Story, as well as Carlos Correa’s signing with the Twins, helped run up the price and pressure to land a contract with the former Rockies star. Members of the Red Sox, including manager Alex Cora and Bogaerts, called Story “in recent days” to help recruit him, per ESPN.
“If it happens, great. It will be awesome. He is an extremely great player,” Bogaerts told reporters Sunday after learning of the Story agreement. He spoke tentatively, not yet knowing the full details of Story’s agreement.
And now the Red Sox have his big bat in their lineup.
