The Red Sox hardly were Trevor Story's only option in Major League Baseball free agency.
Boston reportedly won the Story sweepstakes by beating out the Giants and the Astros. Houston was coming off its third trip to the World Series in the last five years and San Francisco posted the best regular-season record in the big leagues in 2021.
But even before Story reached the nitty-gritty of his decision, he had enticing options. The offer the Seattle Mariners made to Story prior to the MLB lockout reportedly was on par with the deal he signed with the Red Sox, and the Minnesota Twins reportedly pursued Story before going all-in for Carlos Correa.
So, what separated Boston from the rest of the pack? The two-time All-Star provided that answer in "Boston Red Sox All Access: Baseball Is Back," a short feature shared to the club's official YouTube page Wednesday.
"Really, the ultimate decider was winning," Story said. "That's always been at the front of my mind and the Red Sox organization has a rich tradition of that. That's what I believe in and that's really what drove me to do it."
Story will try to kick off his Boston tenure with a win Friday when the Red Sox open their 2022 slate in New York against the Yankees. NESN will provide all of the action, with pregame coverage beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET.
