The MLB trade deadline is a little over two months away with Trevor Story, Kris Bryant and Josh Hader among this year’s batch of rumored trade candidates. Story, who will be a free agent after this season, seems all but certain to be dealt in the coming weeks. The Rockies All-Star should attract plenty of suitors with Mark Feinsand of MLB.com floating the Yankees, Athletics, Brewers, Reds and Rays as potential fits. Of those teams, Feinsand sees New York as the “most logical” trade destination for Story, a lifetime .277 hitter and the fastest shortstop to reach 100 home runs in major-league history.
A 6’3” slugger from the Dallas area, Story would add another potent bat to a Yankees lineup that, while admittedly well-stocked in the power department (tied for fourth in home runs), hasn’t performed to expectations this year (.220 average is sixth-worst). If acquired by New York, the former first-round pick would presumably supplant Gleyber Torres, who has badly regressed since his breakout 2019. Torres also isn’t much of a fielder, committing a combined 14 errors over his last two seasons (75 games).
It’s hard to say in that scenario whether Torres would move to second base—where he began his career before Didi Gregorius left the club in free agency—or if Story’s arrival would relegate him to the bench, assuming corner infielders Gio Urshela and Luke Voit are both healthy. DJ LeMahieu’s defensive versatility (he can essentially play anywhere on the infield) provides some flexibility in that respect. It’s also quite possible, if not likely, that the Rockies would seek Torres in return.
Of course, this is all speculative as the Rockies, at least to Feinsand’s knowledge, aren’t actively shopping Story to the Yankees, or any other team, for that matter. However, with no chance of retaining Story in free agency, the Rockies—holders of the NL’s worst record at 14-24—would arguably be better served trading him, furthering the team’s rebuilding efforts by flipping the 28-year-old for a bevy of prospects.
Pursuing Story, even as a two or three-month rental, makes all the sense in the world for the Bombers, who are built to win right now. The question is whether GM Brian Cashman, who balked at paying top-dollar for starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka this past offseason, is willing to go over the dreaded Competitive Balance Tax, which is assuredly what it would take to put Story in pinstripes.
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