Trevor Story has signed with the Boston Red Sox

Red(s)HawksFan

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Hell yea. Great signing, solid contract.

I posted this back in December, but Story played through an elbow injury for the first half of the year and hit .237/.311/.394 (77 wRC+) through June 13. He hit .259/.340/.518 (114 wRC+) afterward, including a 132 wRC+ in his last 30 games.

He would have hit 39 home runs last year — a big jump over the 24 he recorded — had he played all his games in Fenway, according to Statcast.
Too bad he still won't be playing all his games at Fenway.
 

SouthernBoSox

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That contract is about as close to a best case scenario contract I can remember for a great not good baseball player.

Fits extremely well now, as a hedge for 2023 beyond at short. And his position flexibility is a great fit given the current status of the system talent.

Extend Devers and you shouldn’t have to leave the system for field a fantastic left side over the next decade.
 

curly2

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I doubt Yorke is going anywhere. I think Bloom envisions Yorke and Mayer as his Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell, guys who come up together and hold down the middle infield for a long time. By the time they're both ready. Story will be near his opt-out, and if they advance really quickly, Story's contract is not bad, so it's tradeable.

In my ideal world, Bloom is saying to Bogaerts now, "We gave story 6/140. We'll tear up your old deal, give you 6/150 and you'll immediately move to left field." I know that's not happening, but a guy can dream.
 

EddieYost

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If I am reading the opt out correctly I don’t hate it. He can opt out after 4, but if the Sox want to keep him they can by tacking on a 7th year at 20 million.

Is that right?
 

pokey_reese

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Spray chart for the last three years, overlaid with Fenway. A lot of outs that would be HRs to the pull side, and luckily very few HRs that turn into outs in RF (assuming the wind doesn't play into where these would actually land, which we obviously shouldn't do). Still, seems like a guy who can definitely benefit from playing in Boston, potentially.
 

Beomoose

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Amazing deal, I had just about talked myself into being fine with no major signing in the infield. Forgive me, Bloom.
 

Jimbodandy

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I'm confused. The eeyores said that Bloom had Tampa Bayitis and would not spend.

Story is good at everything, and this is a great contract. I will be losing some time today superimposing spray charts. Well done, CB.

Edit: beaten to it already by pokey
 
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Minneapolis Millers

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This is the same deal that Baez signed, except that the opt out is less bad for the team (later, with a reasonable right to extend and cancel).
 

Diamond Don Aase

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In my ideal world, Bloom is saying to Bogaerts now, "We gave story 6/140. We'll tear up your old deal, give you 6/150 and you'll immediately move to left field." I know that's not happening, but a guy can dream.
Whatever his defensive limitations may be, moving Bogaerts to left field in 2022 is a waste of his talents. Like moving Story to second base.
 

cornwalls@6

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I wouldn’t deal Yorke yet at all. First, we don’t know what X will do. Second, Yorke might be a monster, and if so, you try to find a spot for him.
Agree completely. I think this move basically means this is XB’s last year here. Story moves back to SS next year, and they stop gap 2B until Yorke is ready. And then Mayer as well.
 

Max Power

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Spray chart for the last three years, overlaid with Fenway. A lot of outs that would be HRs to the pull side, and luckily very few HRs that turn into outs in RF (assuming the wind doesn't play into where these would actually land, which we obviously shouldn't do). Still, seems like a guy who can definitely benefit from playing in Boston, potentially.
A right handed pull hitter should be very happy at Fenway, but you can't just look at the spray chart and assume everything would be the same. About half of those dots are from Denver, where the ball flies a little farther than at sea level. The gray dots over the wall may drop onto the track on a chilly April day.
 

bosox188

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Right. He might hit even more. Story’s 2021 home runs if all his batted balls were…

in BAL: 42
in NYY: 48
in TOR: 36
in TB: 33

(in COL: 19)

Per Statcast
One thing to note is that Baltimore changed the dimensions of LF in Camden during the offseason. They moved the wall back 27 feet and raised it in height a bit too. So those BAL projections might be outdated now. Your overall point still stands regardless.
 

