Cincinnati Reds: What would it take to trade for Trevor Story?

The Reds need to make a trade for Trevor Story.

The Cincinnati Reds have yet to make a move to indicate where they will find their shortstop for the 2021 season. Will it be José García, Kyle Farmer or a proven veteran like Didi Gregorius? Perhaps the best course of action is to make a trade. While landing Francisco Lindor would be a huge deal and require a lot in return, Trevor Story may be the Reds best option.

The Rockies slugger could help propel the Reds to their first NL Central title since 2012. Story is entering into the final year of his contract with Colorado, and the Rockies have entertained the idea of shopping the 28-year-old shortstop. But what would it take for the Reds to pry Story away from the Rockies?

For those unfamiliar with Story, the young shortstop broke into the league in 2016 and has been nothing short of spectacular ever since. Story made a splash in his MLB debut homering twice off Diamondbacks ace Zack Greinke, and in 2019 became the fastest shortstop to reach 100 home runs, surpassing Alex Rodriguez.

Now that begs the question, what will the Rockies want in return for Story. All signs are pointing to the Rockies trending towards a rebuild. Besides Story, the Rockies are also shopping Nolan Arenado.

With Arenado having one foot out the door, and Story not far behind, Colorado is in a fire sale. That comes as no surprise with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres looking to own that division for the foreseeable future.

With trouble in the Mile High City afoot, it’s not likely Story would re-up with the Rockies after 2021, making him prime trade bait for a rebuild. In any rebuild, the asking price won’t be high for players in the last year of their contract. The Reds have plenty of prospects in a crowded minor league system.

What would it take for the Reds to land the two time All-Star shortstop Trevor Story, who could hit tons of long balls in GAPB? Maybe a combination of Aristides Aquino and top prospects Tony Santillan and Jonathan India would do the trick.

Aquino has shown signs of being an absolute monster at times, but The Punisher has struggled to hit for average. Aquino has, on occasion, looked absolutely inept with a bat in his hands, it only makes sense to wager the youngster won’t live up to being the player who was the fastest to ever reach nine home runs back in 2019.

By dealing Aquino, Cincinnati could thin out a crowded outfield, and adding a major league-level player like The Punisher sweetens the deal for the Rockies. Colorado fans would be foaming at the mouth over how many homers Aquino could hit at Coors Field.

The second piece of this deal would be Jonathan India. The Rockies, as mentioned, are looking to build their infield of the future, and India just happens to be collateral damage to sweeten the pot for the Rockies future at third base.

India was the Cincinnati Reds first-round selection back in 2018, and has yet to show signs of being anywhere near ready to advance past Double-A. With the Reds being committed to Eugenio Suárez for the immediate future, third base is too crowded for India to make the jump any time soon.

The final piece of this proposed trade would be the oft-forgotten Tony Santillan. The right-hander was Cincinnati’s second-round selection in 2015. At just 23-years old, Santillan is still relatively young and has the makings of solid starter in the big leagues.

This trade makes the most sense for Cincinnati if they want to have any shot at landing a shortstop. The Reds need to fill the void at shortstop, and Trevor Story would bring the most bang for the buck.