The Seattle Mariners are interested in free-agent shortstop Trevor Story and want him to play third base, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network.
Story is one of two top shortstops remaining on the open market, along with Carlos Correa. Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, and Javier Baez have all reportedly agreed to deals.
A two-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger, Story spent the last six years with the Colorado Rockies. Over that span, he hit .272/.340/.523 with 158 home runs and 100 stolen bases while making 745 appearances, exclusively playing shortstop.
The current collective bargaining agreement is set to expire at midnight on Dec. 1, which would create a lockout ceasing any further signings. The impending labor outage has caused a flurry of deals over the past few days, headlined by the division-rival Texas Rangers inking both Seager and Semien to contracts worth $500 million combined.
Story has a long list of suitors, and a deal is considered unlikely prior to the lockout, Heyman adds.
The 29-year-old would seemingly be expected to move to third base to accommodate incumbent Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford. The 26-year-old is seen as a clubhouse leader and is coming off a strong campaign, hitting .273/.338/.376 with nine homers and three steals.
Crawford, a 2020 Gold Glove winner, finished in the 40th percentile in outs above average last year, according to Statcast, while Story placed in the fourth percentile.
The Mariners have made splashes of their own this winter, signing left-hander Robbie Ray to a five-year, $115-million contract and acquiring infielder/outfielder Adam Frazier from the San Diego Padres.
