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Your No. 1 Trevor Story hater is back with another piece on the much-maligned shortstop, but this time we’re shifting gears. We’ve talked about this on the Talk Sox Podcast recently, but Trevor Story has an opt-out coming at the end of the season. Before the season began, it was a foregone conclusion that he would opt in and be another salary sinkhole for the club. Then, when he went through the worst cold stretch of his career, we were even more positive that he’d be getting paid to sit the bench for the remainder of his six-year contract that keeps him around through 2027. Technically, the team can void his opt outs by already picking up the 2028 club option, but that’s likely not going to happen. What will happen though, is Story is going to opt-in for the next two years, barring some miraculous postseason run in October.
And, truth, be told, that’s okay. Yes, he’s an aging shortstop and is frustratingly ice cold when he’s not on, but his presence on this team cannot be understated at this point, and it’s not just because he has finally stayed healthy for almost a full season.
During his incredibly long slump, I advocated for Story to be DFA’d simply to get him away from the young core of the team. He looked miserable sitting in the dugout and when he pulled Marcelo Mayer off to the side to speak with him after his first strikeout, I immediately started saying how they need to keep Mayer as far away from Story as possible. Taking a step back and with the benefit of hindsight, though, it’s obvious the leadership that Story actually brings to the team. If we remember back to his time on the injured list last season, Story was glued to Alex Cora’s side. He was perched on the water cooler at the top step of every dugout, watching and learning from Cora. We still see him there from time to time this season, but more often than not now, he’s on the rail with Mayer, Roman Anthony, Alex Bregman, and a mixture of starting pitchers. They are talking to him about what’s going on in the field, what he’s seeing when he’s on defense that can help the pitchers, and giving advice on offensive approaches. That doesn’t even address his offseason "Story Camp", where he spends time with young players building chemistry and working on baseball skills in a much more relaxed setting. While we may see Story Camp just through the lens of social media, it’s obvious that it has had an impact on the guys that attended it. Carrying that leadership in the clubhouse for the next couple of years will only help guys like Mayer, Anthony, and even Triston Casas grow.
On the field, Story passes the eye test more than the numbers would indicate on both sides of the ball. He’s slashing .254/.299/.418 with 73 RBIs, 18 home runs, and 19 stolen bases this season, easily his best all-around campaign in Boston thus far. Those 73 RBIs are good for seventh most in all of baseball, and his 19 stolen bases ranks him 10th in the AL.
Sure, he’s still flailing at low-and-away sliders and sweepers, contributing to his 138 strikeouts, good for fourth in the AL. He’s got a ton of swing and miss in his approach, but when he makes contact, it’s often solid. He’s barreled 10.4% of his batted balls and owns a 47.6% hard-hit rate. If he keeps that trend going, 2025 will be the year he has the highest hard-hit rate of his career. He’s never going to be an offensive juggernaut, and the numbers will likely decline over the final two years of the deal, but he’s a solid enough hitter to not be a net-negative moving forward.
Defensively, he’s played great at short. He’s made some mistakes, with nine errors on the season, but he has settled the left side of the infield along with Alex Bregman at third. The veteran leadership on that side of the diamond will only help the young core develop quicker.
All in all, it’s almost a guarantee that Trevor Story opts in for the remainder of his contract with the Boston Red Sox this offseason. While there is an argument to play Marcelo Mayer at his natural position sooner than later, having Story serve as the rookie's mentor is hardly a bad situation, at least while the former Rockie is hitting well. So, while it's true that Trevor Story is likely to be in Boston through the end of 2027, as long as he stays healthy, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
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