The Red Sox need to move on from Trevor Story
· Yahoo Sports
The Boston Red Sox are mid…
I’ll be the first to admit that it’s looking like “mid” might be enough to secure one of the final playoff spots in the American League in 2026, but you aren’t exactly allowed to fall under that distinction when you’re routinely trotting out suboptimal lineups, unable to play the brand of baseball you’ve been built to play, and trying but failing to change the framework of how your organization is run (i.e. cheaping out).
Visit sportbet.rodeo for more information.
It’s a shitshow, folks.
I don’t like being the negative guy, especially so short into my run jotting words down onto this virtual diary, but the organization has given me no choice but to watch the piss poor product they trot out onto the field and look for ways to fix it.
How? What? Who?
I’ve asked myself those questions routinely over the last several weeks, and always seem to end up pointing in the direction of one man: Trevor Story.
Story, in all fairness, has been nothing short of hardworking during his time with the local nine. I’d have quit after my third season-ending injury, but this guy has routinely worked through difficult circumstances to get back out onto the field and try to play up to the standard of that six-year, $140 million contract he signed in 2022. If you can’t respect that, you’re probably an a-hole. It’s just not about respect, it’s about the fact that he’s one of the worst players in all of baseball.
Story currently ranks near the bottom of these lists in MLB, as shared by Tyler Milliken:
- wRC+ (174 of 177)
- xwOBA (176 of 177)
- fWAR (172 of 177)
- OPS (174 of 177)
- BA (159 of 177)
- OBP (175 of 177)
- SLG (167 of 177)
- OPS (174 of 177)
Story also happens to grade out as one of the worst defensive shortstops in the entire sport, currently sporting more errors (five) than anyone at his position aside from notorious butchers Otto Lopez (seven), CJ Abrams (seven), Willy Adames (six), and Zach Neto (six). The Red Sox, who grade out as the best defensive team in baseball, don’t have anyone else with more than three.
If you’re one of the people who wants to argue that the team needs veteran leadership, I urge you to take a look back at his very public response to the firing of Alex Cora and the way he previously took a back seat to the likes of Alex Bregman, Xander Bogaerts and Rob Refsnyder in recent years. It’s just not a viable argument at this point, though his winter camps are probably a decent time.
… so what does he do well?
Boston wants to play good defense and manufacture runs, which is hard to do when you’re asking a butcher to be your shortstop while also watching him strikeout more than anyone else on the roster. The Red Sox quite literally are a worse team for employing the guy, especially in they insist on operating the way they’re currently operating.
I’ve heard the argument that this same guy completely turned his season around on May 29, 2025, but that team also happened to have Bregman, Refsnyder, and Rafael Devers protecting him, while other potential options at shortstop had yet to become available — e.g. Marcelo Mayer, Andruw Monasterio, *shutters* Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
It’s no longer viable to tie yourself to an aging shortstop who is getting worse in every single phase of the game.
The Red Sox already gave their roster a kick in the butt by firing half of the coaching staff, but moving on from the club’s highest paid position player is about more than that. It’s sending a clear and concise message: if you’re not contributing to winning, you’re not needed.
Give the guy his money and tell him to get out. It’s time to show that you actually care about winning, no matter what it costs.
Note: Keagan Stiefel reserves the right to take this whole thing back if Trevor Story turns things around and ends up leading the team in HR, RBIs, and SB again in 2026.