Colorado Rockies: Nolan Arenado and the contracts for the 2020 season

Much of the talk surrounding the Colorado Rockies this offseason has been what to do with free agent signings in anticipation of the battle it will take to retain Nolan Arenado’s services following this season.

The 2019 season is the last one where the Colorado Rockies are guaranteed to have Nolan Arenado patrolling the hot corner and gunning for yet another Gold Glove. It is estimated that the 27-year-old four-time All-Star will make a record $26.1 million in arbitration this offseason heading into what could potentially be his final season in Denver.

Are the Rockies looking ahead now to save where they can in order to be competitive with teams with bigger payrolls when the time comes to pay Arenado? Estimates of a 10-year, $300 million contract for Bryce Harper have been thrown around this offseason and it’s likely Arenado could be looking at that type of contract next offseason.

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Paying Arenado an average of $30 million per year is slightly higher than what he will make this season … but doing it for a decade (or even five or six years) could skew Colorado’s payroll greatly toward one player. Sure, he’s one of the best in the game … but it would still tip the scales greatly in Arenado’s favor when it comes to his piece of the pie in the overall payroll … or would it?

Let’s look ahead to some of the big contracts for the Rockies next offseason that could play a role in Colorado’s ability to compete for Arenado’s services.