A deal for Story would certainly cost the Braves a top pitching prospect, such as Hurston Waldrep, as well as another top prospect, Nacho Alvarez Jr. It would not be inexpensive, but Atlanta must enhance the position if it is to compete with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League.
However, the agreement offers an opt-out after the 2030 season. Witt will have played three seasons for the Royals, earning $36 million, but Colin Keane of Sports Illustrated believes he may choose to leave for more money. “Will the Royals be interested in renegotiating a contract to keep Witt Jr. in-house? Of course. But a team like the Yankees will probably bring out the Brinks truck for Witt Jr., especially because New York has been looking for a superstar shortstop since the days of Derek Jeter.”
Keane is accurate that the Yankees have had a bit of a revolving door since Jeter’s retirement. However, the Bronx Bombers appear to have found some consistency at shortstop with Gold Glover Anthony Volpe. Whether Witt leaves Kansas City will simply depend on how competitive the team is over the next several years. If the Royals can’t improve on last year’s 86-76 record, he may decide to depart.
“Witt Jr. is one of the game’s five best players and should be compensated as such,” Keane claimed. “By 2031, there’s no reason to assume Witt Jr. won’t still be a top-five asset, barring injury, which means he needs to opt out of his present contract and re-negotiate a much larger one. But Kansas City supporters should savor every game Witt Jr. plays with the Royals, because there will come a moment when he has suitors like the Yankees banging on his door with impossible-to-turn-down offers.”
If the Yankees were to acquire Witt, they could surely change things up in the infield. Witt can play third base, or they could move Volpe to second base and have two Gold Glovers in the middle infield. A lot may happen between now and the end of the 2030 season, but it’s definitely something to keep an eye on in the coming seasons.
