Colorado Rockies: What is the possible return in a Nolan Arenado trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers?

Former GM Jim Bowden of ESPN, The Athletic, and MLB Network Radio recently predicted that the Colorado Rockies will not only trade Nolan Arenado by Christmas but to the Los Angeles Dodgers. So what would a possible return look like?

It’s the story of the offseason for the Colorado Rockies and one of the biggest storylines of the offseason: Will Nolan Arenado and/or Trevor Story be traded this offseason and if so, who will they be traded to?

Both of them could potentially be free agents next offseason if Story isn’t extended and Arenado opts out. According to former Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals general manager Jim Bowden, who is now a talk-show host, analyst, and writer for MLB Network Radio, ESPN, and The Athletic, he thinks that Arenado will be traded to the 2010s Evil Empire: The Los Angeles Dodgers.

As Rox Pile’s Kevin Henry discussed in this article a few days ago about Bowden’s prediction, he thinks that Arenado is planning on opting out of his contract at the end of the 2021 season. To be traded to the Dodgers, Bowden thinks that Arenado would have to waive the no-trade clause.

For determining the possible trade value, that is a huge determining factor. Also, from the Rockies’ perspective, if they do decide to trade Arenado to the Dodgers to play for the next six seasons, they must get a HUGE return and I mean massive. As it is, Jeff Bridich is on thin ice with fans (he is not in the front office and he won’t be for any foreseen circumstances as it has been remarked before that a Rockies GM has as much job security as a Supreme Court justice).

If the Rockies do trade Arenado to the Dodgers and don’t get a massive haul in return, the Rockies will see even more of a backlash from fans, who have already been turning against the team in TV viewership and radio listeners, among other ways. If fans can attend games in 2021, they will likely see a hit there too.

For the Rockies and Dodgers to pull off a deal, there needs to be a lot of names and a lot of good names on the table, particularly if the no-trade clause is waived and/or if the Rockies end up paying some of Arenado’s salary.