Cardinals keep Nolan Arenado, remind Rockies just how bad trade really was

When it was reported on Saturday that Nolan Arenado would not be opting out of his current contract with the St. Louis Cardinals, the dagger in the hearts of all Colorado Rockies fans dug just a little deeper.

Certainly there was no chance of a reunion between the Colorado Rockies, the team that had drafted Nolan Arenado and watched him rise into the best third baseman in the game today, and the soon-to-be 10-time Gold Glove winner, even if he had opted out.

But there was a hope that maybe, just maybe, Arenado would at least force the St. Louis Cardinals to spend a little more money to keep him … and take some of the financial debt away from the Rockies and one of the worst trades in MLB history.

With Nolan Arenado keeping his contract with the St. Louis Cardinals, the Colorado Rockies are still paying for a horrific trade

Groke goes on to point out that Arenado, as Colorado’s roster situation currently stands, will be the second-highest-paid player by the Rockies next season.

No, the head-shaking trade that went down before the 2021 season doesn’t look any better today than it did on that cold February day in Denver. Arenado, one of the cornerstones of the franchise and a generational player at his position, was sent to St. Louis along with IOUs of more than $50 million. Colorado received five players back in the swap, including pitcher Austin Gomber, who bounced between the rotation and bullpen last season and struggled in both locations (5.56 combined ERA). Prospect Elehuris Montero, who made his MLB debut last season, could be the best piece of the return for the Rockies when all is said and done … but he’s certainly not Arenado.

In 2019, with the Rockies coming off back-to-back postseason appearances, Arenado was inked to an eight-year, $255 million extension. The future looked as bright as the Rocky Mountain sky … until Arenado’s relationship with then-manager Jeff Bridich turned sour, with the third baseman using the word “disrespect” when talking about the Rockies front office before COVID-19 changed the course of the 2020 season.

Just under a year later, Arenado was on his way to St. Louis, and Bridich joined owner Dick Monfort for one of the most awkward media conferences in Colorado history.

Bridich is no longer with the team, and neither is Trevor Story, who played shortstop in Colorado alongside Arenado, making one of the top defensive left sides of the infield in baseball. There was hope Story would stay in Denver and become the face of the franchise. Instead, Story headed to Boston and Kris Bryant stepped in to the Mountain time zone as the new hope for brighter days ahead. In the first year of his seven-year, $182 million deal, Bryant played in just 42 games because of back and foot injuries.

There are plenty in Colorado who have taken pleasure in seeing Arenado’s Cardinals bow out of the postseason in the Wild Card round the past two years, and even more watching as Arenado has gone just 1-for-12 in those two series. It’s a coping mechanism for those purple-clad fans, with the wounds of what could have been with the Rockies and Arenado still seeping.

Had Arenado opted out of his current contract, the Rockies would have been off the hook for $5 million in each season between 2024 and 2026. However, more money will be heading over on Interstate 70 with Arenado keeping his deal. Even financial decisions seasons away can’t even seem to go right for Colorado when it comes to Arenado it seems.

Arenado has found his home on the diamond in St. Louis, and he’ll be counted upon to be one of the leaders for a Cardinals team next season without Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols, and one that is looking to solve its recent postseason skid. There will be plenty on his shoulders in 2023 and beyond, but it’s obvious that there’s nowhere else Arenado would rather be … and, sorry Denver, that includes Colorado as well.