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Nolan Arenado

Nolan Arenado Undergoes Tests On Shoulder, Season In Jeopardy

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After an offseason when the 91-loss Colorado Rockies stayed mostly silent due to financial constraints, the Rockies entered 2020 with low expectations from the national media. They nonetheless jumped out to an 11-3 start, forcing consideration of the Rockies as a potential playoff contender. The bottom fell out before long, however, as the Rockies turned in a minus-68 run differential and fell towards the bottom of the National League. After four straight losses, they’re now 23-29 and 3 games out of a playoff spot.

Making matters worse, star third baseman Nolan Arenado recently underwent tests on his sore left shoulder, and it’s possible the Rox will be without their superstar for the remaining 8 games, per Thomas Harding of MLB.com. He’s been affected all season by the injury to the A/C joint of his left shoulder, perhaps helping contribute to a substandard (for him) .253/.303/.434 slash line with 8 home runs over 201 plate appearances. 1.4 rWAR over 48-games is nothing to sneeze at – it still extrapolates out to 4.7 rWAR over 162.

Just two years into his 8-year, $260MM deal and there’s more uncertainty than ever around Arenado’s future in Colorado. His priority has been clear: he wants to play for a contender. Per Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post, when questioned about whether making the playoffs this season would serve as proof of concept for the Rockies being on the right track, he answered, “No question for me. Eight teams (out of 15) make the playoffs and if we’re not one of those eight teams that’s not a very good sign.” The Rockies were already in a tough place payroll-wise, and after losing so much expected revenue because of the coronavirus pandemic, they are likely entering an even harsher financial climate. Paired with the opt-out Arenado holds following the 2021 season, and a legitimate case can be made for the wisdom – or even necessity – of an Arenado trade.

The Rockies playoff hopes aren’t dead yet, however. Four games at San Francisco and four more at Arizona are winnable games to round out the season. Still, second place in the West is well out of reach, leaving the Rockies to compete for 1 of 2 wild card spots in a battle royal of contenders that includes two of the Cardinals, Reds, and Brewers, two of the Phillies, Marlins, and Mets, and of course, the Giants. Two of those seven clubs will make the playoffs via the 2nd place slot in their divisions, leaving five teams the Rockies need to leapfrog in the final week of games in order to reach postseason play. A sweep of the Giants would put them a game ahead of San Francisco, but that’s a lot to expect from a team with a .316 winning percentage over their last 38 games.

NL Injury Notes: Arenado, Matz, Senzel, Gott

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Rounding up some injury news from around the National League:

  • Rockies’ star third baseman Nolan Arenado was held out of the lineup today with a left shoulder injury, per the Athletic’s Nick Groke (via Twitter). Colorado is hoping he’ll avoid an injured list stint, says Groke. Arenado’s obviously of immense importance if the 21-24 Rockies are to erase a game and half deficit and get into the postseason.
  • The Mets activated lefty reliever Steven Matz from the injured list this afternoon. He’s been out about two weeks with discomfort in his throwing shoulder. It has been a disappointing season for Matz, who got bumped from the rotation after five poor starts before leaving his first relief appearance with the aforementioned injury.
  • Reds’ center fielder Nick Senzel has been on the injured list for undisclosed reasons since August 19. He’s nearing a return, manager David Bell told reporters, including Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link). Indeed, it’s possible Senzel returns for tomorrow’s doubleheader against the Pirates. The 25-year-old is hitting .244/.327/.489 in 53 plate appearances this year.
  • The Giants are placing right-handed reliever Trevor Gott on the 10-day injured list with right elbow inflammation (via Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle). It has been a nightmarish season for the 28-year-old. After seemingly breaking out in 2019, Gott has allowed 13 runs (all earned) in 11.2 innings with eight strikeouts and walks apiece.

NL West Notes: Rockies, Arenado, Giants, Beede

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Disgruntled Rockies franchise player Nolan Arenado and general manager Jeff Bridich still haven’t met this spring in an effort to repair their damaged relationship, but the third baseman suggested Tuesday that will change (via Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post). “We probably will (meet),” said Arenado, who went on to state: “People are putting a light on us, saying, ’Nolan and the GM aren’t talking.’ But the GM doesn’t come around a lot. It’s no different this year than how it’s been every other year. I think when we start trimming down the roster, then we can start having talks and see what we can do.” Those sound like somewhat optimistic comments from Arenado, but the expectation remains that the Rockies will wind up dealing him, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan, who observes that a trade is “inevitable.” Thanks to the whopper of an extension Arenado signed in February 2019, he could remain Rockies property for the next seven years. However, if he’s as fed up with the organization as he seems, he could choose to opt out of the deal after 2021. So, perhaps a trade will come together before then.

