FORT MYERS, Fla. — When Trevor Story sat down at a news conference on Wednesday morning for his official introduction as the newest member of the Boston Red Sox, more than 72 hours had passed since the first reports of their six-year, $140 million agreement. The delay was for more than just logistics: At one point, sources told ESPN, there were concerns the agreement could fall apart because Story was reluctant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
On Tuesday, sources said, those fears were allayed when Story agreed to get vaccinated, and on Wednesday morning, he donned a Red Sox jersey for the first time and worked out with the team. It marked the end of a long offseason for the 29-year-old, a power-hitting shortstop who will play second base for Boston.
Despite several days of uncertainty, the consternation over Story’s vaccination status ended with a peaceful resolution: His signature on a contract and all parties genuinely appreciative that the deal got done. In an interview with ESPN after the news conference, Story declined to expound on the reasons for his decision to get vaccinated but confirmed that he would be eligible to participate in all games for the Red Sox — including the 10 the team will play at the Toronto Blue Jays. Canada’s mandatory quarantine will preclude unvaccinated players from entering the country.
“It’s a very personal matter. Decisions like that are kept between me and my family,” Story told ESPN. “But with that being said, I’ll be available for my teammates 162-plus. That’s the main part.”
Story’s case illustrates how seriously some teams, such as the Red Sox, are treating the prospect of losing top players in Toronto. Even as the United States is moving beyond some of its strictest COVID protocols — mayor Eric Adams announced Thursday morning that New York City is rolling back the law that has kept Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving from playing home games and would have likewise affected the New York Yankees and Mets — there are lingering effects being considered closely by some major league teams.
While baseball teams cannot mandate players get vaccinated, some free-agent contract offers given over the past two years — especially among players not of Story’s caliber — have taken a player’s status into consideration, according to multiple sources. Exactly how Story and the Red Sox wound up on the wrong page is unclear — the team declined comment on the subject — but it was a fitting end to a wild winter in which Story didn’t know where he’d wind up.
At the start of free agency, even in a class that included perhaps the best field of starting shortstops ever, Story was a popular option, with the Red Sox, Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners and others expressing interest. There was a lot to like. Story is a beloved teammate, appreciated for his demeanor, work ethic and talent. His six years with the Colorado Rockies were filled with highlights of massive home runs — even outside the thin air of Coors Field — and showstopping plays at shortstop. He had taken up the mantle of Troy Tulowitzki, the Rockies’ star shortstop who preceded him. It didn’t hurt that Story spent his days alongside Nolan Arenado, with whom he comprised arguably the best left side of the infield in baseball in 2018-19. With Colorado, he hit 158 home runs, stole 100 bases, slashed .274/.340/.523, won a pair of Silver Sluggers, made two All-Star teams and left looking to win.
Some skepticism accompanied Story because of two factors: the Coors effect and the long-term health of his throwing arm, which some teams worried might eventually move him off shortstop — his clear positional preference at the start of free agency. On the eve of the lockout, Seattle made a run at Story with an offer in the same vicinity of the one he wound up accepting from Boston. Story turned it down. The market had been kind to other top shortstops including Corey Seager (10 years, $325 million), Marcus Semien (seven years, $175 million) and Javier Baez (six years, $140 million). Surely it would reward Story similarly.
Then came the lockout, which would last 99 days, threaten the regular season and throw a wrench into free agency. Story spent the winter at his Texas home and worked out at APEC, the same Fort Worth gym where Patrick Mahomes trains. If Story needed to hit, he’d get his baseball activities in at Dallas Baptist University, one of the most underappreciated college programs in the country.
And he’d wait. And wait. And wait.
“It was challenging given the landscape of baseball — all the unknowns, all the uncertainties,” he said. “That can weigh on you a little bit. But spending the time with my family, my wife, we have a lot of great personal stuff going on now. We just had some extra time to get ready.”
Story’s wife, Mallie, is pregnant with their first child, a boy. She is past her due date, which only complicated the recent stress over Story’s signing, the culmination of a post-lockout market that went places nobody expected. First, Atlanta traded for Oakland first baseman Matt Olson, leading Braves stalwart Freddie Freeman to leave Atlanta and sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Then, Carlos Correa — the prize of the free-agent class — went to Minnesota, a truly stunning outcome that left Story with one fewer suitor.
After the new labor deal reopened the market, the Twins had pursued Story, alongside the San Francisco Giants and the Red Sox. Seattle had retreated. Texas was back in the picture, but only at a severely discounted rate on a shorter term. Story entertained a number of contract possibilities — short-term with opt-outs, long-term without and everything in between — as he approached the decision.
One particular call, Story said, went a long way toward his decision to join the Red Sox. It wasn’t from chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom or manager Alex Cora, but the person whose job he might eventually take: Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts. With an opt-out clause in his contract following the 2022 season, Bogaerts could hit free agency this winter. That could allow the Red Sox to shift Story to his natural position, similar to what the Los Angeles Dodgers did this winter with Trea Turner taking over at shortstop for Seager. None of that deterred Bogaerts at all.
He had also faced the same situation as Story did regarding the vaccine. Last season, Bogaerts was not vaccinated. He lived through the September COVID-19 outbreak that nearly waylaid the Red Sox’s season. This year, with the prospect of not playing 10 games in Toronto (and potentially even more in the postseason), Bogaerts decided that he needed to get vaccinated.
Other organizations, even ones outside of the American League East, have used Toronto as a rallying point to convince more players to get vaccinated, according to sources. Already among the AL favorites based on their lineup and starting pitching, the Blue Jays — who spent much of 2020 and 2021 disadvantaged by Canada’s policies — may outmatch some of their opponents even more while playing at home.
As COVID protocols relax across baseball, regulations are eased even more for vaccinated players. Unvaccinated players who are COVID-positive must wait 10 days to return, compared to a potential earlier return for the vaccinated. Further, vaccinated players who are close contacts to people within the organization who test positive don’t need to sit out. Any player who is unvaccinated and a close contact of a confirmed positive must quarantine for at least five days, according to MLB’s COVID protocols.
Now Story won’t have to concern himself with any of the disadvantages. Like Bogaerts, he’ll be in Toronto, during the regular season and maybe even in October. The only time he’ll miss with the Red Sox is within the next few days, when he heads home for the birth of his son. By Opening Day, he’ll be in the place he knows he belongs.
“It’s Boston,” Story said. “The people here. The players. The future of this team. And these guys, even before I got here, made me feel welcome. The time I spent in Fenway as a visiting player had a lot to do with that, too. The passion around the town for the Sox — I’ve always envisioned myself playing for a team like that. And I couldn’t be happier.”