The Yankees made plenty of noise before Friday’s trade deadline, but the team’s course of action was reportedly part of their backup plan.
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Yanks’ primary goal at the deadline was to acquire Rockies shortstop Trevor Story, which would have allowed Gleyber Torres to move back to second base in a full-time role and place DJ LeMahieu at first. But the asking price for Story, who is a free agent at the end of the season, was apparently too high in the eyes of multiple teams, including the Yanks, who pivoted to acquire Anthony Rizzo.
Rizzo is also a free agent at the end of the season, but has been superb early on in his Yankee tenure, reaching base in seven of his first eight plate appearances with the team, including two home runs. He also is the best defensive first baseman in the league, per Statcast’s Outs Above Average.
Story seems like a goner in Colorado, which is why many were confused that he wasn’t dealt last week. But if the Yanks still feel like they need a different long-term solution at shortstop, given Torres’ defensive struggles at the position and his concerning decrease in power since last season, they could still bring in Story over the offseason and return to their original plan. Story is hitting .241 this season with 13 home runs and a .743 OPS.
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