Red Sox right-hander Michael Wacha worked out with fellow Texas native Trevor Story a few winters ago in Fort Worth, and what he saw impressed him.
"I got to witness firsthand how explosive and how athletic he is in the gym," Wacha told reporters in Fort Myers on Sunday after news broke that the Red Sox had agreed to a six-year, $140 million deal with the free agent shortstop. "He's jumping out of the gym and just making everything look really easy. I can see how that translates over to the field and how successful he is out there on the field."
Story will be playing behind Wacha now at second base as part of an All-Star middle infield with shortstop Xander Bogaerts. After watching their rivals go crazy in free agency over the last week, Red Sox players sounded relieved to be joining the party, especially for a player as talented as Story.
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SIGN UP HERE "It sparks the team," right-hander Nathan Eovaldi told reporters. "It shows us the front office is ... we know that they want to win, but then to add another big piece to the organization like that would be huge. You see him across the field and it's exciting watching him play and to have him playing behind you, especially for me while I'm pitching and scoring runs for us, our lineup is already extremely talented and then to add another piece like that is only going to make us better."
Even Christian Arroyo, the player most directly impacted by Story's arrival, expressed his approval. The starting second baseman on the depth chart when spring training began, Arroyo now drops into a reserve role across the infield and may even learn the outfield to get at-bats. He's fine with that.
"Obviously nothing is official, but adding a player of that caliber, it's a boost for our roster," Arroyo said. "Once it goes through, we will welcome him with open arms and we have a superstar-caliber player. Who doesn't want to have that?"
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The acquisition takes some heat off Bogaerts, who had been asked about moving off of shortstop and didn't love the idea. With Story coming aboard to play second, Bogaerts can focus on improving defensively while remaining an elite offensive talent before he must decide whether to opt out this fall.
Tomase: Trevor Story signing signals the end of Tampa North
He declined to address the Story news directly until it was official, but did express relief that talented free agents are finally finding homes.
"I think it eventually would have happened," he told reporters. "Those guys are too good to be out for the whole year or not sign any type of deals. Maybe they won't sign deals that they wanted in the beginning but, in the end, I think everyone would sign, especially guys at that level and with that talent. I don't know how many more is left but I know that they are not a lot more."
As for the impact Story could make on the field, Kiké Hernández noted that he's a well-rounded star. He has stolen at least 20 bases three times, and led the NL with 15 swipes during the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
"Hell of a player," Hernández told reporters. "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. He's a solid shortstop. If he comes here, I think he will play second base. I'd be more than willing to help him transition there since I can play that position pretty well. Now I'll be playing somewhere else. If true, I'm really looking forward to having him here."