Trevor Story has established himself as one of the best shortstops in baseball since he made his major league debut in 2016, but he may not be a shortstop for very long after making a surprising choice on his new team.
Story has signed with the Boston Red Sox, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale first reported. The deal is worth $140 million over six years, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
The reason that is surprising is that the Red Sox already have an All-Star shortstop in Xander Bogaerts. Jon Heyman reported earlier in the week that the Red Sox were interested in signing Story to play second base. Assuming Bogaerts will remain at shortstop, Story must be open to playing a new position. Previous reports indicated that he wasn't interested in a position change.
There is also a chance the Red Sox could trade Bogaerts, though that seems unlikely. The 29-year-old is entering the third season of a six-year, $120 million contract. He has the ability to opt out after 2022, so Boston may be preparing for that possibility.
Story, 29, spent his first six MLB seasons with the Colorado Rockies. He hit just .251 last season, but he’s a career .272 hitter who is above average defensively and has great pop. Story belted 24 home runs last season and has had 35 or more homers in two seasons. The right-handed hitter should have plenty of success hitting in Fenway Park.
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