The shortstop built on his Red Sox legacy.
The Positives
Trevor Story is an elite defender. When the ball is hit his direction, I’m confident it will be converted into an out. For a team with infield defense issues, Story’s presence was greatly missed. The Red Sox defense is at it’s best with Story at shortstop.
Story’s season was too short to draw any real conclusions. 106 plate appearances is largely noise. Story was a league average bat by wRC+ over those plate appearances though. An elite defender at a premium position with average offense output is an asset to any team, contract aside.
The Negatives
He played 26 games. During the third series of the season, Story dislocated his shoulder while making a play on a line drive in the hole. Story’s Red Sox tenure has been marked by injuries, and 26 games is his fewest in a season since joining the team.
One Big Question
Can he stay healthy?
Story hasn’t completed a full season with the Red Sox without injury. This year he’s heading into the offseason relatively healthy. We’ve seen Story get incredibly hot at the plate, but he typically takes time to find his swing. If Story can get through spring training healthy and stay on the field, he could be a right-handed presence in the lineup. If not, that contract will look even worse than it already does.
2025 and Beyond
I look at Story kind of like I looked at Chris Sale. Sale had his Red Sox tenure ruined by injury time and time again. Each time he was injured, you could tell how frustrated he was and how badly he wanted to compete. Story doesn’t have the same track record of Red Sox success that Sale did, but you still see the frustration to be sidelined by injuries.
Given his contract, the chances of finding a trade partner for Trevor Story seem low. If they were to trade him, he’d almost certainly play 150+ games and make the all-star team. The more likely scenario is he remains on the Red Sox and attempts to anchor the defense at shortstop.
Story has an opt-out after the season, but the Red Sox can void the option by adding an additional year to the contract. The chances of Story playing well enough to opt-out but not well enough for the Red Sox to add the additional year seems slim. More than likely, he’ll remain in the contract and 2027 will be the final year of his deal.