A year ago, Red Sox Nation began pressuring the Front Office to make a splash. Whether it be Corey Seager, Carlos Correa, or Kris Bryant, the fans wanted a deal to be made. Some writers reported that even players were pressuring Bloom to make a move as they felt they had a World Series-caliber team after making a deep post-season run in 2021. One by one, the market got smaller and smaller. The pressure online from beat writers and Red Sox "influencers" got louder and louder.
Here is the Story
I will not go as far as to say that the Trevor Story signing is as bad as Pablo Sandoval or Carl Crawford. Not yet, at least. However, the last time I had such a negative outlook on a signing was the Sandoval deal. Trevor Story came off a solid but not amazing 2021 season in Colorado. Fine and frankly, the deal wasn't awful, with an AAV of $23 million. But that wasn't where the frustration came from. It stemmed from the fact that the Red Sox Front Office knew they needed to throw money at both Devers and Bogaerts at the end of the year. I have, and always will be, of the belief that throwing money at someone turning 30 years old is a mistake. So, I will not go on a rant about Xander not being signed. I love the Devers deal as it locks him up in his prime, and we do not have to worry about paying him until he is 40 if he drops off.
Here is the issue, you gave a contract to a guy who you planned to play at 2B. Below are the Top Five 2B contracts by AAV in the MLB.
Marcus Semien- $25,000,000
Jose Altuve- $23,357,000
DJ LeMahieu- $15,000,000
Ketel Marte- $15,200,000
Gleyber Torres- $9,608,000
The Semien contract has already been shown to be a mistake, and in my opinion, it will continue to look worse and worse. Jose Altuve now has two World Series titles, an MVP, and 6 Silver Sluggers. His contract is worth it. The next three contracts, DJ/Marte/Torres, are significantly lower than the Story deal AND are not great in their own right. The point I am getting to is that I believe the Story signing was done in a panic to please the fan base, as he was a big enough name to satisfy the people.
Dear Chaim Bloom, Do Not Panic
With the news that Trevor Story needed surgery on his UCL, it is time for the Red Sox to look in the mirror and think about 2024, not 2023. That does not mean I believe they showed throw away the season. I think signing someone like Elvis Andrus on a one-year deal will at least bring them close to the offensive output that Story put up last year.
My more significant concern is the fan base pressuring the team to trade out prospects to bring someone in, specifically trying to bring in another middle infielder. If they are going to trade some of the farm system they need to go get an outfielder that they can lock up on a team-friendly deal and a pitcher. Trading for another MI when you already have plenty of up-and-coming guys on top of Story just shows that they have little confidence in the longevity of Trevor Story. You either get rid of Story or ride with him until his contract is up. You do not try and make up for it by throwing more money at the same position, something many fans wanted them to do with Carlos Correa.
PHOTO COPYRIGHT: Barry Chin/Boston Globe Staff