Rockies’ Nolan Arenado trade remains ‘realistic’, and fans aren’t happy

There is still plenty of friction between Nolan Arenado and the Rockies.

After the Colorado Rockies missed the postseason in consecutive seasons following back-to-back playoff appearances, the Nolan Arenado trade rumors have once again started to crop up. While some Rockies fans were hoping that their superstar corner infielder and GM Jeff Bridich, the front office remains locked in a staring contest with No. 28, with each side seeing who blinks first.

Sources have told the Denver Post that trading Arenado is still “a realistic possibility”, which would completely enrage a Rockies fan base that wants them to keep their homegrown superstar.

Even after Nolan Arenado’s down year in 2020, he is still an elite third baseman

Arenado hit .253 with eight home runs and 26 RBIs last season. While those are fine numbers for most third basemen, they are well below Arenado’s usual averages. Still, Arenado should be able to get back to his old self in a full 162-game season.

Colorado has fallen behind the San Diego Padres in the race to catch the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. While an Arenado trade could get an elite offensive player and several pitchers in return, the immediate impact Arenado gives you in the field and at the plate. Bridich has been hanging on by a thread, and an inadequate return in an Arenado trade might be the final nail in his coffin.

The Rockies could easily make the postseason with Arenado at the hot corner, but their odds in an improving NL West would completely go down the tubes if they trade him. The Rockies could get a haul in return, but the initial gut punch the trade would inflict upon the fanbase could be too steep for Bridich to survive barring some sharp twist of fate.