Trevor Story will not be exercising the opt-out clause in his contract with the Red Sox, MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo reports. Story had the ability to leave after the fourth year of his six-year, $120MM deal, but he’ll remain with the Sox and collect the remaining $55MM owed to him rather than test free agency this winter.
The remaining salary breaks down as a $25MM salary in each of the 2026 and 2027 seasons, plus there is a $5MM buyout of a $25MM club option on Story’s services for 2028. Story turns 33 in a couple of weeks and is coming off an okay but unspectacular 2025 campaign, so he has chosen to stick with the comfort and financial security of his current deal in Boston.
The fact that this decision was even somewhat debatable for Story is a testament to his bounce-back year. The first three seasons of Story’s contract were essentially a disaster, as injuries limited the shortstop to 163 games and he hit only .232/.296/.397 over 670 plate appearances. In 2025, however, Story was healthy and played in 157 games, batting .263/.308/.433 over 654 PA. Story launched 25 home runs and also set a new career high with 31 stolen bases (against just one caught-stealing).
It was something of a comeback year within a comeback year, as Story had to overcome an ice-cold start before heating up considerably after the first two months of play. The result was an almost exactly average 101 wRC+, and Story also had the lowest walk rate (five percent) of his career. Story’s glovework had remained a constant even throughout his injury-plagued days in Boston, yet this season his public defensive metrics plummeted to a -7 Defensive Runs Saved and -9 Outs Above Average.
These less-favorable numbers were surely on the mind of Story and his representatives at Wasserman as they considered the opt-out decision. Even with a lack of premium shortstop talent available in free agency, Story ultimately decided that testing the market wasn’t worth the risk. Story also might have flashed back to his last time on the open market, when the lockout interrupted the 2021-22 offseason and kept Story from landing his Red Sox contract until more than halfway through March.
With Story now officially back in the fold, the Sox have one big piece of their infield set for 2026. Alex Bregman did exercise his opt-out clause, so the third base position is a question mark for now unless Bregman re-signs or if the Red Sox install Marcelo Mayer at the hot corner. The second base starter is also unclear and there have been rumors that Boston wants a first base upgrade over Triston Casas (who is returning from a 2025 season almost entirely lost to injury).
Not a surprise.
He would have been stupid to opt out of it, no way he’ll get offered that kind of money on the open market again.
I’m glad and want him moved to second.
Agreed Dewey. I think 2nd base is more set with Story opting in than SS is, if the club handles this properly.
dewey – I’d be good with that!
Story at 2B, Mayer at SS, Suarez at 3B.
GaSox – Yeah it seems like Story’s defensive problems this year were mostly on throws, so his playing 2B should alleviate some of that.
Dewey- Are you visualizing Mayer as the long term SS? Trying to remember when the last update on his health status was. I assume he will be ready for spring.
Now the next question is do they resign Bregman or go in a different direction. And of course finding a #2 starter is the biggest priority (and not another reclamation project).
No scenario Suarez plays 3b lol
Fever, I get Mayer came up as a SS, but he did well at 3B.
I might prefer to see Mayer at 3B, Story at 2B. Now, as for SS….
GaSox – I certainly would feel comfortable with Mayer at 3B, but then you want KC at shortstop? Or Rafaela?
Fever, ideally? Neither one! Gotta look outside the organization for some help in the short term and keep watching Arias 2 more seasons… or at least a year and a half
Wonder what it’d cost to bring Kim in for a seasons or two?
@FPG I think Bregman will be back. I’d still go after Suarez, just have him play 1st since he’s below average with the glove. Plan B is to get Schwarber back for DH package Yoshida and Casas for a first baseman….Plan C sign Pete Alonso long-term….Back to 3rd I really think Bregman likes Boston.
There are some interesting options for the infield. Bichette should be looked at as an option for multiple positions if Bregman is out. Don’t love Suarez at 3B but the bat would be welcomed at 1B. Are the other Dbacks infielders off limits? Marte and Perdomo are elite
Fever, I would be fine with that but I see Bregman coming back but I also years ago saw Beltre returning…
Uncle, Mayer is a wild card given his injuries each year. The team will figure it out but the defense is improved simply by moving Story to second.
