The Crimson Sox are in settlement with Trevor Story on a six yr, $140MM contract. After the fourth yr, 2025, Story can decide out of the ultimate two years of the deal. Nonetheless, Boston can negate that opt-out by selecting up a seventh yr choice for $25MM, or pay a $5MM buyout. In the event that they have been to train that choice, it might add $20MM to the deal, successfully making it a seven-year, $160MM association. Story is not going to have any no-trade safety as a part of the contract. Story is a consumer of Excel Sports activities Administration.
Story will take over at second base with Xander Bogaerts staying on because the crew’s shortstop, per Jim Bowden of The Athletic. Crimson Sox supervisor Alex Cora has confirmed that plan, per Marly Rivera of ESPN.
It had been a reasonably quiet offseason for the Crimson Sox up up to now, with the membership principally targeted on its pitching employees, including veterans like Rich Hill, Michael Wacha and Jake Diekman. On the place participant aspect of issues, that they had solely actually subtracted because the offseason started, sending Hunter Renfroe to the Brewers for Jackie Bradley Jr. and prospects. Story, nonetheless, they’ve actually add an incredible affect bat to their lineup.
After the departure of Troy Tulowitzki, Story took over the on a regular basis shortstop job in Colorado and ran with it. Over the previous six seasons, he has performed in 745 video games and hit 158 dwelling runs, hitting an total .272/.340/.523, for a wRC+ of 112. He additionally stole 100 bases and supplied wonderful protection, accruing 21.6 fWAR in that point.
Along with serving to out the Crimson Sox this yr, the addition of Story is smart from a long-term view. Xander Bogaerts can decide out of the rest of his contract on the finish of this season, when he may have three years and $60MM left on it, one thing he appears prone to do. If that ought to come to go, they may have already got his substitute on the roster. As famous above, the plan for this season is to maintain Bogaerts at brief and have Story play second, transferring Enrique Hernandez to common outfield responsibility. Story missed a few of final yr’s season with an harm to his throwing elbow, and some scouts expressed the belief that he can be greatest utilized at second base on account of that harm impacting his throwing arm. Boston will now have no less than one yr to see if Story’s arm can rebound in any approach earlier than deciding how you can proceed past 2022.
Though the writing has appeared to be on the wall for fairly a while now, this formally ends the Trevor Story period in Colorado. Very like with Nolan Arenado earlier than him, there appeared to be a falling out between the membership and their marquee participant. Final yr, as Story was headed into free company and the membership not in competition, he appeared like an apparent candidate to be traded to a contender. Nonetheless, the deadline got here and went and not using a deal coming to fruition, one thing that left Story confused. “I don’t have actually something good to say in regards to the state of affairs and the way it unfolded,” Story stated within the quick aftermath of the deadline. In the course of the offseason, there didn’t appear to be any perception {that a} reunion was within the playing cards. The membership apparently supplied him greater than the $140MM he acquired from the Crimson Sox, with Story preferring his probabilities of competing in Boston, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network. Between Story and Tulowitzki, the shortstop place in Colorado has been spoken for since 2006. For now, it looks as if Jose Iglesias shall be taking on, as he signed with the membership per week in the past. Because the membership made a qualifying supply that Story rejected, they’ll obtain a compensatory draft choose after the primary spherical. The Crimson Sox forfeit their second-highest choose and and may have their worldwide signing bonus pool diminished by $500K.
This deal additionally closes the guide on this yr’s mega class of free agent shortstops, which featured Story, Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, Javier Baez and Marcus Semien. Going into the offseason, it was anticipated by many who the Yankees can be distinguished gamers on this market, given their penchant for top payrolls and apparent want on the place that has been obvious since Gleyber Torres was moved to second base final yr. However reports emerged in November that they have been contemplating sitting out the shortstop bidding, content material to amass a stopgap resolution as they watch for both of Oswald Peraza or Anthony Volpe to graduate from prospects to large leaguers. That now appears to have been the case, because the membership acquired glove-first shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa to man the place, whereas the massive 5 shortstops all landed with stunning suitors. The rebuilding Rangers grabbed each Seager and Semien, whereas one other rebuilding membership, the Tigers, nabbed Baez. Correa shockingly lingered in the marketplace earlier than selecting a short-term take care of the Twins, a crew not identified for reeling within the prime fish in free company. Now Story has come off the board, touchdown on a crew that didn’t have an apparent match on the place.
Since Chaim Bloom left the small-market Rays and took over as Boston’s Chief Baseball Officer after the 2019 season, the membership has been present process a kind of semi-rebuild course of. It was a couple of months into his tenure that they traded Mookie Betts and David Price to the Dodgers as a part of a course of to strip down payroll, regardless of successful the World Sequence in 2018. On the heels of that commerce, the membership went 24-36 within the pandemic-shortened season, slipping beneath the lowly Orioles and into final place within the AL East. After some modest additions to the membership, many went into 2021 anticipating they’d be unable to compete in such a robust division. Nonetheless, they rallied for a 92-win season, simply edging out the Blue Jays for a Wild Card berth, making it so far as the ALCS earlier than falling to the Astros. On the heels of that shock marketing campaign, it appeared for the previous few months that the membership may once more go for solely modest upgrades. As a substitute, the Fenway Trustworthy have the massive splash that they have been desperately hoping for, simply the most important since Bloom took over, because the AL East figures to be a four-headed beast but once more.
Bob Nightengale of USA Right this moment first reported that Boston and Story have been in settlement, in addition to the $140MM assure. (Twitter links) Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic was the primary to report the six-year time period. The truth that there was an uncommon opt-out was first relayed by Jon Heyman of MLB Network. The fourth-year opt-out with the seventh-year choice construction was first relayed by Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The $5MM buyout and $25MM wage for the ultimate yr have been first relayed by Heyman. The dearth of a no-trade clause was first reported by Sherman.
