If/when the MLB lockout finally comes to an end, the Colorado Rockies will find themselves with a huge hole to fill at shortstop, with the inevitable departure of the now-free agent, Trevor Story, on the horizon. Luckily, the Rockies have so much versatility in the infield already on the roster, they will have multiple options to minimize the damage created by the vacating two-time All-Star.
Since a $25 million-plus per year/multi-year deal is more than the Colorado Rockies will be willing to spend to retain the 29-year-old Trevor Story, they will likely be looking to the free agent market for a suitable replacement. However, just because Story plays shortstop doesn’t mean they must sign a shortstop to fill his spot.
The Rockies have the enormous luxury of having both Brendan Rodgers and Ryan McMahon on the roster, both of whom can play multiple positions in the infield. This means that Colorado general manager Bill Schmidt isn’t pigeonholed into signing an affordable free agent who plays shortstop.
It has been rumored that the Rockies have interest in signing former Chicago Cubs/San Francisco Giants third baseman Kris Bryant. By signing someone to play the hot corner, McMahon could slide over to shortstop or back to second base.
If the they happen to find a second baseman on the market, the transition could be made even simpler. Rodgers could move back to his natural position at shortstop, even though he has only made 36 appearances at that spot in his 126 career MLB games.
However, the Rockies seem to be reluctant to move Rodgers back to short due to the fact that they have prospects Alan Trejo, who made his MLB debut last season, and Ezequiel Tovar, who likely won’t be ready for MLB action until 2023, waiting for their chance to take over at that position.
As difficult as it will be to replace Story in the lineup, the Rockies will have a lot of options to replace him with as little suffering as possible on the lineup.