A big question for the Red Sox is who their primary shortstop will be in 2027. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow spoke to the media at the general managers’ meetings in Las Vegas this week and did not commit to doing so. Trevor’s Story get the job next year. Peter Abraham and Alex Speier of the Boston Globe and Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic were among those reporting on Breslow’s comments.
“We know what Trevor is capable of doing when he’s healthy and performing well,” Breslow said. “This year has been disruptive for a number of reasons – with injuries, sometimes struggles. I think we’re always evaluating those things. We still have a lot of confidence in Trevor, but any decision like that is going to be between Trevor and I long before I speak publicly about anything.”
Story signed a six-year, $140 million contract shortly after the last lockout ended in March 2022. Five years later, that deal hasn’t worked out particularly well for the Sox. History has occasionally seen streaks of intense production, but they have often been interrupted by injuries. In the first five years of the pact, he played more than 94 games only once.
It was 2025, when he had played 157 games with inconsistent performances. He started terribly but finished strong, hitting 25 homers and 31 steals, but his 5% walk rate and 26.9% strikeout rate were bad numbers. His .263/.308/.433 line led to a 102 wRC+, a bit above the league average, but that was supported by a .330 batting average on balls in play. Since most of that production came late in the season, there was some optimism about 2026, but hernia surgery limited him to 64 games of poor play, as he hit .235/.271/.351.
In theory, Story could bounce back in 2027 with better health, but that’s a tough thing to count on since he’s very injury-prone and turns 34 this month. Getting away from him would be tricky. He now has full trade protection as a 10 and 5 player, meaning he has at least 10 years of big league service and has spent at least the last five years with the same team.
Even if that wasn’t the case, he’s still owed $30 million, since he’ll earn a $25 million salary next year and there’s a $5 million buyout on a 2028 club option. Teams won’t find it acceptable to pay that much to a player who has been out a lot or is playing at a mid-level. Anti-trade protection will only make it more difficult to line up a transaction.
The Sox could just stick with Story until Franklin Arias pushes him away. Many prospect evaluators consider Arias the No. 2 prospect in the game, behind only Jesus did Brewers. Arias was promoted to Triple-A in July and has already appeared in 42 games at that level. He hit .331/.388/.506 in those. A promotion in 2027 is easy to imagine. But he is quite young, he will be 21 this month. Even highly touted prospects can sometimes struggle when first promoted, so it would be risky to simply bank on Arias taking over at shortstop this year.
“Premature,” Breslow said when asked if Arias had a chance to land the job through spring training. “All the conversations we’ve had with and about Franklin at this point are about how we get the most out of this offseason for him, getting bigger and stronger, continuing to push him on both sides of the ball and base running as well.”
In theory, the Sox could let Story keep the job until Arias takes it from him. The story could then shift to second base or a depth role. Curtis Mead should be the regular second baseman next year, but he has only played one game for Boston so far. He fractured his right wrist when he was hit by a pitch in his first game after being acquired from the Nationals in exchange for a pitcher. Connelly early.
In theory, the designated hitter spot has a few available bats in the scenario where Story and Mead are fighting for second base time, although Boston’s current outfield situation complicates that. Romain Antoine, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran And Masataka Yoshida are all still on the list. Some of these players have had injury issues in 2026, but all should be ready by spring training. Trading someone might take some of the pressure off, but it seems crowded at the moment.
The Sox have considered external options at shortstop. During the 2026 season, they were matched with trade candidates such as Zach Neto angels and Otto Lopez Marlins. They might return to these activities if they don’t want to count on a story twist or Arias breakthrough. However, trading for either of these players would require a massive talent package. The Sox might be hesitant to pay a huge price to tackle shortstop when Arias is so close.
Elsewhere on the roster, first baseman Triston Casas is healthy enough to have resumed baseball practices. He could also play winter ball for Tigres del Licey in the Dominican Republic. Casas is a big wild card after two essentially losing seasons. He had to have knee surgery in May 2025, which canceled the remainder of this season. Intercostal and wrist injuries delayed his attempts at a 2026 comeback and he never appeared in official play. After all these injuries, it’s understandable that he and the Sox are looking to send him to the Dominican Republic to shake off the rust.
Before the injury odyssey, he showed a lot of potential. He made 840 trips to the plate from 2022 to 2024, hitting 42 home runs. His strikeout rate of 26.9% was a bit high, but he drew walks at an excellent rate of 14.2%. Overall, he had a .250/.357/.473 slash and 127 wRC+ during that stretch.
Getting him back on track would be nice, but the Sox aren’t counting on that. They acquired Willson Contreras to cover first base a year ago and still have Contreras on the roster. Casas still has options, so the Sox could ask him to work regularly in the minors until he has extended health and hits well.
As mentioned, there are a lot of moving parts in the DH mix, which doesn’t leave Casas with a great path to earn playing time in 2027. However, Yoshida and Story are set to become free agents after 2027, assuming Story’s 2028 option is declined. Contreras also has a 2028 club option in his contract, with this one having a better chance of being picked up. Injuries and/or trades throughout 2027 could completely change the game. It’s also possible that Casas himself could be put on the trading block if he plays well but doesn’t have a path to a role in Boston.
Photo courtesy of Pablo Robles, Imagn Images
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