Trevor Story’s disaster deal is still not as bad as Kris Bryant’s

Trevor Story is done for the year already with a shoulder injury and the 31-year-old Boston Red Sox infielder continues his oft-injured post-Colorado Rockies career, but how does it compare to Kris Bryant?

One-time bopping shortstop for the purple pinstripes, Story, moved on from the Rockies after the 2021 season, signing the fifth-largest free agent deal in the winter of 2022. He has since played just 145 games in three seasons for the Red Sox, valued at 3.5 rWAR. Meanwhile, Boston has shrunk from a playoff team to two last-place finishes each of the past two seasons. In part that’s due to Story’s body failing him while being one of the team’s most expensive players, on a six-year, $140 million deal.

But Story’s deal with the Red Sox somehow wasn’t the worst signed that offseason. No, that title goes to the man inked to a larger deal to replace some of that production.

Just three days before Story signed, the Rockies threw a seven-year, $182 million deal at former National League MVP Bryant. The once-positionless player has appeared in just 131 games for Colorado and has been worth -0.9 rWAR.

Basically—based on availability cost and production at the rare times the two have played—even though the Story contract is a disaster in Boston, the Rockies would’ve been better off keeping him instead of signing Bryant that winter. Sure Story isn’t a first baseman or a corner outfielder like Bryant has primarily played in purple—but Bryant wasn’t truly those things before he inked. Story, in fact, also moved positions—shifting to second base his first season in the American League before going back to short.

It’s Story’s ability to stick in the middle infield and remain a strong defender that has kept him of at least some value. Bryant has been shifted off his first big league position of third base. Bryant has been brutal at the plate, hitting less than half the amount of home runs in three years calling Coors Field home (16) as he did during his MVP season (39.) Story has been just about as bad. Bryant’s totals through Monday in his Rockies tenure thus far have a slashline of 250/.330/.392 with 16 home runs and 49 RBI while Story has produced .227/.288/.394 with 19 home runs and 84 RBI.

The two were just about as productive for the Cubs and Rockies respectively before signing elsewhere, though the highs with Bryant were some of the best in baseball.

These two stick out pretty badly in the very hyped 2022 free agent class, though Javy Baez signed an identical deal as Story to go to Detroit and he’s been worse but at least has played almost 300 games. The first and third-biggest contracts signed that winter went to Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, who were key in winning the Rangers a title, similarly, the top pitcher signed was Max Scherzer in New York, who was traded to Texas and helped the Rangers win it all last fall. There was also Freddie Freeman in that class, who has twice finished top five in MVP voting since going to Los Angeles. The only deal that can even be in the conversation with Bryant and Story is Robbie Ray’s five-year $115 million deal. The starter struggled in Seattle then needed Tommy John Surgery and he’s onto San Francisco.

All of this is to say that the Rockies could’ve made a bad move in the winter of 2022, and somehow they found a way to make the worst move possible. Unlike Story though, who is done for the year, Bryant can actually improve upon his production per dollar this year. Given Bryant’s current form, the Rockies would probably be better off with their highest-paid player going on the Injured List whereas the Red Sox are now missing a productive player.