YTF

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This signing fills two needs. Assuming he transitions well to 2B this will be a solid all around upgrade to the infield It also allows Arroyo to fill that much needed utility IF role with as capable defender with a good bat. If Chaim can find a mid level RH OF and one more mid level starter to hold that pitching staff together for a couple of months we might find ourselves making some noise as October nears.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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Agree completely. I think this move basically means this is XB’s last year here. Story moves back to SS next year, and they stop gap 2B until Yorke is ready. And then Mayer as well.
I don't think it means anything regarding Bogaerts, because we have no idea how much Story's elbow played into this deal. If there's concern that it won't hold up at SS much longer, then the expectation could be that Story is the long term second baseman.

Now if this was Story's the new shortstop and Bogaerts is moving, I could read it as Bogaerts is gone at the end of the year. But they're accommodating Bogaerts' desire to stay at short. Strikes me as a move made by a front office that wants him around, and wants to do what it can to keep him around.
 

OCD SS

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I really like this deal; I’m assuming this is an indication the medical staff passed his throwing elbow so he can cover SS as needed…

If X stays, and maintains his death grip on SS, at the very least if the shift is banned next season then there will be a premium on athletic plus defenders at 2B; Story should stay there instead of moving Devers to DH

For everyone who is not up on the research about Coors affects on hitters, home and away, read this: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/when-position-players-get-away-from-coors-field/
 

Kliq

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View attachment 50285
Spray chart for the last three years, overlaid with Fenway. A lot of outs that would be HRs to the pull side, and luckily very few HRs that turn into outs in RF (assuming the wind doesn't play into where these would actually land, which we obviously shouldn't do). Still, seems like a guy who can definitely benefit from playing in Boston, potentially.

Guys, he played in a stadium where the ball travels much further due to the altitude, so much so that the ballpark as the biggest dimensions in baseball and it's still a hitters paradise. It's pretty useless imo to use these kinds of overlaps and translate it to what his performance would be like at Fenway.
 

E5 Yaz

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A right handed pull hitter should be very happy at Fenway, but you can't just look at the spray chart and assume everything would be the same. About half of those dots are from Denver, where the ball flies a little farther than at sea level. The gray dots over the wall may drop onto the track on a chilly April day.
Seems like an oxymoronic thing for a guy named Max Power to say
 

snowmanny

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I expected 5/135 so this is a better deal. These deals often end up seeming like an overpay at some point then not so bad or even pretty good when all is said and done. But, for today, I’m happy.
 

YTF

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If I am reading the opt out correctly I don’t hate it. He can opt out after 4, but if the Sox want to keep him they can by tacking on a 7th year at 20 million.

Is that right?
That's how it reads to me as well, if Story opts out after four, the Sox can effectively by that option by adding a seventh year. AAV of 23.3M at 6 years and 22.8M at 7years. Assuming Bogaerts is gone, perhaps in the later years of the contract Story moves back to 2B when Mayer is ready unless they groom Mayer to play another position.
 
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chawson

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One thing to note is that Baltimore changed the dimensions of LF in Camden during the offseason. They moved the wall back 27 feet and raised it in height a bit too. So those BAL projections might be outdated now. Your overall point still stands regardless.
Good point, forgot about that.

I really thought Story was sure to sign with the Yankees. He trains with Yankee performance trainer Eric Cressey and I thought the reunion with DJ LeMahieu would do the trick.

In the end it seems that DJLM’s very bad 6/$90m contract was a real obstacle. I fully expect them to move him next offseason — LeMahieu’s has a no trade clause for 21-22 and his 10-and-5 trade veto kicks in after 2023. It seemed like Cashman genuinely likes IKF and eventually Volpe at short, but I’m sure they would have preferred Story at 2B over DJLM or Gleyber, whose decline in value has also been rough.
 

nattysez

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Shocked we got him at this price tbh. I thought for sure HOU or MFY were going to overpay and let him play SS.
It concerns be that no other team thought it sensible to beat this contract. I would not have rolled the dice on Story liked this. I really hope it works out.
 

cornwalls@6

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I don't think it means anything regarding Bogaerts, because we have no idea how much Story's elbow played into this deal. If there's concern that it won't hold up at SS much longer, then the expectation could be that Story is the long term second baseman.

Now if this was Story's the new shortstop and Bogaerts is moving, I could read it as Bogaerts is gone at the end of the year. But they're accommodating Bogaerts' desire to stay at short. Strikes me as a move made by a front office that wants him around, and wants to do what it can to keep him around.
I really hope that’s right. As already mentioned, I’m assuming the medical on Story is positive, and the club is confident he can play SS, and strictly speculative, it seems to me like X wants to hit the market looking for elite SS money. I’m hoping hard there is way to extend him too, but bracing myself for this being his last year with the Sox.
 

