Trevor Story rumors: Seattle Mariners made an offer before the lockout

Did the Seattle Mariners make an offer to All-Star shortstop Trevor Story before the Major League Baseball lockout went into effect? One MLB insider says it happened, and contained an interesting twist.

The Seattle Mariners made an offer to All-Star shortstop Trevor Story, with the idea that he may not play shortstop

According to MLB insider Jon Heyman on this podcast, the Mariners extended an offer to Story with the thought that, if he signed, Seattle would keep J.P. Crawford at shortstop. With Crawford coming off a Gold Glove-winning season in 2020 at the position and Story’s natural athleticism, the proposed thought on the shortstop position makes sense.

Shortly before the lockout commenced, the Mariners made a trade with the San Diego Padres to acquire second baseman Adam Frazier, who was an All-Star when the Midsummer Classic was played at Coors Field in July. Frazier has also spent some time in the outfield during his MLB career, including 12 games last season split between the Padres and Pittsburgh Pirates. However, the bulk of his MLB playing time has come at second base.

With that in mind, in this Seattle scenario, Story may be shifted to third base (as Heyman mentioned here) to take the place of the departed Kyle Seager (Story does have some minor league experience at third base as we discussed in this article). Story could also conceivably play outfield, as it’s been reported that at least one team had that idea at the trade deadline before the Rockies chose to keep Story and extend a qualifying offer to him (which he rejected) after the conclusion of the season.

Seattle has not only traded for Frazier, but also signed reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray to a five-year deal, so the Mariners are showing they are serious about contending in the American League West and beyond this season. Adding Story’s bat to the lineup would be another step toward making that potential even more of a reality.