The Boston Red Sox are fortunate that Trevor Story decided to trust the process.
The Red Sox won the Story sweepstakes, signing the two-time All-Star to a six-year deal worth a reported $140 million. Boston’s interest in Story dated back to November when Major League Baseball free agency first began, but it wasn’t the only club in pursuit of the 29-year-old shortly after the 2021 season concluded.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Thursday published a column that details how the Red Sox’s pact with Story came together. Included was a nugget about an offer Story received right before the league shut down for roughly three months.
“On the eve of the lockout, Seattle made a run at Story with an offer in the same vicinity of the one he wound up accepting from Boston. Story turned it down,” Passan wrote. “The market had been kind to other top shortstops including Corey Seager (10 years, $325 million), Marcus Semien (seven years, $175 million) and Javier Baez (six years, $140 million). Surely it would reward Story similarly.”
The Mariners, according to Passan, did not resume their pursuit of Story once the lockout ended. The Red Sox reportedly fended off the San Francisco Giants, Minnesota Twins, and to a lesser extent, the Texas Rangers in the effort to land the seventh-year pro.
Story chose Boston, despite the club requesting a position change for at least the 2022 season. But the transition to second base sounds like a challenge Story is eager to take on, as he’s committed to doing whatever it takes to help put the Red Sox in position to compete for a World Series title.
