NEWSLETTER
From as far as highly unlikely to inevitable, the rumors and expectations that the Rockies would trade the face of their franchise have run the gamut.
And now, they’re running right back to something even stronger than highly unlikely, at least for now:
#Rockies GM Jeff Bridich: Nolan Arenado trade talks off the table https://t.co/LQWqC6kBVA via @denverpost
— Patrick Saunders (@psaundersdp) January 21, 2020
“With the season coming up and spring training on the horizon, we are going to start focusing on that,” GM Jeff Bridich told the Denver Post. “We have listened to teams regarding Nolan and really nothing has come of it. We are going to move forward pretty much as we expected — with Nolan in the purple and black and as our third baseman. So we can put this to bed and collectively look forward to the upcoming season and work toward that.”
There’s arguably a little hedging in there, but the “put this to bed” part sure suggests they know where other teams stand, and they’ve decided for now that no acceptable deal is coming.
As you’ll recall, the Cubs and Cardinals have intermittently been mentioned as suitors, together with the Dodgers and Rangers, but each seemed a very long shot right now thanks to the financial particulars (though there was a time when the Cardinals rumors started to look a little scary). Whether this closes the door on future talks remains to be seen, but it’s unquestionable that, at this moment, the Cubs could not realistically trade for Arenado short of the Rockies being desperate to unload him.
Since it was always the case that the Rockies *shouldn’t* be that desperate, it makes sense that he’d stay for now and then perhaps the Rockies will re-evaluate at midseason.
As for the Cubs, the other implication here is that Arenado is not a competing third baseman on the trade market. To be sure, the markets for Arenado and Kris Bryant always should have been very different given their contract situations, but it still probably helps the Cubs that Josh Donaldson went to the Twins, and now Arenado is staying put.
UPDATE: Oof. Drama:
This has a chance to get very ugly.
It's becoming increasingly clear Nolan Arenado wants out of Colorado. Which could take away the leverage the Rockies might have had in trade talks before Arenado went public.
This is beginning to resemble the Giancarlo Stanton mess in Miami. https://t.co/laOc6qNbOS
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 21, 2020
We’ll have to get into this more when the fallout is clear. Arenado is pissed for some reason, and it immediately makes you wonder if that’s because he *wanted* to be traded.
