Phillies aren’t favored to sign this free agent, which is totally fine

Will the Philadelphia Phillies sign Trevor Story?

When the 2021 season ended and the Philadelphia Phillies didn’t make the postseason for the 10th year in a row, the front office made their offseason plans clear:

Upgrade the outfielders and overhaul the bullpen.

Not on that list of top priorities? Signing one of the many expensive free-agent shortstops on the market this year, namely Trevor Story.

And according to Bleacher Report’s Zachary Rymer, the Phillies aren’t even close to his top landing spot.

The 28-year-old spent the first six seasons of his career with the Colorado Rockies, including back-to-back All-Star appearances and Silver Slugger Awards in 2018 and 2019.

There are two reasons the Phillies wouldn’t necessarily miss out by not signing Story: his career stats and Bryson Stott.

Like many Rockies players, Story benefitted from calling Coors Field “home.” Over 375 games there, he hit .303/.369/.603 with a .972 OPS. The hitter-friendly ballpark gave Story a hefty boost, compared to his performance elsewhere; over 370 away games, he has a .241/.310/.442 line and .752 OPS.

More importantly, there’s Stott. The Phillies’ number-two prospect is slated to debut in 2022, and it could be as early as Opening Day. President of baseball ops Dave Dombrowski told Stott to come to Spring Training with the goal of earning a spot on the big-league roster.

Ultimately, the Phillies could target Story, but they have more pressing issues. They absolutely need an upgrade from their current shortstop, Didi Gregorius, but Story doesn’t feel like the correct answer.