Ranking the 5 worst contracts in the AL East: Where do the Blue Jays land?

These albatross contracts in the AL East could hinder the success of their respective teams

Boston Red Sox v Toronto Blue Jays
Boston Red Sox v Toronto Blue Jays | Mark Blinch/GettyImages
5 of 5

1. Trevor Story, Boston Red Sox - 6 years, $140 million, $23,333,333 AAV (2027 with club option for 2028)

After just missing out on the World Series when they lost to the Houston Astros in the 2021 ALCS, the Red Sox added Trevor Story via free agency during the 2021-22 offseason to help bolster their offensive lineup.

Story had previously proven to be a strong offensive contributor during his time with the Colorado Rockies, as he had maintained a solid .272 average with 75+ runs scored, 25+ home runs, and 75+ RBI yearly throughout his six-year tenure with the club. However, some were wary about the fact whether his numbers would transfer over to his new team. That was because most believed that they were inflated due to playing at Coors Field, which is known to be a hitter’s ballpark.

However, the Red Sox never really had the opportunity to test that hypothesis as Story has been beset by a slew of injuries since joining the club. That included major injuries to his right elbow in 2023 and to his left shoulder in 2024. As a result, over the past three years, he has appeared in only 163 games in total, which in effect was almost equivalent to just one full season. Cumulatively, Story has posted just a .232 batting average with just a .693 OPS, along with 73 runs scored, 38 doubles, 21 home runs and 90 RBI between 2022-2024 with the Red Sox.

Boston originally looked to Story to help make up for some of the lost offence after the departure of star shortstop Xander Bogaerts following the 2022 season. However, with Story constantly finding himself looking in from the sidelines instead, his impact on the club has remained minimal and ultimately disappointing to say the least.

At least Story showed some glimpse of hope for the Red Sox when he finally made it back into the lineup in September and batted .270 with 7 runs scored, 2 home runs and 6 RBI over 18 games. Hopefully, it will be the turning point for him in what has been a tumultuous tenure with Boston so far. However, if he continues to be befell by injuries going forward, his contract could be heading towards Stephen Strasburg territory..

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