The Boston Red Sox might have gone to the head of the class were it not for a few known unknowns.
ESPN's Bradford Doolittle on Sunday issued the Red Sox a B+ grade for their reported deal with free-agent infielder Trevor Story.
The two-time All-Star reportedly agreed to a six-year, $140 million contract and figures to play second base at the outset of his Red Sox career. While Story looks on paper like a good fit in Boston, Doolittle also couldn't help but highlight some risky aspects of his arrival.
"Longer term, the addition of Story stabilizes Boston's outlook," Doolittle wrote in a column. "We don't know the future of Boston's infield configuration. Story could move back to shortstop after (Xander) Bogaerts leaves. Bogaerts could stay but move over to third base and bump Rafael Devers elsewhere. Maybe Bogaerts could be convinced to swap places with Story. Or all three players could remain fixtures where they are for years to come. The most important thing is that Boston has more high-level talent with which to work.
"Signing Story is not without risk. There are the strikeouts. There are the throwing concerns. And there is the always worrisome Coors Field effect. Those risks are what keeps me from giving the Red Sox an A or an A-, but it doesn't mean that I don't love the move."
The talent infusion, along with the present and future flexibility Story brings, understandably has excited Red Sox Nation. However, Story must continue to perform at a high level in order to justify the investment Boston made in him.
That doesn't mean he has to play perfectly in order to improve the letter grade into "A" territory, should Doolittle revise his mark down the line. After all, a "B+" signing in itself represents a significant upgrade to Boston's infield.