Fever, neither. Ceddane has to remain in center if he’s not dealt and KC has to show he belongs at any position. He looked overmatched in the field regardless of where he played.
I might prefer to see Mayer at 3B, Story at 2B. Now, as for SS….
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1-I think Mayer was always targeted for 3rd.
2-I’m all about adding two good SP, one trade and one FA, and maybe one slugger. But moving Story to 2nd and signing Kim would be a great fit. I don’t think Kim will get the type of money he deserves.
i don’t think Mayer was always targeted for 3rd. He was considered the best defensive SS in his draft class and still projected to be one.
Wonder what it’d cost to bring Kim in for a seasons or two?
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LOL! Just one minute ago I said the same thing. I’m thinking Kim gets at least $20M * 3, but imo, he’s worth it. Even if Arias progresses well, Story will be gone in two years. I see little downside.
Tommy – Suarez is gonna get 3B money, I don’t see why any team would give him 3B money to play 1B. That would be kind of a waste, in fact didn’t the Red Sox make that mistake just recently with another 3B? LOL
GaSox – You think Kyle Hudson is really that bad?
Well unfortunately Wendell Kim passed away a decade ago, RIP.
bum – You could be right about Bregman, he likes Boston and of course loves playing for his BFF. But I don’t think he will be offering any kind of hometown discount, hopefully the Sox don’t massively overpay him.
Suarez will want and receive 3B money from some team, so I can’t picture him moving to 1B.
I love Schwarber but the Sox just salary dumped a highly paid DH, they aren’t gonna fill the DH position again like that. And he doesn’t solve the need for RH power.
dewey – I saw Jeff Gray being a longtime relief ace for the Sox.
That didn’t happen.
Joe, how have you been Sir? I havent been as active for a bit, but, didnt see you posting so much the reading i did either.
What’s that saying, great minds? Well, I agree Kim on even a 3 year pact or 2 with a 3rd year option makes sense. As you said, story will be leaving, and, it dovetails with arias nicely as well.
Kim doesnt have the best bat lately, but he’s hungry, and you might get him on a make good contract to platform for a better deal.
Plus, the kids have shown enough talent to make Boston more intriguing as a signing destination than it used to be.
Fever, im confused on the Kyle Hudson reference….
But the Kim im after is Ha-seong Kim
The salary dump for the high paid DH had little to do with what he earned and a lot to do with…. issues.
Think what JDM’S deal would equate to accounting for salary inflation around MLB these days
Fever, third base and first base have a significant dollar difference? On my view it depends on the player and with Suarez, he’ll be paid for his bat regardless of position he plays in 26z
Fever, who?….
GaSox – Easier said than done! It’s so hard to find a competent shortstop who can stay healthy, as it’s probably the most physically demanding position (just ahead of catcher).
GaSox – It was a poor attempt at humor, sorry! Sometimes I get in silly moods.
GaSox – I was talking about the fact the Red Sox gave 3B money to a poor defensive 3B, and then made him a fulltime DH a short time later. We all agree his contract is way too high for a DH.
As for Suarez, a number of teams want him for 3B and will therefore offer him 3B money. Especially those who already have a strong 1B.
dewey – When everything else is the same, yes of course 3B get paid a lot more. It’s a much more demanding position than 1B. Lots of guys can play 1B, especially those who’ve played other infield positions. Remember Yaz moved to first base in 1981 when he was no longer capable of playing outfield.
You could point to somebody like Vlad, but if he was capable of playing a solid 3B he would have gotten an even bigger contract.
dewey – Jeff Gray was a reliever who at the age of 28 was having an All-Star season (62 IP 2.34 ERA 0.795 WHIP when one day in July he was preparing to take the field when he suffered a stroke.
He never pitched in the majors again.
Different day, same old Story.
Not surprising. Not sure he can get 55m on the open market.
Not a surprise, but sure is disappointing. He could have really cashed in on this previous season when he was finally healthy!
$25 million in 2026
$25 million in 2027
$5 million if bought out in 2028
End of Story.
Well done 👏
I cant imagine a scenario where he ISNT bought out for ’28.
Even this past year, his best in Boston, wasnt worth $25m
GaSox – Story 3.8 WAR $25M
Bregman 3.5 WAR $31M
As John Henry would say (if he would ever talk publicly again) “Infielders are expensive”.
