Trevor Story Is the Best Target For the Yankees

Trevor Story Is Baseball"s Best Shortstop

At shortstop, Trevor Story and Francisco Lindor match up pretty well, but for anyone who looks at the stats: Lindor is outclassed by Story.

The numbers are in Trevor Story"s favor, and while their Outs Above Average gap is there, let"s note something here: OAA can be worsened when playing next to an elite defender (which Story does). Their DRS numbers show that the gap is much closer. From 2018-2020 Story has 20 while Lindor has 26, but from 2019-2020 Story leads. Lindor edges Story out defensively, but offense and baserunning are all for Story. Trevor Story is just the better player right now, but how does he fit on the Yankees?

Being Everything the Yankees Need

The issues with Lindor are with his bat declining and his big payday coming up. Andrelton Simmons is a player I like, but he can"t hit and he has injuries. DJ LeMahieu‘s issues stem from his potential payday. Gleyber Torres can hit but he can"t field at all. Trevor Story is affordable, has very good offense, a great glove, and is what the Yankees need. I could see him getting $25 million for seven years rather than whatever massive deal you"d give Lindor. He"s won two Silver Sluggers from 2018-2019 and two All-Star nods in that time as well, so they"d be getting an elite player. Trevor Story"s consistently good bat and Gold Glove play right into the Yankees" shortstop needs.

How Does He Compare To DJ LeMahieu?

Well, since Trevor Story would price the Yankees out of DJ in most cases, who"s the better player? When you look at their numbers in the last three years, it"s pretty clear.

2018 weighs down DJ"s offensive stats and inflate his defensive ones, but I think we know offensively he"s better than that 112 DRC+ (as he had above 125 in that stat from 2019-2020), but the numbers offensively for Trevor Story are comparable with the defense from Trevor Story being just as good all while being an elite baserunner. Story is also 28, while DJ is 32, so in terms of who"s better, it"s a pretty firm victory for Story. He"s probably also just the better fit, as he plays short, as compared to playing second.

Could the Yankees Trade For Him?

Assuming the Rockies will move him, the Yankees could absolutely afford him. I think a package centered around Clarke Schmidt is one the Rockies would want. They would also need to throw in a good shortstop prospect, and give the Rockies help to replenish a bad farm system. A trade for Story could look like this:

Yankees Receive: SS Trevor Story
Rockies Receive: SS Oswald Peraza (#4 prospect, NYY) RHP Clarke Schmidt (#2 Prospect in NYY) RHP Miguel Yajure (#15 prospect, NYY)

This haul gives the Yankees a shortstop they can extend long-term and gives the Rockies two good pitchers and a good shortstop. This deal would get both teams what they need. The Yankees would be loaded with Story, and their defense would improve drastically.

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