Red Sox's 2022 Starting Lineup, Payroll After Trevor Story's Reported Contract

The Boston Red Sox reportedly provided a major boost to their lineup Sunday by signing longtime Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story, one of the top players left on the free-agent market.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported the sides "reached an agreement" on a contract. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal followed up to report the deal was worth $140 million over six years. Boston owned a projected $171.1 million payroll for the 2022 MLB season before the blockbuster addition, per Spotrac.

Here's an updated look at how the Red Sox's batting order may shape up:

• Enrique Hernandez (CF)
• Rafael Devers (3B)
• Xander Bogaerts (SS)
• J.D. Martinez (DH)
• Trevor Story (2B)
• Bobby Dalbec (1B)
• Alex Verdugo (LF)
• Christian Vazquez (C)
• Jackie Bradley Jr. (RF)

The AL East should once again be among baseball's fiercest divisions, with Boston, the New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays all attempting to claim the title.

Given that level of competition, adding a little more pop to the middle of the lineup was a must for the Red Sox before Opening Day.

Story provides that with 158 career home runs across six years. He's tallied at least 24 homers in every full season (11 in the coronavirus pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign).

Any concerns about how the move away from Coors Field could affect his numbers should be alleviated by the fact that Fenway Park ranks as the league's second-most hitter-friendly stadium behind only the Rockies' home, per Baseball Savant.

In turn, the biggest question mark may be how quickly Story can acclimate himself to second base.

He's never played a position other than shortstop in the major leagues, and he hasn't lined up at second since 2015 while in the minors. Even though it's still the middle infield, there will likely be an adjustment period, but there's only a limited amount of Spring Training during which he can begin the transition.

The need for more offensive depth far outweighed the defensive concerns, so it's no surprise the Red Sox moved forward with the Story deal despite having Bogaerts in place.

In addition, the Yankees were also linked to the two-time All-Star, so the Sox upgrade their lineup while also keeping him away from their biggest rival.

Coincidentally, Boston and New York open the regular season against each other with a three-game series at Yankee Stadium beginning April 7.