Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow refused to name Trevor Story the starting shortstop for next season during Monday’s meetings in Las Vegas. This lack of a firm commitment sends a clear signal to the fanbase that the 34-year-old veteran is not a guaranteed lock. Breslow told reporters that while the team holds “a ton of confidence in Trevor,” final decisions will happen privately between him and the player long before any public announcement, according to the Boston Globe. A sports hernia injury limited Story to 64 games last season, resulting in a .235 average and .621 OPS, which explains the hesitation. Since signing a six-year, $140 million deal before the 2022 season, Story has appeared in just 384 of a possible 810 games. The math simply does not add up for a player on the final year of such a massive contract.
Looking at the Bench Options
The team is now openly considering other paths to fix the shortstop position. Breslow admitted the organization must be “open-minded about ways to improve the team” after finishing the 2026 season with an 87-75 record. Attention is turning toward minor league standout Franklin Arias, who posted a .957 OPS over 117 games last season. Breslow noted that the club is currently focused on “figuring out his readiness [for the majors] and what the timeline looks like” for the 21-year-old. With Arias finishing the year at Triple-A Worcester, the door is wide open for a younger, healthier option to take the job.
A Front Office in Flux
Breslow is also trying to rebuild the leadership behind the scenes while making roster decisions. He stated that the “executive leadership circle is down not just bodies, but down really talented people” after losing key assistant GMs Paul Toboni and Taylor Smith, according to Over the Monster. The General Manager role has remained vacant since 2023, adding to the instability. This lack of depth makes finding the right personnel even harder as the team aims to win more games in 2027 than they did in 2026. The front office is prioritizing new hires to fill these gaps before the season begins. With 54 points, rookie Payton Tolle placed third in AL Rookie of the Year voting, indicating bright spots within the team’s rotation.
After retaining most of last year’s roster, Breslow characterized the Sox as “opportunistic” in the trade and free agent market.
