Every transaction has a trickle-down effect. Some ramifications, obviously, are more pronounced than others, but there’s a distinct impact whenever a team executes a trade or signs a free agent, as the Boston Red Sox did Sunday when they reportedly agreed to a six-year contract with Trevor Story.
Story, who played shortstop throughout his six-year tenure with the Colorado Rockies, will hold down second base in Boston, where the Red Sox currently have a franchise shortstop in Xander Bogaerts. Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom wanted to add another right-handed bat, and Story checks that box while providing an intriguing combination of power and speed.
All told, landing Story is a huge move for the Red Sox. And his presence will be felt across the board, perhaps in a manner that increases Boston’s chances of returning to the postseason.
But three Red Sox players, in particular, inherently are impacted by Story’s arrival more than anyone else: Bogaerts, Kiké Hernández and Christian Arroyo.
Bogaerts not only has a new double-play partner up the middle. He’ll also be playing alongside his potential successor at shortstop, should Bogaerts opt out of his contract and sign elsewhere in free agency next offseason.
Hernández, whose versatility is a real asset, ended up playing the outfield far more frequently than the Red Sox envisioned last season. There was a chance he’d move back to second base on a regular basis in 2022 — if Boston’s offseason heavy lifting involved adding an impact outfielder — but it now seems like he’ll remain out on the grass, presumably in center field with Jackie Bradley Jr. manning right field.
Arroyo, meanwhile, was the frontrunner to assume Boston’s regular second-base duties this season until Story reportedly joined the Red Sox on a $140 million deal. His possible playing time might’ve taken a hit Sunday, although Red Sox manager Alex Cora still will find ways to deploy the hard-nosed infielder.
So, how do these men feel about the Red Sox bringing in Story? Very good, actually.
Here’s what each said Sunday at spring training after the Story news broke, per The Boston Globe and MassLive.com:
Xander Bogaerts: “If it happens, great. It will be awesome. He is an extremely great player.”
Kiké Hernández: “Hell of a player. He’s an elite bat. Not a lot of home run hitters go out there and steal 30 bags and I know he has that ability. We don’t have that many guys in our lineup that can do that. Not just his bat, but his baserunning can help us a lot.”
Christian Arroyo: “Adding a player of that caliber … that’s a boost to our roster. Once it goes through, we’ll welcome him with open arms. We’re adding a superstar-caliber player. Who doesn’t want to have that?”
The Red Sox hadn’t announced the Story signing as of Monday morning, but it’s safe to say his new teammates intend to welcome him with open arms once he touches down at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Fla.
Boston is coming off a 2021 season in which it reached the American League Championship Series and fell just two wins shy of reaching the World Series. Maybe Story, a two-time All-Star, can get the Sox over the hump in 2022.
