Colorado Rockies: Making sense of a Chicago Cubs-Nolan Arenado trade

In case you thought that the Nolan Arenado trade rumors were going to slow down since we’ve heard absolutely nothing solid after Nolan’s apology note was sent to Colorado Rockies fans last week, think again.

Kris Bryant lost his grievance case against the Chicago Cubs in regards to service time and that sent the Chicago rumor mill into a whirlwind. With Bryant being a rumored trade candidate himself, and the Cubs previously being listed as a potential landing spot for Arenado, it was only a matter of time until the two were grouped together and yesterday was that day.

It started first with ESPN’s Jeff Passan saying on ESPN Radio in Chicago that the Cubs were one of the teams that Nolan would love to play for, insinuating that he’d waive his no-trade clause to leave for Chicago. Then it got turned up another notch after Jesse Rogers of ESPN Chicago said he’s heard rumors that the Rockies and Cubs have gone so far as to discuss a one-for-one trade of Nolan Arenado for Kris Bryant. That led to others speculating that the Rockies would need to also take on the likes of old friends Tyler Chatwood and Daniel Descalso in any trade. All after Patrick Saunders wrote in The Denver Post that his sources say that a trade before Spring Training would be highly unlikely!

What a morning!

Now the idea of trading Arenado for Bryant straight up just isn’t feasible for a number of reasons. And it likely wouldn’t happen as a one for one trade. But this did get me thinking about how a trade may look between the Rockies and the Cubs and what that may look like with these two as the centerpieces. So let’s dive into it.