Fever, I’ve never been a fan of WAR in a monetized sense to value contracts. Given its heavy positional weighting it really doesnt do well for anything except comparing guys who play identical positions.
Now, having said that, how much ‘WAR’ per game played did each give you?
114 games for Bregman =.0307 vs 157 for Story =.0242
That’d argue that Bregman provided more value per appearance than Story, and, given Story’s injury history, I dont think a betting man would argue health is on Story’s side
GaSox – I hear ya, but unfortunately there’s no other clear-cut way to compare player value when the players play different positions.
Fever, its not easy, i give you that, but I just look under the hood a bit – what was their batting line, anything strage about their splits or contact type, then peek at their fielding and errors…
Sorta a good chunk of the input war takes, minus its positional weighting.
Or, of you want less work, look at where a guy ranked within his position – where Story was one of the worst SS in baseball last year where it counted for being a SS.
You’ve hit on the critical flaw in WAR with this example.
Pretty much everywhere agrees Story was one of the worst SS defensively in baseball who played regularly in the position.
BUT, WAR overvalues batting by a SS because typically its a fielding heavy position.
So when you take a guy who had an ok, but not spectacular bat when examined in a vacuum, but amplify the value of that production based on being a SS…. if he absolutely stunk as a SS should he get the benefit of that bonus weighting?
I’d argue not, especially when comparing players of different positions.
FPG
It will be interesting to see when the Sox make the decision to play Story at short or 2ndbase.. Will they start him at short in spring training?.
Don’t want anyone getting upset about position shifts this season.
Also I read Duran avoided arbitration signing a $7.7 million contract. Always good to avoid arbitration.
Cdc – Sox held an 8M club option on Duran. The 7.7M deal came with incentives he can unlock to get closer to that 8m. So they saved a little pocket change, not much, but Duran was one guy I penciled in to not need to deal with arbitration.
It’ll be really interesting to find out if they tell him beforehand what position he’ll be playing. And then stick with what they said.
Just saying…
Adf
I would think he has already heard the news about a position switch. As a team leader, if the move helps the team defensively he should not be upset. I wonder if he took the possibility of a switch to 2ndbase in his opting in.? Probably not. The team is better with Story at either position.
GSF
A little odd that the amount of $$ is not a large sum. I wonder what the incentives are? Are they tied to health? An article that I read stated it may make him a little easier to trade?? I do think they package him and prospects to acquire a solid #2 pitcher. Hopefully Joe Ryan.
cdc – Don’t get me started about the team communicating position changes to the player!!! LOL
CDC – yes, he gets $25k at 450 PAs, $25k at 500 PAs, and a third 25k for 550 PAs.
Then, because the $8m option was declined, he picked up a 100k buyout already. So while that’s not part of 2026 salary, it is a net cost.
Now move him to 2b
I wonder what happened the last time they moved story to second
He played well and got hurt, what’s your point? He can’t throw from SS anymore and we need a 2b.
Made the playoffs if I remember correctly
You remember incorrectly
Least surprising Story today in MLB
I think Luis Roberts, Jr. was as Getz had previously said he would pick up the option. The comment section there is a dumpster fire in a salt factory.
he’ll earn 55mil next 2 years with sox
probly the best choice, despite the great season he had
In other news, fish live in water, most people prefer not to get eaten by a bear, and the Universe is big..
You’d be surprised how many people would “hear me out…” on that second one
He wasn’t going to top either the AAV or total dollar amount in free agency. He had a really good season finally being healthy. Hopefully there is more where that came from
I agree but I guess he could have tried to bet on himself somewhere else next year on a prove it deal.
Would be stupid with a work stoppage probably coming. He’s made a bunch of money. No way you walk from 2/$55.
Good for him. Story is a guy who wants to play baseball in a place that values baseball. Of course he’s not settling for chump change here, but I think there’s a sense of obligation, considering all the playing time he missed over the last few years, while collecting his dough. I like his attitude and baseball IQ.
“A sense of obligation” played 0% of a role in this decision. If he felt he could get a bigger paycheck opting out that’s what he would have done. Sure, after the fact, he might say that because it’s good PR but he isn’t leaving potentially millions on the table because of obligation.
