Report: Trevor Story, Red Sox agree to 6-year, $140 million deal

Trevor Story is headed to Boston.

According to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, Story is signing a six-year, $140 million deal with the Red Sox.

The longtime Colorado Rockies shortstop, a dynamic power-speed threat, is the latest top-flight free agent shortstop to choose a new home. A 29-year-old right-handed hitter, Story has hit at least 24 homers in every full season since he reached the big leagues in 2016. He has also stolen 20 or more bases in three of those seasons. During the shortened 2020 season, he led the National League with 15 steals.

His signing follows Marcus Semien's seven-year, $175 million deal with the Texas Rangers.

Story escapes Colorado

The biggest surprise about Story's move away from Colorado might be that it is only happening now. The last remaining star on a floundering Rockies team, he was widely expected to be traded at the 2021 deadline, and then expressed confusion when he was not.

Hitters who spend time in Colorado are often viewed skeptically when they depart the mile-high confines of Coors Field, but there is no evidence their production truly suffers. You don't have to look far to find examples of hitters continuing at similar levels (Nolan Arenado) or even improving (DJ LeMahieu) after departing the Rockies.

However, Story is coming off his worst offensive season since a 2017 sophomore slump. A career .272 hitter, his batting average dipped to .250 in 2021, and his OPS was just 3 percent better than the park-adjusted league average. On one hand, his strikeout rate went down — a good sign that his approach remains solid — but his quality of contact is a concern. Statcast metrics using exit velocities and launch angles show that his expected average and slugging numbers have been in steady decline since 2018.

His defensive numbers also dipped in 2021, sagging below average by Statcast's estimation. That may eventually lead to a move off shortstop if the pattern continues, but he will have a chance to rebound.