Red Sox: Trevor Story isn’t the only free agent struggling with a new team

The Red Sox added a shortstop but it wasn’t Carlos Correa

Carlos Correa could have demanded a deal that challenged Seager for the most lucrative from this class but his agent brainwashed him into taking a 3-year, $105.3 million deal with opt-outs after each of the first two seasons, allowing Scott Boras to claim his full commission rather than split a mega-deal with his previous representatives (Correa switched agents in January).

That plan might backfire based on the early results from his tenure with the Minnesota Twins. Correa is hitting .255 with a .693 OPS that would be the lowest of his career.

Adding to his woes is a bruised finger that recently landed Correa on the 10-day injured list. It’s not a major setback but any trip to the IL is a concern for a player with his lengthy injury history. Last season was the first time since 2016 that Correa has appeared in more than 110 games.

Correa is still hitting the ball hard, ranking in the top-6% of the league with a 52.9 Hard Hit% and top-8% with a 92.4 average exit velocity. His problem is with a lack of contact. Correa’s 25.2 K% would be a career-high and his 7.8 BB% is well below his career rate.

The lack of plate discipline points a player who wasn’t quite prepared for the season, which is no surprise considering the shortened training camp.

It’s the same, umm… story for Story in Boston. His Statcast data is relatively similar to his career levels but a skyrocketing strikeout rate is tanking his production. It’s going to take these players who signed late in the offseason time to find their rhythm at the plate.

All of these players have proven track records and there’s no reason to believe they will continue to struggle. That’s true for Story. If the other top free agents from this class who are struggling are expected to turn things around, there’s little reason to believe that Story won’t.