Trevor Story is the Red Sox Starting Shortstop for 2026
Why?
When it came to the opt-out decision Trevor Story had in front of him, I was on the fence. On one hand, that is $50M over two years that could be used elsewhere. The Red Sox have many needs going into 2026, and we know that the spending belt won’t be loosened any time soon. If they were able to somehow shed Yoshida’s salary, that would have combined for $87M of freed up money.
On the other hand, Story playing 2B makes sense. The Red Sox didn’t get much from that position in 2025 and Story would be a veteran presence with a serviceable bat. As a shortstop, he committed 19 errors, third most in MLB. His fielding, particularly his throws, got worse towards the end of the year. Putting Mayer at SS and Story at 2B seemed to be the logical choice.
Then something strange happened. Craig Breslow announced that not only did Trevor Story opt in, but he was also going to be their starting shortstop for 2026. He announced this in November. For the life of me, I can’t imagine why a front office executive would take that decision out of the manager’s hands three months before the start of spring training.
Of course, the Red Sox Twitterati were all abuzz with excitement. Their love affair would continue. Story chose the Red Sox because “they believed in him” and he was returning that loyalty. It was not, apparently, because he knew he wouldn’t get more than $50M on the open market. Of course not.
In his previous three years with the Red Sox, he averaged 54 games played per season. He played 157 games in 2025. He slashed .263/.308/.433/.741. His OPS was ranked 87th out of 146 qualified MLB hitters. He hit 25 home runs, drove in 96, and stole 31 bases. He was by all accounts a solid above average hitter. As a shortstop, he committed 19 errors and had a DRS above average of -7. Only butchers Elly De La Cruz and CJ Abrams made more errors from the SS position.
So, for Breslow to announce that Story would be the team’s starting SS got me thinking, could this somehow have been a condition of his opt-in? Breslow commented, “He and I have a great relationship, and the communication is very, very clear. The commitment we have to each other is to be honest with one another.” What the hell is he talking about?
This brings back all the bad memories of last offseason when Rafael Devers was “guaranteed” to play 3B. We all know how that played out. Maybe Alex Cora has different ideas about his starting infield, maybe he doesn’t, but that is 100% his decision.
Did Story and Breslow have a handshake agreement that if he opted in, he would be guaranteed the starting shortstop position? Was Alex Cora on board with that decision? I doubt we’ll ever know but don’t be surprised if this comes back to bite Breslow somewhere down the road. The smart decision is to put Story at 2B, and I think Alex Cora is a pretty smart guy. This also depends on who they get to play 3B. Marcelo Mayer may need to play that position. I think Mayer would do well at either SS or 3B, assuming he can stay healthy.
This of course doesn’t change the fact that the Red Sox priorities are a #2 starting pitcher, power hitting corner infielders, and a DH. The middle infield will need to be filled with current players. Hopefully Cora will make the right decision.