Trevor Story knows he’s going to be the next great player shipped out of Colorado

Now that Nolan Arenado is official gone, Rockies’ shortstop Trevor Story knows he’s not far behind.

It was really a matter of when, not if, the Colorado Rockies traded Nolan Arenado. On Monday night, the deal to send him to the St. Louis Cardinals became official. As the team seems resigned to not compete in a tough NL West, trade speculation can now shift to shortstop Trevor Story.

Story had another nice season in 2020, as he posted a .289/.355/.519 slash-line with 11 home runs, 13 doubles, four triples, 28 RBI and 15 stolen bases in 59 games. He got votes on the MVP ballot for the third straight year, and registered a top-10 bWAR season among National League position players (2.4) for the third straight year too.

But Story is also set to make $18.5 million in 2021, before he hits free agency. The Rockies clearly won’t be looking to sign him to a massive contract extension, and their failure to follow up signing Arenado to his big contract two years ago with any major outside moves was the root of his displeasure with the organization. So Story knows the situation in Colorado, for better or worse.

Trevor Story knows he’s as good as gone

In comments to the Denver Post, Story acknowledged his friendship with Arenado and hinted at his own fresh frustration.

“Nolan’s one of my best friends, baseball aside, so this hurts,” “He’s the best third baseman in the game. I’m sad, and a little frustrated, to be honest.  All I can do is focus on playing the best baseball I can for my teammates and the fans, they deserve it.”

With Arenado gone, only outfielder Charlie Blackmon is slated to make more than Story for the Rockies this year. Blackmon could be moved too, but he has two player options left in his contract after this coming season to make it more complicated.

The list of possible trade suitors for Story has been thinned by the Francisco Lindor trade to the Mets, and a run of free agent shortstop signings last week. So the Rockies seem to have missed an opportunity to maximize his value. But as the mechanics of the Arenado deal showed, in terms of return and the money they’re doling out, the idea of settling for less won’t prevent Story from being in another uniform come Opening Day.