While the drama continues on with whether or not the Colorado Rockies will be able to hang on to All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado, they were able to lock in their All-Star shortstop on Friday night. The Rockies gave Trevor Story a two-year contract that is worth $27.5 million late Friday night, just weeks before teams report for Spring Training. The deal wipes out the final two years of arbitration, which the two sides were $750,000 off on, and will make him a free agent at just 29 years of age in the 2021-2022 off-season.
The 27-year-old has made an impact from his first game (literally) with the Rockies, and is coming off a 2019 season that saw him set career highs with 111 runs scored, a .294 batting average, and a .363 on-base percentage, although, he made just $5 million for that. He also added in 35 home runs and 23 steals, joining with Alex Rodriguez as the only shortstops with multiple 30-20 seasons. It also gave him four consecutive seasons with at least 20 home runs, making him the first shortstop to start his career with four such seasons. Now, the next stop for the Rockies is to figure out this whole Arenado situation before they lose him.
Elsewhere, the Seattle Mariners are expected to start the 2020 season a bit short-handed, as outfielder Mitch Haniger is expected to miss the start of the season following core-muscle surgery. The outfielder is expected to undergo the procedure within the next couple weeks, with a six-to-eight week recovery time expected for him. The injury occurred during one of his off-season workouts, and Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto says this is tied to his injury issues from last season. He did miss the final three and a half months of the season after suffering a ruptured testicle. He was limited to just 63 games and batted .220 with 15 home runs and 93 RBIs. This came one year after he made the American League All-Star team when he hit .285 with 26 home runs and 93 RBIs. The M's will hope he can quickly put these injury issues behind him and get back to that All-Star level this season.
The 27-year-old has made an impact from his first game (literally) with the Rockies, and is coming off a 2019 season that saw him set career highs with 111 runs scored, a .294 batting average, and a .363 on-base percentage, although, he made just $5 million for that. He also added in 35 home runs and 23 steals, joining with Alex Rodriguez as the only shortstops with multiple 30-20 seasons. It also gave him four consecutive seasons with at least 20 home runs, making him the first shortstop to start his career with four such seasons. Now, the next stop for the Rockies is to figure out this whole Arenado situation before they lose him.
Elsewhere, the Seattle Mariners are expected to start the 2020 season a bit short-handed, as outfielder Mitch Haniger is expected to miss the start of the season following core-muscle surgery. The outfielder is expected to undergo the procedure within the next couple weeks, with a six-to-eight week recovery time expected for him. The injury occurred during one of his off-season workouts, and Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto says this is tied to his injury issues from last season. He did miss the final three and a half months of the season after suffering a ruptured testicle. He was limited to just 63 games and batted .220 with 15 home runs and 93 RBIs. This came one year after he made the American League All-Star team when he hit .285 with 26 home runs and 93 RBIs. The M's will hope he can quickly put these injury issues behind him and get back to that All-Star level this season.
