Colorado Rockies: Some follow-up thoughts on trading Nolan Arenado

First, let’s start with those of you who got yourselves all wound up over my last article at the prospects of Colorado Rockies All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado being traded. Let’s all consider a few things.

As a reference point, here is the article I wrote where I discussed three teams that could be potential trade partners with the Colorado Rockies if they choose to trade Arenado.

First, I do not think that the team should trade him. I actually think that they have an excellent chance to sign him to a long-term deal this offseason, but it’s also known that Arenado has expressed desire to “win.” Well, the Rockies won 91 games and made it to the NLDS this season.

I understand the Rockies didn’t put up much of a fight against the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS, but they still made the playoffs for the second year in a row (for the first time in team history) and were one of seven teams to make the playoffs in both 2017 and 2018.

The point is, they did win, and, going into 2019, they should field their best team yet and will have a great opportunity to make some noise in the playoffs for the third consecutive year.

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So, if Arenado really wants to be in Denver long-term, a deal should realistically be done by the time mid-March rolls around at the ABSOLUTE latest. If it’s not, then it’s probably just not meant to be, and then it’s better to bail early than to move on when it’s probably too late.

We have to, as fans, understand that this is a business and the Rockies are running a pretty darn good one. I don’t believe they’re going to jeopardize their future by letting this fester and have rumors swirl around their clubhouse for an entire season. We all lived through the Troy Tulowitzki drama and that was awful to go through. Arenado doesn’t deserve to go through that … and neither do the guys in the clubhouse.

You can throw all the money you want at a guy but if he doesn’t want to play there, he’s not going to sign. It is as simple as that. I don’t believe that Arenado doesn’t want to be in Denver, but I do think that there are places that he might rather be, whether it’s Los Angeles (where he is back home in southern California) or just a bigger market in general.

So, what I’m getting at is it might be best for all parties if they go their separate ways. While it will sting at first, if the right deal is negotiated, you could still end up with an extremely strong team in 2019, and set yourself really well for beyond 2019.

Another aspect of the Nolan Arenado saga is that he has only one year left in arbitration. That makes it hard for the Rockies to get max value in return. So if you do decide to trade him, then you award him to the highest bidder without necessarily trading him to the best possible situation (i.e., the New York Mets).

We all have to keep in mind that the Rockies are not in the same situation that the Baltimore Orioles were in last season with the Manny Machado situation. They are not a team that is “on the fence.” They are a team that is expected to contend and should contend. Trading your best player may not feel like it makes sense, but it will not cripple the team.

I still think the Rockies have a great chance to sign Arenado, and I have a feeling that they will end up doing it. I think it will be in the eight-year, $230 million range. However, if this starts to drag out, there might not be any other option but to trade him.

First, let’s start with those of you who got yourselves all wound up over my last article at the prospects of Colorado Rockies All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado being traded. Let’s all consider a few things.

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