Arenado has been quietly toiling in Colorado, with five straight Gold Gloves, four All-Star nods (counting this year), three straight Silver Sluggers and three straight full seasons with at least 37 home runs and 130 RBI (two 40-plus homer seasons). He is the only infielder in major league history to win a Gold Glove in each of his first five seasons, and he’s also the second guy in history (alongside Jimmie Foxx) to have three seasons with 35 home runs and 130 RBI before age 27.
So the Rockies would have to have their socks knocked off by any offer to even entertain the idea of trading Arenado, then it would still be a complete dead-end.
Or would it?
As previously mentioned, Arenado will be a free agent after the 2019 season unless he inks an extension with the Rockies. He is in line to join Manny Machado at the top of the salary scale for third baseman, and all position players. But Arenado’s recent comments to Bob Nightengale of USA Today are interesting.
"I don’t want to lose anymore. I just hate it,’ “It’s tough on you. I’ve only been to the playoffs once, and it was only one game and then it’s gone. We got kicked out quick. “I want to win a division so we actually play a series. I see the Dodgers, and the guys over there, and they’ve won this division the last five years. I know some of the Giants’ players. They’ve got their World Series rings. “I’m jealous."
"Look, I’ve lost every year I’ve been here,’’ Arenado says. “Winning is the No. 1 thing for me, and I’m only getting older. “I thought this might be our year because there was a lot of excitement. Of all the years I’ve been here, we never really had expectations before. This time we did. “So I see the culture changing here, how we’re trying to win, but it just hasn’t happened."
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Trading Arenado would be the ultimate concession on this season by the Rockies, and they simply could not replace him going forward. But if you’re one of the teams that loses the Machado trade derby, and the Rockies start to drop out of contention, what would it hurt to call general manager Jeff Bridich about Arenado?