The Boston Red Sox are being urged to unload Trevor Story’s massive contract in a proposed blockbuster trade with the Mets, in a push by two in-the-know Red Sox experts.
Story is hitting just .211 with a paltry .561 OPS and three home runs through 40 games in 2026, a dramatic fall from the 25-home-run campaign he delivered last season. The proposal was pushed this week by The Talk Sox Podcast hosts who floated the idea of Boston packaging Story alongside outfielder Jarren Duran to finally clear the remaining money tied to the struggling shortstop’s contract, whose frustrations with Red Sox management came to the surface following the firing of former manager Alex Cora.
On Tuesday’s episode of the podcast, hosts Maddie Landis and Alex Mayes raised the possibility of shipping Story to New York. The conversation centered less on what Boston might receive in return and more on the value of escaping his financial burden entirely.
The scenario amounts to a classic salary dump. Boston absorbing a diminished return in exchange for financial flexibility heading that club needs to reconstruct its faltering roster, at least from the offensive side. With the Red Sox 18-24 in last place in the AL East, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow faces mounting pressure to clear the payroll of what amounts to dead money.
Talk Sox Floats Trevor Story-Mets Scenario
“Trevor Story is struggling even as he is vocally frustrated with Red Sox management,” Mayes said on the podcast. “Could the Mets pair a deal for him and his contract while grabbing an outfielder from Boston’s longstanding logjam?”
The hosts explored how the trade could work, with the guiding principle being contract relief rather than a prospect haul, which seems unlikely given Story’s current value.
“I think the bigger thing there is a package deal with him and you have to assume Jarren Duran,” Landis opined. “If you could package Trevor Story with that and get his money off the books, I think it’s an interesting conversation.”
Story signed a six-year, $140 million free agent deal before the 2022 season. According to Spotrac, he is owed $25 million per year through 2028, with a club option for a seventh year attached.
Story’s Struggles Make Red Sox Trade Case
The case for moving Story does not require a whole lot of imagination. His average, barely above his listed weight, rides alongside a 60 OPS+, far below the league-average mark of 100, and he has not homered since April 15, a prolonged drought highlighted by The Good Phight via Yahoo Sports. His OPS in May sank to .478. In five Boston seasons, Story has posted a .243 average and .699 OPS. Those stats look nothing like the .863 OPS and two All-Star appearances he produced during his Colorado Rockies career from 2016 to 2021.
The Red Sox fired Alex Cora with a 10-17 record and have only modestly steadied things, going 8-7 under interim manager Chad Tracy, heading into Thursday’s series finale against the Philadelphia Phillies.
A recent FanSided analysis by Zachary Rotman fingered both Story and Duran as dead weight players Boston must dispose of before the end of May to have any realistic shot at postseason contention, noting that Duran has hit .175 under Tracy and gone 3-for-25 over his last six games. With injured second-year outfielder Roman Anthony, baseball’s former No. 1 prospect, waiting to heal a sprained wrist, the logjam in Boston’s outfield has kept Duran in trade discussions throughout the spring.
If Boston ultimately explores moving Story before the trade deadline, the proposal could intensify scrutiny surrounding the Red Sox’s long-term roster direction, payroll flexibility and crowded outfield situation involving Duran and several younger emerging contributors.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Red Sox Urged to Unload $140 Million Trevor Story on Mets appeared first on HEAVY.