Joe D Reid

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That contract is about as close to a best case scenario contract I can remember for a great not good baseball player.

Fits extremely well now, as a hedge for 2023 beyond at short. And his position flexibility is a great fit given the current status of the system talent.

Extend Devers and you shouldn’t have to leave the system for field a fantastic left side over the next decade.
He also provides a nice hedge against a Bogie injury this year. Last year's team had *nothing* behind him; if he had even one more little stretch of missed games it likely would have knocked the team out of a playoff spot.
 

LesterFan

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Infield is looking like one of the best in baseball with Casas possibly arriving in a few months as well. Best part is not having to wait 2-3 months to watch Story.
 

Harry Hooper

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I caught about 5 minutes of Matt McCarthy on 98.5 yesterday bloviating about how cheap the Red Sox are. I know you have to fill a radio show but click...
 

Toe Nash

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I really like this deal; I’m assuming this is an indication the medical staff passed his throwing elbow so he can cover SS as needed…

If X stays, and maintains his death grip on SS, at the very least if the shift is banned next season then there will be a premium on athletic plus defenders at 2B; Story should stay there instead of moving Devers to DH

For everyone who is not up on the research about Coors affects on hitters, home and away, read this: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/when-position-players-get-away-from-coors-field/
I am not sure an 8 year old article that just averages all the guys who have played in Colorado and left is particularly impressive "research" that I need to be up on.

Players benefit from Coors, but they can also adjust after leaving, different players are affected differently and the park isn't the only good thing about playing at home. We knew this.

Home/road splits are not always predictive and he may fit Fenway well but I think there is some reason to temper expectations, because Story's are pretty significant. That said, Fenway is a hitters' park and he gets value from his defense as well, it's a huge position of need, and he won't be bad offensively so this is a pretty solid signing.
 

Jerry’s Curl

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I really hope that’s right. As already mentioned, I’m assuming the medical on Story is positive, and the club is confident he can play SS, and strictly speculative, it seems to me like X wants to hit the market looking for elite SS money. I’m hoping hard there is way to extend him too, but bracing myself for this being his last year with the Sox.
No reason to give X a mega contract now with Story and Mayer a couple of years away. Give the money to Devers.
 

BaseballJones

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Infield is looking like one of the best in baseball with Casas possibly arriving in a few months as well. Best part is not having to wait 2-3 months to watch Story.
Yeah suddenly the Sox' infield looks tremendous, at least offensively. The weakest of the bunch is Dalbec at 1b, and he's a 30 homer guy.
 

Niastri

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Hell yea. Great signing, solid contract.

I posted this back in December, but Story played through an elbow injury for the first half of the year and hit .237/.311/.394 (77 wRC+) through June 13. He hit .259/.340/.518 (114 wRC+) afterward, including a 132 wRC+ in his last 30 games.

He would have hit 39 home runs last year — a big jump over the 24 he recorded — had he played all his games in Fenway, according to Statcast.
My oh my, if we can get 30 homers out of 2b! Very happy with this signing and contract.
 

pokey_reese

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Guys, he played in a stadium where the ball travels much further due to the altitude, so much so that the ballpark as the biggest dimensions in baseball and it's still a hitters paradise. It's pretty useless imo to use these kinds of overlaps and translate it to what his performance would be like at Fenway.
You know that this hasn't been true for a while, right? Thanks to the humidors, Coors has gone from far and away the #1 park factor for home runs (something like 40% above average back in the 2010s, to just being in the top 10, usually only about 10-20% above average, similar to the Bronx and other 'normal' hitters parks.
 

YTF

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I really hope that’s right. As already mentioned, I’m assuming the medical on Story is positive, and the club is confident he can play SS, and strictly speculative, it seems to me like X wants to hit the market looking for elite SS money. I’m hoping hard there is way to extend him too, but bracing myself for this being his last year with the Sox.
Cross posting my thoughts on this from the off season thread...

Bogaerts is currently making 20M per through 2026, it going to be interesting to see what he's going to be looking for now that his potential replacement has sign what looks to be a reasonably team friendly deal.