Cincinnati Reds: Three trade packages for Trevor Story

2. Reds sacrifice José García’s potential for Trevor Story.

The Cincinnati Reds have been fond of José García since signing him during the 2017 International singing period. However, while García’s glove has the potential to be Gold Glove caliber, the 22-year-old has yet to find his groove in the batter’s box. Would the Reds sacrifice the future of the shortstop position in order to make a deal for Trevor Story?

This potential deal comes down to one question; do the Cincinnati Reds value what Trevor Story would bring in 2021 or are they more comfortable with what José García can bring down the road? Until last season’s promotion, García had not played above Advanced-A Daytona, and that showed as he posted a batting average of just .194 in 67 at-bats.

A trade like this would be high-risk/ high-reward. The Reds, by dealing away García, would be banking that what Story brings to the table in 2021 would be better than anything else available via a trade or free agency. Given Didi Gregorius’ reported contract demands ($15M AAV), Story represents the best available option despite his $18.5M salary.

Cincinnati would also be hopeful to re-sign Trevor Story, as the 28-year-old will be a free agent after the 2021 season. In fact, in order for a deal like this to be executed, the Reds should agree to an extension with Story prior any sort of deal; similar to what we saw from Cincinnati in 2019 when the front office swung a deal for Sonny Gray.

José García for Trevor Story straight up would be a bit of a stretch, so Cincinnati would likely have to add another prospect or two in order to complete a deal. Perhaps the addition of a talented arm like Vladimir Gutierrez would be enough to pull off this trade.