Debate Team: What to Do With Trevor Story

Colorado rookie SS Trevor Story has homered four times in his first three games. As a late-round sleeper pick in most mixed leagues, he's greatly exceeded expectations thus far. He's surely a desirable asset, so let's consider the following hypothetical fantasy league trade - Story for Cardinals SP Michael Wacha, who struggled in his opening start. Our fantasy editors debate which side of the trade they would prefer to be on.

Ken Conrad: It's tempting to cash in on Story, especially given that he was almost certainly drafted well after Wacha in the majority of both mixed and NL-only drafts, and I realize that getting too attached to players is a recipe for failure, but I would turn down the trade if I was a Story owner.

Here's why I'd keep the rookie: shortstop is a top-heavy position in fantasy baseball, and Story's power and speed potential (he was a 20-20 player across Double- and Triple-A in 2015) make him worth holding on to. He may have his weaknesses, like a middling walk rate and a propensity to strike out, but no rookie is perfect, and it's not like he was a high pick.

I certainly wouldn't trade him for Wacha who, despite staying fully healthy in 2015, fell apart in September, allowing 21 runs in 24 innings. He carried that form into his first 2016 start, allowing four earned runs in 4.1 innings. If I was in desperate need of a starting pitcher, I'd feel confident about finding an overlooked gem on the waiver wire, rather than giving up an asset for Wacha.

Andrew Potter: Wow, where to start. Having targeted the Rockies rookie in a number of drafts leading up to this fantasy season, I must admit that Story's power surge defies even my high expectations from the late-round pick. That said, if I can trade Story today for a 24-year-old starting pitcher who was an All-Star in 2015, I make that trade on any day that ends on "Y". End of Story.

You're right about Wacha's struggles in the second half last season. After pitching 107.1 innings of 2.93 ERA baseball, the Cardinals' rising star hit a wall. His walk rate jumped from 5.5 percent to 10.6 percent and he posted a 4.01 ERA after July 1.

But is that really an uncommon occurrence for a young arm? Wacha is still getting stretched out into a full-season starting pitcher after breaking through as a key member of the Cardinals' bullpen in the 2013 postseason. 2014 saw the phenom pitch just 109.1 innings across all levels.

That Wacha faded down the stretch on his way to pitching a career-high 185.2 innings, including the postseason, doesn't surprise or worry me. Those are just the growing pains of a young player as he adjusts to a workload that should eventually settle around 200 innings per season.

KC: Last season, San Francisco's Brandon Crawford led all NL shortstops in home runs (21) and RBI (84). Houston's Carlos Correa, despite playing only 99 games last season, had 22 home runs, 68 RBI and 14 steals, and entered 2016 as a borderline first-round pick in most fantasy leagues, mainly due to positional scarcity.

Crawford may have trouble living up to his breakout season, but anyone who drafted him late in 2015 ended up with an unexpected bargain. I see no reason why Story can't approach those numbers, with the potential added bonus of stolen bases (Cawford had six steals in 2015). Story has four home runs and seven RBI despite not even having played a game at Coors Field yet.

Wacha may well have a strong season, but I feel it's easier to find a solid pitcher on the waiver wire, especially once minor league call-ups start happening in the summer months. I'd rather keep Story, as I'd hate to give up on what could turn out to be a potential top-five fantasy SS overall, regardless of how low he was drafted.

AP: There's no doubt that Story has plenty of potential. The biggest hindrance to him returning on that potential in 2016 is Jose Reyes. It's impossible to ignore the elephant in the room any longer: the Rockies' incumbent shortstop - a former All-Star - could return to the lineup at any moment.

The domestic abuse allegations were dropped against Reyes; the speedy infielder now awaits word on a possible suspension from the MLB for violating the league policy. That's the only reason Story has even had the opportunity to get into the lineup with the big league club.

In a similar situation from this past summer, Aroldis Chapman was suspended for a month for his alleged actions. If that's the case for Reyes, and his suspension is back-dated to the beginning of the season for 'time served,' Reyes could be back in the lineup by the beginning of May, forcing Story into a reduced role -- or worse, the minors.

A full season of Wacha for the possibility that Story only sees a month or two in the majors is a no-brainer.

KC: I'm willing to risk that the Rockies won't welcome Reyes back into the team with open arms. Aside from the negative buzz of having a suspected domestic abuser on the roster, the soon-to-be-33-year-old Reyes' best days are behind him. In 47 games in Colorado last season, the ex-Blue Jay, Met and Marlin posted the second-lowest BA and OBP of his career.

Story has shown enough so far that he deserves a chance to prove himself, and given that the team has traded veterans Troy Tulowitzki and Corey Dickerson in successive seasons, it wouldn't make sense that the club would reverse course and stunt Story's growth to placate Reyes. Fantasy leagues aren't won without risk, and I'd hold on to Story rather than sell him.