Scrambley, in this case, it probably was a consideration. Everyone talks about money but it’s net not gross that is important and outside of CA, I think MA has the highest state taxes. Thus, the $55m needed to break even is less in states with no taxes like FL and TX. I believe he likes the chemistry and while Bregman got most of the kudos this last year, Story was heavily involved with the youngsters even before Bregman arrived.
While I don’t think players feel obligated to stay with a team but I do think at times they stay with a team even when they can get more money because they are comfortable and like where they are. I’d like to think that Story stayed with Boston because he was comfortable but in his case it’s because he was likely advised he wasn’t getting a better deal. Shane Bieber otoh looks to be staying in Toronto because he was comfortable despite leaving money and quite a bit on the table. He must of really enjoyed his time and his teammates.
Dewey, its been a while for me, but, I think the city of Boston is also taxing high earners like I believe NYC or SF do. Its a blue state trend these days.
GA, I worked in NYC for over 20 years. Fortunately for me, the state changed the law and stopped allowing the City to tax non-residents. I don’t know about MA. That said, the rate was always much less for non-City residents but it balanced out because my property taxes in Nassau County are more than double what a similar home in NYC would be.
If that were the case then his sense of obligation is misplaced. He doesn’t “owe” baseball ownership anything. How much money did the Rockies make on him when he was getting paid 500k a year to be a 4 WAR down ballot Roty/mvp candidate? Rich owners are doing just fine without the generosity of Trevor Story.
This is an okay, but unspectacular 25 campaign? Career high in plate appearances, good defender, 25 hr, 96 rbi, .263, 31 sb. Maybe not spectacular yes. But pretty darn good.
Good defender?
-7 DRS
-8 Defensive Run Value
-9 OAA
-7.6 SABR Defensive Index, the third worst of all American League shortstops
He was objectively among the very worst shortstops this season
Could be worse. He could have had Bo Bichette’s fielding numbers and some team is going to give him a monster contract this winter.
That’s because Bichette brings a great bat.
Bichette is hitting like Trevor Story did, but without Coors inflating his numbers.
September ruined his defensive metrics.
Just Rogers Center inflating the numbers.
baseballsavant.mlb.com/leaderboard/fielding-run-va…
Through the end of August, Trevor Story ranked 57th out of 68 shortstops with -2 Fielding Run Value. Changing the date to end of September and he becomes 68th out of 71 with a -8.
So while September did impact his numbers, he was still a poor defensive shortstop before then.
Also – Rodgers Center only slightly favors the offense, and going back 3 years, it’s actually neutral at 100 – baseballsavant.mlb.com/leaderboard/statcast-park-f…
Kingston, he had a meltdown in September that might be explainable by fatigue given it was the first time in years he played a full season. It’s time though to move him to second.
He had been a good defender, this year he was not
I think players also have bad years defensively, just like down years on offense. Story will be a bit better defensively in 2026. If he was in his mid 30’s it would be a sign his defense might be declining. I think the absolutely best sign from Story is his playing in 157 games. Boston fans should be happiest about that. Good move on his part.
That OBP is atrocious. That hurts his value as a hitter quite a bit. He just doesn’t walk enough as a .260 BA guy.
The back end of free agent contracts is typically not great for teams. This is no exception.
Interesting. He had a resurgent year so it could have gone either way, but probably not for those guarantees.
If he was a solid defender, he’s closer to Adames than he is his current contract, but he’s really not a SS anymore because of the wear and tear he’s had.
Thank god. Now let’s see if he and Mayer can both stay healthy and he moves to 2B.
Now they need arenado
NOOOOOooooo….!
Good on Story. 2 nice years coming for Red Dox Nation.
Solid player, right handed bat. Check.
It’s a nothing-burger, net-net. Maybe we’d be slightly better off if he opted out, and we signed Kim, but not a game-changer.
He literally carried the team for most of the year. But sure, not a game changer.
Perhaps I could’ve phrased it better, but the production we’d get from Kim would be the equivalent of what we got from Story.
He improved at the plate and with the durability obviously…. but the fielding was atrocious, and that needs to be taken into account