Colorado Rockies ongoing saga with Nolan Arenado

Nolan Arenado, a bonafide superstar, is entering the crucial final year of his contract. With the Colorado Rockies saying all the right things lately, will Arenado really be a Rockie for life?

It’s perhaps impossible to understate the pure dominance that Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado has had over the rest of the National League in recent years. Slashing an absurd .297/.358/.573 since 2015 with over 500 RBI, 158 home runs and three Gold Glove Awards, he’s been one of the most valuable players in all of baseball.

As of right now, he’s on a relatively team friendly agreement due to his arbitration status. In 2020 though, he’ll hit the open market and undoubtedly receive a mammoth contract that aligns with the true value of his influence and raw talent.

Per Kyle Newman of the Denver Post, the Rockies have had “honest conversations” with Arenado about the possibility of a contract extension. The Rockies-Arenado saga has been seemingly endless, with the Rockies consistently pushing the fact that they’re going to try and make the native of Newport Beach, California a “Rockie for life”.

The issue comes in the trustworthiness and dependability of the Rockies front office. Arenado has been vocal about the lack of success of his team over the past few years, so any negotiations would have to be handled with extreme care and prudence.

Baseball fans might remember the uncomfortable situation that unfolded when Troy Tulowitzki was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays at the 2015 trade deadline. Tulowitzki, who had several years remaining on his contract, was not only shocked at the trade, but felt betrayed by a front office who had reportedly pledged their allegiance to him and his contract.

Tulowitzki, currently playing out the rest of his contract with the Jays, said he lost all respect for the Rockies front office, citing a lack of communication and a failure to respect the boundaries and wishes of their players as the two biggest reasons behind that statement. With Arenado, the question now becomes, can the front office be trusted?

More from Call to the Pen

• Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
• Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
• Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
• Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
• 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals

In a word, probably. That was quite a long time ago, by baseball standards, and since then, the front office in Denver has stayed almost exactly the same. Despite this, it’s pretty obvious that they’ve learned from their mistakes, at least enough to prevent another personnel disaster like the one that unfolded upon trading Tulo.

Arenado is, by all accounts, more vocal about his opinions than Tulowitzki, who, as both Rockies and Jays fan can admit, is more of a quiet, lead by example type leader. Thus, this situation should probably be approached with that in mind.

Arenado, who’s quite a bit younger than Tulo was at the time of the trade, also could be considered a more valuable piece at the moment than the 2015 Tulowitzki that headed north at the deadline. In that sense, the pressure is even greater for the front office.

With all of this taken into account, the Arenado-Colorado Rockies case will, going forward, be one of the most intriguing baseball stories to watch over the next calendar year. Though the front office insists that Arenado will be on their roster come next season, an impressive trade package or some personal anger could force a move upon either party before then.

Either way, it’s be interesting to see how Arenado, an All-Star in every sense of the word, finishes up his 2019 season, and how he continues his storied career beyond that.