MLB free agency: 3 possible landing spots for Trevor Story
The free agent shortstop market is like none seen we’ve ever seen before. With huge names such as Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Javier Baez, Andrelton Simmons, and Trevor Story all available, teams have had plenty of options to pick from this offseason.
The only two players of this group off the board (at the time of this writing) are Seager and Semien, both who signed massive contracts with the Texas Rangers, Seager’s contract being announced at the time of me starting this article. The superstar shortstop is reportedly in agreement with the Rangers on a 10-year, $325 million contract, which will effectively remove the Rangers from the Trevor Story sweepstakes.
With each shortstop option available, there have been a plethora of potential landing spots for each and every one of them. Trevor Story has found his story (pun fully intended!) to be no different than the others, as there have been widespread reports of different teams being in on the 29-year-old slugger.
After a disastrous end to his Colorado Rockies career, Trevor Story is looking to hit the reset button for the 2022 season and beyond.
Teams in on Trevor Story range from coast-to-coast as his market continues to take shape. The teams currently known to be pursuing the two-time All-Star and Silver Slugger currently consist of (but are not limited to) the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, and even – you guessed it – the Colorado Rockies.
The past few days have seen a massive number of free agents come off the board ahead of the impending lockout on December 1 and Trevor Story could very well be one of the next big-ticket names coming off the board.
Here are the top remaining possibilities of where we could see Trevor Story, one of the best shortstops this game has to offer, find his new home.
NEW YORK YANKEES
The New York Yankees’ offseason to this point has been a total bust, just ask their fanbase. The “Bronx Bombers” have been linked to a number of huge free agents that have already signed, including Max Scherzer, Corey Seager, Kevin Gausman, and Marcus Semien to name a few. Not to mention that they were tied to Jacob Stallings before he was traded from Pittsburgh to Miami on Monday.
It is common knowledge that the New York Yankees are expected by baseball fans everywhere to be a consistent contender for the World Series title. It seems that every offseason they are closely tied to the best free agents on the market. This year is no different.
Trevor Story is yet another high-dollar, high-value player still available in a time where players have been flying off the board ahead of the pending lockout.
How Trevor Story would fit with the New York Yankees
Story would replace the combination of Gleyber Torres and Gio Urshela, who have good offensive skills but neither are a true shortstop. Torres, 24, was at or near the bottom in nearly every defensive category for qualifying shortstops in 2021. He had become such an eyesore at the position that the Yanks moved him over to second base and had Urshela, a third baseman by trade, move over to short.
Both players are huge contributors to the Yankees lineup, but it is painfully obvious that Torres is a second baseman (and eventually first baseman) and Urshela is a third baseman.
There is virtually no chance that Yankees general manager Brian Cashman continues to miss out on both the free agent and trade markets. He is without a doubt going to be feeling an immense amount of pressure to pounce on his targets.
A spot is wide open for Trevor Story to come in and win the hearts of Yankees fans. His combination of power to all fields, bat-to-ball skills and speed on the bases would fit perfectly in the middle of a Yankees lineup looking to once again contend for a championship.
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
The Philadelphia Phillies, like the Yankees, could use a new face at shortstop in the worst way. After all, 31-year old Didi Gregorious was the club’s primary option at the position in 2021 with journeyman Ronald Torreyes and young Nick Maton also playing more than 100 innings there.
Why Trevor Story could make sense for the Philadelphia Phillies
While Trevor Story is not the best defensive shortstop in the game, Didi Gregorious is easily one of the worst in the game when it comes to his glove work. Didi finished 2021 dead last in both Runs Prevented and Outs Above Average according to Statcast while also finishing near the bottom of the league in Fielding % per Baseball-Reference’s leaderboard.
Torreyes (28) has departed the club via free agency and Maton (24) is a light-hitting utility infielder who is still developing and is not ready for a starting role yet. Additionally, the club has very little infield depth to backup at shortstop. A Trevor Story signing would push Gregorious to a backup shortstop role or a positional move to second base or even first base where his poor fielding will not be as exposed.
The Phillies also received well below-average offensive output in 2021 (Gregorious -0.8 WAR and a below-average .209/.276/.370 line) and could desperately use a Trevor Story manning the position, becoming the club’s first truly consistent offensive threat at short since the Jimmy Rollins days.
SEATTLE MARINERS
The Seattle Mariners were able to land their new ace in Robbie Ray, but the club still has more to accomplish on the offensive side of things.
The team’s big offensive move of the offseason to this point has been the acquisition of utility-man Adam Frazier, an excellent move for a Seattle club that values their positional versatility and needed a contact hitter to slot in near the top of their lineup.
Why Trevor Story could be a fit for the Seattle Mariners
Unlike the Phillies or Yankees, the Mariners do not have a massive hole in their lineup at the shortstop position. J.P. Crawford had the best season of his career in 2021, putting up 3.8 WAR and career highs in games played (160), home runs (9), batting average (.273). The list could go on, but the point is that he is no slouch for the club.
While not necessarily a defensive wizard (despite the fact that he did win a Gold Glove in 2020), Crawford can hold his own at the position. However, he also possesses the ability to play passable defense at second base or third base.
Should Trevor Story join the M’s, it’s a toss-up whether he is the one that would move to second or third or if Crawford would. Regardless, the overall value Story provides would be the perfect compliment to a Mariners lineup featuring Mitch Haniger and 2021 breakout infielder Ty France.