3 Trades the Red Sox Should Make To Replace Trevor Story

When Trevor Story went down with a grisly-looking shoulder injury, we all feared the worst.

And, after a cruel three-day wait, Craig Breslow confirmed our fears, announcing that Story would undergo surgery on a fractured glenoid in his left shoulder. The procedure comes with a six-month recovery time, meaning Story is all but certain to miss the remainder of the season.

This comes as a major blow to the Red Sox, who were looking forward to getting a full season from Story after abbreviated campaigns in each of his first two seasons in Boston. Story had provided a steadying presence in the middle infield in the early stages of the 2024 season, playing Gold Glove-caliber defense and putting together quality at-bats.

The in-house replacements for Story are mostly underwhelming. Lefty-hitting David Hamilton was recalled from Worcester to fill in the roster spot, but he’s been poor in his only big-league action thus far and projects as an objectively bad defender. 27-year-old Romy Gonzalez will also get his chance at shortstop after replacing Bobby Dalbec on the roster, but he’s shown nothing more than Hamilton at the big-league level.

As for proven major-leaguers, Pablo Reyes figures to spend the most time at short; however, the utility man has only 269 innings at the position, and Statcast grades him as a below-average defender. He likely wouldn’t be much help at the plate, either, as he’s managed just a .691 OPS over 202 plate appearances with Boston.

Vaughn Grissom represents the most intriguing option at the position; the 23-year old is only two years removed from a .792 OPS in his rookie season with the Atlanta Braves. However, the 6’3″ Grissom is still at least a week away from playing (groin) and has played nearly two-thirds of his Major League innings at second base. His feasibility as a long-term shortstop is very much up in the air.

Ceddanne Rafaela is probably the only man in the organization who fills Story’s shoes defensively, but he’s already become an everyday starter in center field. He can certainly fill in at shortstop in a pinch, but the Sox would probably prefer he stick to his natural position in center.

All of this is to say that Boston is likely better off looking outside the organization to replace Story for 2024. Replacing his overall production will be next-to-impossible without giving up an immense haul, but what they can do is try to recreate him in the aggregate, a la Billy Beane. Here are the three trade candidates that make the most sense for the Red Sox to fill in for Story.

1. Geraldo Perdomo, SS, Arizona Diamondbacks

Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Geraldo Perdomo (2) throws to first base after fielding a grounder | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY

With Perdomo at the peak of his value, it would go against the old adage of “buy low, sell high”, but the young shortstop checks all the boxes for the Red Sox. At just 24, he’s a plus defender, a switch hitter, and versatile enough to play three positions.

Perdomo has logged 2,439 innings defensively across 3+ seasons with the Diamondbacks, with 2,172 of those coming at shortstop. He’s recorded 4 Statcast Defensive Runs Saved in those innings; although those numbers come nowhere near Story levels, they indicate Perdomo is a steady, reliable defender who makes the necessary flashy play.

The outlook isn’t quite as rosy on the offensive side of things, as the fourth-year man struggled mightily in 2022 before a respectable .712 OPS campaign in 2023. There are some signs that he could improve, though: he slashed his K/BB rate from above 2 in 2022 to 1.34 in 2023, and hit twice as many doubles. Although he doesn’t provide much in the way of power (11 career home runs), he does enough as a slap hitter to maintain some value at the plate.

There is a significant holdup, though, and that’s price. Perdomo is dealing with a minor injury, but, when healthy, he’s Arizona’s starting shortstop. To boot, he made his first All-Star game just last season, and played a key role in the D-backs’ run to the World Series. Extracting Perdomo from Arizona would take a king’s ransom; is that something Breslow is ready for? Is it worth overpaying for a guy who may be nothing more than a one-year stopgap? Would there be room for Perdomo next year with Grissom and Story back (hopefully) and legions of middle infield prospects bursting through the minor leagues?

If the Red Sox believe in his bat, I’d say go for it. If they don’t think there’s a lot of room for improvement, it’s probably better to look elsewhere.

