by How will the Boston Red Sox cope with their oft-injured nine-figure shortstop going forward?
2024 was Trevor Story’s third year in Boston and he didn’t play his fewest games in any of those three games. A serious shoulder injury on the Red Sox’ season-opening road trip limited him to just 26 games played, giving him 163 games in his three seasons in Boston.
Story was signed in 2022, the last time the Red Sox appeared in the playoffs. They were not successful again after the season and his inability to stay healthy was a major reason for their defensive weakness.
The Red Sox still appreciate what Story can do for them when he’s healthy, but that may not be enough to keep him in Boston beyond next season. 2025 is likely to be a crucial year for the soon-to-be 32-year-old.
On Saturday, Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter called Story’s contract the biggest “nightmare” on the Red Sox’s current payroll and predicted that 2025 would be the shortstop’s final year in Boston.
“Story’s defense was positive with 20 outs above average at shortstop and second base. “But if he doesn’t score, Boston may be increasingly tempted to move him out of the way of Marcelo Mayer and/or Kristian Campbell,” Reuter said.
“Anyway, it seems possible that Story won’t even be with the Red Sox in 2026.”
After the upcoming season, Story is still owed $50 million of the $140 million he originally signed. That’s a hefty chunk of change to gobble up to get rid of a player, whether through a trade or by foregoing him entirely. But that’s exactly what the Red Sox did with Pablo Sandoval in 2017.
It’s still early to speculate, and Story still has the talent to turn history around if he stays healthy in 2025. But if things continue on their current path, the conversation will be held and it will be difficult.
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