A blockbuster trade involving Nolan Arenado appears more and more likely by the day.
Arenado, perhaps the best third baseman in baseball, accused the Colorado Rockies on Monday of treating him with disrespect. The remarks came in response to Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich, who told the Denver Post that the team no longer was shopping Arenado on the trade market. Arenado’s frustration with the Rockies reportedly stems from frustration over the franchise’s failure to improve the club after inking the 28-year-old to a major contract extension last year.
Should the Rockies reverse course and recommit to trading Arenado, the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals are two of the teams with the best chances of landing the five-time All-Star, MLB.com’s Jon Morosi reported Wednesday, citing sources.
From Morosi’s column:
“The Cardinals and Rangers remain two of the strongest suitors for Arenado if trade talks revive in earnest, sources said Tuesday. Both clubs are trying to add a middle-of-the-order hitter. One of their alternatives, Marcell Ozuna, went off the market Tuesday when he signed a one-year, $18 million deal with the Braves. Unless the Cardinals or Rangers sign free agent Nicholas Castellanos, they will have the flexibility to add Arenado via trade.”
Added Morosi: “Sources say the Rockies have told other teams that any Arenado trade must improve their 2020 Major League roster. In other words, they don’t plan to begin a rebuild this close to Spring Training and would insist on at least one Major League player in addition to prospects.
“The Rockies are interested in acquiring a potential No. 1 catcher for the long term, and an Arenado deal could help them achieve that objective. Both the Cardinals (Andrew Knizner) and Rangers (Sam Huff) have prospects who match that description.”
Nolan Arenado's future with the #Rockies remains uncertain, as the #STLCards and #Rangers are poised to pursue trades for him in the days ahead. Latest story: https://t.co/1HvpdJhTmm @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 22, 2020
Whoever employs Arenado in 2020, be it the Rockies or some other club, will benefit from having one of the best players in Major League Baseball.
In addition to being a perennial All-Star, Arenado has seven Gold Glove Awards and four Silver Slugger Awards on his resume. The California native is a .295 career hitter with 227 homers and 734 RBIs over seven seasons.
