Star shortstop Trevor Story’s six-year, $140 million contract with the Red Sox was a critical move for Boston to keep pace with the defending American League East champion Rays and the retooled Blue Jays. Leading up to the completion of the deal, though, the whole thing reportedly almost fell apart over a key issue: Story’s vaccination status.
Story was hesitant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, which led to a three-day wait between reports of the agreement and Story’s official introduction as a member of the team Wednesday. Story finally agreed to get vaccinated Tuesday, paving the way for the deal to go through.
In a follow-up interview with ESPN, Story declined to give his reasons for initially not wanting to get the vaccine.
“It’s a very personal matter. Decisions like that are kept between me and my family,” Story said. “But with that being said, I’ll be available for my teammates 162-plus. That’s the main part.”
Story’s decision is part of the team’s larger effort to get its players vaccinated. Several Red Sox players were hesitant to get the vaccine over the past year, including All-Star shortstop and catcher Kevin Plawecki, who noted the risk of being unavailable for games in 2022—particularly in Toronto, where unvaccinated players will be ineligible.
“At the end of the day, I want to be here for the guys,” Plawecki said. “Those 10 games mean a lot. I want to be there for them. It just sucks. … I have to do something that I don’t want to do.”
New York City mayor Eric Adams is reportedly expected to reverse the COVID-19 vaccination mandate for performers and athletes in advance of Opening Day, which would allow unvaccinated Yankees and Mets players to play home games in the city.
