Colorado Rockies: Working out a trade to send Trevor Story to the Texas Rangers

It’s something that Colorado Rockies fans will likely have to face some time during this season: Trevor Story being traded away.

First and foremost, though, the Rockies should try to extend the All-Star shortstop. If they don’t plan on actually keeping him long-term (like with Nolan Arenado) or if Story doesn’t want to stay, one team that would be towards the top of the list of teams to trade him to would be the Texas Rangers.

Story, 28, is from Irving, Texas, which is a suburb of Dallas. The Rangers, though, are on the down-swing of things. The Rangers were actually one of a handful of teams that were actually worse than the Rockies in 2020. However, they are trying to build themselves back up some, as they signed former Rockie David Dahl along with some other moves. So, Story wouldn’t be a fit for the Rangers in the short-term but he would definitely be a fit for the long-term.

The Rangers traded their shortstop of the past decade, Elvis Andrus, to Oakland this offseason so, currently, their everyday shortstop is likely to be Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who has mainly been a third baseman and a catcher in the majors.

He would be a guy that would intrigue the Rockies in a trade, as The Athletic discussed in this article last week. But, along with Tyler Henderson of Nolan Writin’, our sister site with FanSided that covers the Texas Rangers, we came up with two deals that are slightly different than the two that Nick Groke and Jamey Newberg came up with.

The trade proposals might be better than the Rockies trade for Nolan Arenado.

This is the bigger package of the two and it’s bigger because it would give the Rangers a “window” to extend Story. There would be no guarantee that they would extend Story but the opportunity would hinge upon Story agreeing to talk with Texas during the season about an extension.

If he (and his agent) would not agree upon it, the deal would be a little bit less.

So let’s discuss the players in the deals.

The Rockies will likely be looking to trade Givens this year as they are Story. Givens is obviously not as big of a name but considering that the Rangers are in desperate need of bullpen help and Givens is a free agent after the season, the Rockies are going to try to dump his salary.

In return, the Rockies would get four players and, in our opinion, it would be a better return than the Rockies got for Nolan Arenado.

Shortstop Anderson Tejeda and right-handed pitcher DeMarcus Evans would be the two guys in both deals.

Tejeda, the 22-year-old switch hitter, made his MLB debut with Texas last year and in his short stint in the majors (23 games), he played well. So he could take over for Story at shortstop if the Rockies decide not to move Brendan Rodgers or Garrett Hampson to shortstop. Tejeda can also play second and third base as well. Entering 2021, he is the Rangers #12 prospect. On MLB.com’s scouting scale of 20 to 80, this is how he ranks.

• Hit: 45
• Run: 50
• Field: 60
• Power: 55
• Arm: 70
• Overall: 50

If acquired, Demarcus Evans could be a factor in the Rockies bullpen.

Evans, 24, also made his debut with the Rangers in 2020 but he had even less time in the majors as he only had four appearances. He no longer ranks in the Rangers top 30 prospects but was ranked #21 last year.

He’s a big guy as he is listed at 6’5″ and 265 pounds. He only has a two-pitch mix as a reliever (fastball and curveball) and both are above-average pitches (70 and 65 entering last year) but his control needs some work (40 on a scale of 20-80). But he’s young enough that he could a) work on it in Albuquerque or b) work on it in the majors since he’s close to the majors anyways.

Phillips, 23, is another guy that, like Evans, was ranked in the Rangers top 30 prospects but dropped off in 2021. However, Phillips has not made his debut yet. He hasn’t pitched above Double-A but with the Rockies overall pitching depth currently, he could very easily start the season in Albuquerque. Phillips has mainly been a starter in the minors and he’s a groundball pitcher, which would work well with the Rockies.

He possesses a sinking fastball, curve, slider, and a change and the change is his best pitch (60 on a scouting scale). MLB.com says that he has “one of the highest floors among Texas pitching prospects” so while he fell off the prospect list, it’s mainly because he didn’t play in 2020 due to the pandemic. He is projected to make the majors in 2021 but 2022 may be more likely.

Rangers prospect Sherten Apostel could also be on the Rockies MLB roster.

Apostel, 22, is a corner infielder who also made his debut for the Rangers, albeit briefly, in 2020. His power (55) and arm (65) but his hit tool (45) hasn’t come around quite yet. However, as MLB.com mentions, he’s still getting used to his 6’4″, 235 pound frame. He also pitched in high school (and had a fastball into the 90s) but the Rangers don’t plan on using him as a pitcher. The Rockies, however, could decide to. He is the Rangers #11 prospect.

White, 21, is the lone guy that wouldn’t likely be in the majors or Triple-A for the Rockies. He was the Rangers second-round draft pick in 2018. However, he still hasn’t pitched in a pro-game. He didn’t pitch for the Rangers in 2018, had Tommy John surgery in 2019, and didn’t pitch in 2020 due to the pandemic.

However, on a scouting scale, all four of his pitches are average or above and his control is as well. MLB.com projects him as a second or third starter once he gets some more innings and development under his belt in the minors. After the Tommy John surgery, he was throwing 96 on his fastball so after his surgery is further in the rearview mirror, his velocity could go higher. He is currently ranked as the Rangers #19 prospect.