Colorado Rockies: Trevor Story on his future, Nolan Arenado, and love of the game

Scottsdale, Ariz. — Colorado Rockies All-Star shortstop Trevor Story has become as adept at handling questions about his current and future situations as he has snaring a one-hopper up the middle to start a double play.

“Do you think you’ll be a member of the Colorado Rockies in 2022?” This is the question Trevor Story is asked.

Story hears the question and shakes his head, not in a yes or no pattern but just in a “here we go” acknowledgement of the question that seems to be on everyone’s mind.

“I don’t know, I really don’t know,” Story offers. “That’s the best answer I can give you. Nothing’s being talked about right now so that’s … I just don’t know.”

One of, if not the, best shortstops in Major League Baseball today isn’t sure what tomorrow is going to bring … or the day after that … or any day really until Major League Baseball’s trade deadline of July 31 … or maybe even after that. What he does know, however, is that he’s going to keep playing the game he loves as hard as he can for whatever jersey he pulls on at the start of each pregame preparation.

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Sitting in the shade after a workout at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, the 28-year-old Story has put on a mask but not changed out of his sweaty practice jersey. He has gone from unknown rookie to home run hitting phenom to near Gold Glove status to the best of the best at his position during his meteoric rise since debuting for the Rockies on April 4, 2016. Now, as we draw near to the five-year anniversary of the historic day that made “Story time” a part of Rockies fans’ vocabulary, we wonder what’s next for Story and the amount of days he’ll be spending in a Rockies uniform, knowing his contract expires at the end of the 2021 campaign.

Story took time to answer some of those questions and talk about what may lie ahead in a wide-ranging interview as Rockies spring training kicked into high gear in Scottsdale.

Of course, there is plenty that ties Story and Nolan Arenado together, and always will in the minds of many Rockies fans. The duo combined to form arguably the greatest left side of the infield in Colorado franchise history during their run from 2016 through last season.

Arenado and Story also had a ticking clock linking them together: The end of the 2021 season. That’s when Arenado had an opt-out clause in his contract that many thought he could exercise (although Arenado has said that he thought that “it might not have been a great decision” to opt after the 2021 season, with MLB’s current financial situation) and Story’s current contract would come to an end.

As we all know by now, Arenado is in a Cardinals uniform and Story is unsure how long he will be wearing purple. However, the two are still close, Story said.

“He’s one of my best friends and he always will be, I think,” Story said. “Obviously we’re not talking on an everyday basis like we were the past six years, but he’ll always be one of my good friends. We have small talk once or twice a week. It’s a little different seeing him in red and doing his own thing over there. I’m sure he’s making a big impact.”

Story didn’t hide his feelings when Arenado was dealt to St. Louis.

The question for many Rockies fans for most of the offseason was when and if Arenado would be traded. Now that question seems to be hanging over Story.

Story would much rather talk about today’s game, his chances at a 30-30 season in 2021, or what Opening Day with fans at Coors Field might look like. But he knows that his contract situation is dominating the “what if” scenarios that often float in the minds of baseball fans and pundits.

“It’s something that I realized is part of the game,” Story said of contracts and the business side of baseball. “It just comes with being a baseball player. You have to kind of talk about your situation. When you realize that, then you can be okay with it. It’s not something that really bothers me or anything. I know that it’s part of the part of the gig and as long as it’s not very repetitive, I’m okay to talk about it.”

Story has often talked about baseball as a game and the joy he has derived from playing it. However, there are times like this where it is harder to separate stepping on the field for nine innings from who will pay you and how much for those nine innings of work.

“It’s always about baseball for me, the things I can do to help myself get better on the field. Those are the things I really focus on,” Story said. “Once it’s time to play, you go out there and trust your training and try to have fun.

“I’ve never wanted to play this game for anything other than the love of it.”

I ask Story if he can still have fun knowing everything that is swirling around him.

“Yeah for sure,” Story said. “It’s not something I think about a lot. I think about playing baseball, more than anything else. I don’t know if I’m weird that way but I try to really keep it about stuff I can do on the field and can control and that’s what I focus on.”