For one reason or another, every team in Major League Baseball has at least one contract they probably regret.
Large contracts in MLB typically age poorly because of decreased performance and injuries.
For the Boston Red Sox, the one contract they probably regret is shortstop Trevor Story. Bleacher Report’s Timy Kelly identified Story’s six-year, $140 million contract as the organization’s worst contract heading into the 2025 season. The Red Sox owe Story $72.5 million between 2025 and 2027.
Story, 32, was one of MLB’s best shortstops during his six seasons with the Colorado Rockies. He hit 24 or more home runs every season in Colorado, excluding the 2020 season, which was shortened to 60 games because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Story made All-Star appearances in 2018 and 2019 and finished his time with the Rockies with a 112 OPS+.
Boston signed Story in March 2022, and he’s played in just 163 of the club’s 486 regular season games since the start of that year. Numerous injuries have derailed his career trajectory.
Hand and heel contusions limited Story to 94 games in 2022. In 2023, elbow surgery limited him to 43 games, and shoulder surgery in 2024 kept him off the field for all but 26 games. The Red Sox were not expecting Story to return last year, but he was activated off the 60-day IL on September 7.
When Story takes the field, he looks like a shell of his former self, especially at the plate. In his three seasons in Boston, Story’s OPS is .693, 170 points lower than the .863 OPS he posted in Colorado.
Understandably, getting back into the swing of things with limited availability and playing time has to be complicated. Still, manager Alex Cora and the front office must wonder if the shortstop will ever return to his All-Star form.
Story’s contract includes a player opt-out clause after 2025. In all likelihood, the veteran will opt in, no matter how he performs this season. Story would receive nowhere near his current yearly salary in the free agent market.
