Boston Red Sox veteran shortstop Trevor Story got off to a promising start to the 2025 MLB campaign. However, it's been all downhill since late April, and he's costing the club in more ways than one.
Providing the Red Sox with next to nothing at a premium position would be positive compared to Story's efforts. He's been a negative asset as the captain of the infield. Moreover, the declining slugger is also blocking top prospect Marcelo Mayer's path to the Majors, though rookie Kristian Campbell's prolonged slump could remedy that anyway.
Notwithstanding Boston's erratic, ongoing game of lineup musical chairs triggered by prized offseason acquisition Alex Bregman's arrival, Story's struggles have reached a breaking point. It's become wildly difficult to trust him, let alone justify the six-year, $140 million contract he and the Red Sox agreed to in 2022.
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Red Sox SS Trevor Story is far from living up to his $140M contract
Story boasts a .231/.275/.341 slash line with six home runs and 21 RBI across 182 at-bats this season. His .615 OPS is well below the league average of .711. He also leads the American League in strikeouts (59), a title no hitter wants to claim. Woof.
It'd be one thing if Story were still fielding at a Gold Glove level to compensate for his shortcomings at the plate. But he's notably on pace for the worst defensive season of a successful 10-year big league career. The 32-year-old has notched -3 Outs Above Average (OAA) and -0.1 dWAR in 2025.
Meanwhile, Mayer is thriving at Triple-A Worcester. His success only further exacerbates Red Sox Nation's concern for Story, reminding fans what they could have instead. The former appears ready to join Boston's active roster, yet finding a spot for him has been tricky — largely because of the latter.
Signed through 2027 (at least), the Red Sox have plenty of time to reflect on how poorly their investment in Story turned out. Nonetheless, that doesn't mean they should continue burning daylight and trotting him out there. It's time for Boston to pull the plug on this failed experiment and cut its losses in favor of Mayer.