Potential Deal:

• BOS receives SS Geraldo Perdomo
• ARI receives 2B Enmanuel Valdez, 2B Nick Yorke (BOS #6), RHP Bryan Mata (BOS #27), Cash Considerations

2. Paul DeJong, SS, Chicago White Sox

Apr 4, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Chicago White Sox shortstop Paul DeJong (29) warms up | Peter Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

If Boston does decide to make a move, DeJong feels most likely. At 30, he’s no longer an unknown entity, and his Chicago White Sox are bad enough where just about anybody on the roster can be had. Boston, are you interested in a reclamation project?

As a right-handed, glove-first player, DeJong feels almost too obvious to fill the vacancy at shortstop. He’s had a very up-and-down career, breaking into the bigs as a power-first-defense-later infielder before becoming an elite defender just shy of his 27th birthday. Strangely, his hitting disappeared once his defense excelled; he hasn’t recorded a full-season OPS above .674 since 2019.

However, he has recorded four consecutive full-length seasons with at least three Defensive Runs Saved, culminating in a career-high seven in 2023. That impressive mark came even while DeJong bounced around the league: he called St. Louis, Toronto, and San Francisco home before the season was out. Through the chaos, his stellar first half went almost unnoticed; the seventh-year man played great defense and slugged to a .710 OPS for the Cardinals before a dreadful, interrupted second half sunk his overall numbers.

Early returns with the White Sox suggest there’s still a decent player somewhere in DeJong; he’s fielded well and hit two home runs over his first 20 at-bats with Chicago. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, though. 11 of his first 20 ABs have resulted in strikeouts, and he’s yet to walk. If those trends are to continue, this could be DeJong’s worst offensive year yet, and a continuation of his horrific second half from 2023.

But, this is a risk the Red Sox should be willing to take. At the very least, DeJong figures to provide sparkling defense and the occasional power threat. At best, he follows in the footsteps of former Cardinals teammate Tyler O’Neill, who’s seen a resurgence in Boston thus far. Additionally, DeJong is on an expiring, $1.75 million contract; he’d be dirt-cheap to acquire and even cheaper to roster. Trading for DeJong is a low-risk, high-reward move that the Red Sox should seriously consider if they plan on competing at all in 2024.

Potential Deal:

• BOS receives SS Paul DeJong
• CHW receives UTL Nick Sogard, SS David Hamilton (BOS #20)

3. Nick Ahmed, SS, San Francisco Giants

Apr 7, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants shortstop Nick Ahmed (top) makes a jump throw to first base | Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

If you’re rooting for the Red Sox to replace Story with an offensive star, avert your eyes.

You know what you’re getting with Nick Ahmed. Throughout his career, he’s been a top-tier defender and a below-average (at best) bat. When playing, he’s almost always glued to the #9 hole, and he embraces it. Ahmed simply goes out every day and does exactly what got him to and kept him in the big leagues: play sparkling defense.

And play sparkling defense he has. In every season in which he’s logged at least 1,000 defensive innings, he’s recorded 13 or more DRS, including a mind-boggling 27 in 2018. This trend appears to be continuing this year, as he’s logged four in just 87 innings. For those of you more interested in simple defensive metrics, he’s made just 77 errors over 11 years in the bigs. No matter how you spin it, Ahmed is one of the game’s best defenders, and has been for some time.

The flip side, of course, is hitting, where Ahmed struggles. His .560 OPS in 2023 marked a career nadir, and he’s off to just a .515 start in 2024. He strikes out a lot, rarely walks, and has next-to-no pop in the bat. The 34-year old has failed to notch more than five home runs in a season since 2019, and he’s normally hitting singles when he does manage to reach base. For reference, his 2023 OPS is right around Madison Bumgarner’s career OPS.

I don’t think it matters. Like DeJong, Ahmed is on a minuscule one-year deal, and wouldn’t cost much at all to pry away from the Giants. He likely wouldn’t start for Boston, but having his glove available to spell whoever ends up playing shortstop full time would be a massive luxury. More than anything, he’d be a mentor to a young, inexperienced middle infield group, and a necessary star defender in a suspect infield.

Potential Deal:

• BOS receives SS Nick Ahmed, Cash Considerations
• SFG receives SS David Hamilton (BOS #20)

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This article was originally published on chowderandchampions.com as 3 Trades the Red Sox Should Make To Replace Trevor Story.