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What if the Colorado Rockies had not traded Nolan Arenado to the St. Louis Cardinals?

By Nathaniel Sunshine

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 24: Nolan Arenado #28 of the Colorado Rockies waits to bat during the game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on September 24, 2019 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 24: Nolan Arenado #28 of the Colorado Rockies waits to bat during the game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on September 24, 2019 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images) /
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Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies
Feb 19, 2020; Scottsdale, Arizona, USA; Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) stands for a portrait on media day during spring training at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

Conclusion

While it is fun to imagine the Colorado Rockies being contenders this season, it was never going to happen.

Even with Nolan, this team isn’t ready to compete, despite what some might claim. After all, in 2019, the Rockies had a healthy Arenado and a healthy Trevor Story … and they went 71-91.

Nolan got the playoffs with the Cardinals. He had fun, something that he was definitively not having last year with the Rockies. His performance, in all likelihood, would’ve been worse if he stayed in Colorado if he was still not having fun.

A player’s mentality is a lot in a sport like baseball. If Nolan stayed, the 102-60 ceiling would have been extremely high, but the likely outcome would have had them finish right in the middle, with bad draft picks and missing playoffs, right at 81-81.

Next. The Rockies problem in the 2018 NLDS is still a problem today. dark

Baseball is a team sport, one player can’t save a season. If they could, Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani would be in the playoffs right now. Rockies fans miss you, Nolan. We hope you are finally happy.

While you make the playoffs and the Colorado Rockies season ends, we sit here wondering … What if?

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