Colorado Rockies: Nolan Arenado “will be dealt, sooner rather than later”

This morning, Thomas Harding of MLB.com published a column on his three spring training predictions and his number one prediction is something that Colorado Rockies fans are not going to like.

In the Colorado Rockies universe, the last few weeks (and really, the entire offseason) has been filled with Nolan Arenado trade rumors. There really hasn’t been a ton of other things in the news involving the Rockies this offseason since they haven’t made any trades or MLB free agent signings.

These Arenado trade rumors seemed to start out just as talk but, obviously, as we have learned more about the story, it is not just smoke. Nolan Arenado expressed his discontent with Jeff Bridich and the rest of the Rockies front office in the public sphere.

Bridich said that he would address the situation “soon” (that was MLB.com’s Thomas Harding’s word, not Bridich’s) but, in the more than three weeks since then, Bridich has fanned the flames by saying nothing about it. Not as Rockies fest, and not in Scottsdale at Spring Training, other than this non-statement when asked about it.

“Nothing. There is no comment. I haven’t had any comment to this point, so we’ll move past that. Next question,” said Bridich on Tuesday.

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That’s part of the reason why Harding believes that Arenado will be traded “sooner rather than later.”

As Harding says in his column, the Rockies must hit a home run on a trade if they trade Arenado, though.

“This is not suggesting it should happen,” said Harding. “In fact, if the Rockies do not receive immediate pitching help, immediate offensive production and one or two prospects, a deal should not happen.”

In other words, the Rockies need to trade Arenado for the seven years that an acquiring club could get out of Arenado and not the two guaranteed years that they would have.

This means that the Rockies need to make themselves a better team in 2020 and/or 2021 if they trade him. Not a one-for-one, Kris Bryant-for-Nolan Arenado deal, or a two prospects that haven’t played above Single-A for Arenado deal, but a deal that will bring them a minimum of 4 players and at least two of those need to be able to help the Rockies by the beginning of 2021 at the latest.

Whether you like it or not, Arenado wants out of Colorado. If that happens or not remains to be seen but I think that the only way Arenado stays is if the Rockies get off to a torrid start at the beginning of the regular season…if he’s still even a Rockie by Opening Day.