Colorado Rockies: Is Jon Gray or Trevor Story more valuable in a trade?

When Nolan Arenado was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals on February 1, all eyes turned to Trevor Story and when the Rockies would deal him as well. Now mid-May, Story is still with the Rockies, but his days in Denver are likely numbered.

Story’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season and the chances that the Rockies, even with Jeff Bridich out as Colorado’s general manager, will retain Story and build around him are slim.

The 28-year-old Story will likely command a large contract, and Francisco Lindor set the shortstop market in the offseason when he signed a 10-year, $341 million extension after being traded to the New York Mets in the offseason. Will Story sign that large of a deal? It’s unlikely as the market for quality shortstops will be busy this offseason with names like Javier Baez, Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, and others potentially joining Story on the move. There are also plenty of questions about the looming expiration of the collective bargaining agreement in the offseason.

Knowing the number of shortstops that will be on the market this offseason, will teams be willing to part with a high number of quality prospects in exchange for Story? Can the team that trades for Story work a deal to sign him immediately to a longer contract so they’re not just paying for a half-season of one of the game’s best shortstops? Those questions could well determine what comes back to Colorado in any kind of a deal.

Colorado has two strong trade candidates in Story and Gray. Which one will be the most valuable in terms of a return as the July 30 deadline draws closer? Don’t be surprised if Gray’s performance this season has elevated his stock significantly and he could even become more coveted than Story.