A year ago, Nolan Arenado committed to eight more years with the Colorado Rockies, but recent developments seem to indicate Arenado wants nothing more than to get out of the Centennial State.
Arenado has spent most of the offseason as the subject of blockbuster trade rumors, and as recently as last week, it appeared as if he might really be on the move. However, Rockies general manager Jeff Bridrich on Monday told the Denver Post that trade talks were dead, and the club was prepared to start the season with Arenado as their third baseman.
Well, it doesn’t sound like Arenado is on board with that decision. The five-time All-Star on Monday night told MLB.com he feels disrespected by the club.
“There’s a lot of disrespect from people there that I don’t want to be a part of. You can quote that,” the All-Star told MLB.com’s Thomas Harding in a text message.
Of course, Arenado wouldn’t elaborate or offer details on why he’s so mad, but he did tell Harding he wasn’t mad at the trade talk, saying “There’s more to it.”
This standoff now figures to get ugly. Arenado still has seven years and $234 million left on his eight-year deal with an opt-out clause following 2021. Not only that, Arenado has a full no-trade clause. That, paired with the looming opt-out potential, really puts the Rockies in a bind when negotiating with other teams, as does Arenado going public. If interested teams know he wants out, that theoretically could reduce leverage.
There’s also Arenado’s standing as one of the best players in the entire sport. The 28-year-old is averaging 40 home runs and 124 RBIs over the last five seasons, winning the National League Gold Glove at third base each year.
