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Trevor Story reacts after striking out during the eighth inning of the Boston Red Sox game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park on May 10, 2026.

When the Boston Red Sox signed Trevor Story to a six-year, $140 million contract ahead of the 2022 season, the move felt like a statement.

The Red Sox had missed out on several major free agents in previous years, but Story represented a proven star entering his prime — a two-time All-Star with power, athleticism, postseason experience, and the ability to anchor the middle of the infield for years.

Boston believed it was adding a cornerstone player.

Instead, four years later, the Trevor Story conversation has become one of the most uncomfortable topics surrounding the organization.

Not because of one bad month.

Not because of one slump.

But because the Red Sox are now staring at a much bigger question: What exactly do they do with Trevor Story now?

Boston’s Frustration Around Trevor Story Has Shifted Dramatically

For most of Story’s Red Sox tenure, fans were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

The injuries were real.

The flashes were still there.

And whenever Story looked healthy, there were moments where he still resembled the dynamic player Boston thought it was getting from the Colorado Rockies.

But over time, the conversation has changed.

What was once viewed as temporary frustration has now started turning into something much heavier around Boston:
exhaustion.

• The offensive inconsistency.
• The mounting strikeouts.
• The injuries.
• The missed time.
• The questions about whether his defense still offsets the bat.
• The reality that the Red Sox are still financially tied to him for years.

It has all started piling up.

And recently, the situation escalated even further.

NBC Sports Boston published a lengthy breakdown examining Boston’s possible options with Story moving forward — including discussions about potentially moving him down in the lineup, shifting him off shortstop, reducing his role, or simply hoping he eventually turns things around.

That is not a normal conversation for a player carrying one of the largest contracts on the roster.

That is the kind of conversation teams have when a situation starts reaching a breaking point.

The Marcelo Mayer Factor Has Completely Changed the Dynamic

Part of what makes the Story debate feel far more serious now is what is happening behind him.

Marcelo Mayer is no longer just “the future.”

He is rapidly becoming part of the present conversation.

Across Boston sports radio, social media, Reddit, and fan discussions, more and more people are openly debating whether Mayer should eventually become the organization’s long-term answer at shortstop — and what that would ultimately mean for Story.

That shift matters.

A few years ago, Story felt untouchable.

Now, fans are actively discussing:

• whether he should move positions
• whether Boston should drop him in the lineup
• whether the organization can realistically keep waiting for a turnaround
• and whether the contract itself has become a major roster problem

Some frustrated fans have even floated the idea of a DFA conversation — something that would have sounded absurd when Story first arrived in Boston.

But that’s where the temperature around this situation is now.

This Is Bigger Than Just a Slump

That’s the key difference. Players slump all the time in baseball. Boston fans can live with slumps.

What they struggle with is the feeling that a situation no longer has a clear solution.

And that’s what makes the Trevor Story conversation feel so different right now.

The Red Sox are paying superstar money for a player who has struggled to consistently stay healthy or produce offensively at the level the organization envisioned when they signed him.

At the same time, younger players are emerging, the roster is evolving, and questions about the future of the infield are becoming impossible to avoid.

That combination has created a level of pressure around Story that feels entirely different than previous years.

Fans Are Starting to Mention Other Red Sox Contract Disasters

That’s where things become especially dangerous in Boston.

For years, Pablo Sandoval and Carl Crawford represented the standard for disastrous Red Sox contracts.

Now, Story’s deal is quietly entering those conversations among fans.

Not because of effort. Not because of clubhouse issues. Not because anyone doubts Story’s professionalism. But because the overall return simply has not matched the investment.

The Red Sox committed franchise-player money expecting franchise-player impact.

Instead, the organization is now facing increasingly uncomfortable questions about roster construction, long-term flexibility, and whether Story can still realistically become the player Boston thought it was signing.

The Hardest Part for Boston? There’s No Easy Answer

And that may be the most frustrating reality of all.

The Red Sox cannot simply erase the contract.

They still need Story. They still need his experience. They still need his defense. They still need some version of the player they believed they were getting.

Which is why the conversation surrounding him has become so tense.

Because right now, the Trevor Story situation no longer feels like a temporary slump Boston can simply wait out.

It feels like one of the biggest unresolved problems hanging over the roster.

And in a city like Boston, those conversations only grow louder.