More on Colorado and one of its NL West foes…

  • Hard-throwing right-hander Tyler Beede is a strong candidate to grab the fifth spot in the Giants’ rotation, but he’s now dealing with a potentially troubling injury situation. Beede exited his start against Texas after one inning Tuesday with tightness in his pitching elbow, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle relays. The severity won’t be known until Beede undergoes testing on the joint. For now, he remains in the race to earn a spot in San Francisco’s starting staff, with Logan Webb seemingly representing his stiffest competition.
  • Infielder Matt Duffy signed a minor league contract with the Rangers in January, but they weren’t the only team he talked to in free agency. Duffy told Schulman that the Giants were among the teams to “check in” on him in the offseason, but Schulman writes that it was only a “brief” conversation. Now 29 years old, Duffy got his start with the San Francisco organization. The Giants chose him in the 18th round of the 2012 draft and eventually saw him develop into a solid contributor. During the best season of his career, 2015, Duffy racked up 4.4 fWAR with the Giants.
  • The Rockies are optimistic that righty Jose Mujica, the lone major league free agent they signed during the offseason, could debut in their rotation “sometime in the near future,” according to Kyle Newman of the Denver Post. Mujica, formerly with the Rays, didn’t pitch professionally last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in September 2018. The 23-year-old’s still working back from that procedure, but he did flash quite a bit of potential during his Triple-A debut two seasons ago. He tossed 36 2/3 innings of 2.70 ERA/2.81 FIP ball with 8.35 K/9 and 2.45 BB/9 at the minors’ highest level before going under the knife.

Latest On Nolan Arenado, Rockies

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It has been an awkward few months between the Rockies and franchise player Nolan Arenado. Although the superstar third baseman signed a club-record extension worth $234MM over seven years almost exactly 12 months ago (Feb. 26, 2019), there’s already friction between the two sides.

Arenado has frequented trade rumors and felt “disrespected” by the Rockies over the fact that they’ve done almost nothing to improve since a 71-win showing last year. Rockies bigwigs “felt assaulted” as a result of that revelation from Arenado, Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports writes. And when Arenado met with owner Dick Monfort and general manager Jeff Bridich during the offseason, the two organizational higher-ups took offense when the player questioned how much they want to win.

Had Arenado known the Rockies wouldn’t make a legitimate effort to better themselves, he may have turned down the extension, played out last season and tested the free-agent waters this past winter.

“Of course, I look back,’’ Arenado told Nightengale of his decision to stay in Colorado for the long haul. “I’m human, man.’’

Bridich, the executive responsible for constructing the Rockies’ roster, said last week that he expects to sit down with the disgruntled Arenado sometime this spring in an effort to repair their frayed relationship. That hasn’t happened thus far, though, per Nightengale. The two aren’t even speaking at all right now, according to Nightengale, who adds that Arenado’s only “nodding [Bridich’s] way when they’ve cross paths.”

Despite his unhappiness with those running the franchise, Arenado’s not going to serve as a behind-the-scenes distraction or put in any less effort if he stays with the Rockies, as he stated a couple weeks ago. It continues to appear less and less likely he’ll wind up on the move before the season starts in a month, but Nightengale reports that the Rockies are expected to put him back on the block before the July 31 trade deadline.

Between now and the deadline, the hope for both sides is that the Rockies will return to their playoff-caliber ways of 2017-18, thus negating the desire for a trade. If not, though, Arenado told Nightengale: “Then, the whole organization has to look at themselves and say, ‘Ok, what’s the next step?’ I guarantee I’ll be part of that conversation.’’

NL Notes: Dodgers, Cubs, Bryant, Rockies, Arenado

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Right-hander Brusdar Graterol was part of the first version of a three-team trade sending Mookie Betts from the Red Sox to the Dodgers. But the Red Sox backed out of acquiring Graterol, then with the Twins, in favor of a different package. The Red Sox were concerned that the flamethrowing 21-year-old wouldn’t project as a starter, and they had worries about his health, thereby causing them to back out of landing him. The Dodgers “didn’t disregard” the Red Sox’s reservations about Graterol, according to Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times, but they’re happy to have the 21-year-old after acquiring him from the Twins and Betts from the Red Sox in separate trades. “A guy with his stuff, it’s just a different look for our bullpen,” Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior told Castillo. “The ability to bring that kind of raw power, impact into the game is only a good thing for us.” After a period of uncertainty, Graterol is relieved to know where he’ll be playing going forward. “I really felt like I had a weight on top of me,” Graterol said, “not knowing what to do with the situation.”

Here’s more from the National League…

  • Cubs third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant is two seasons away from possibly reaching free agent, but famed agent Scott Boras is already touting his client’s value when asked. Boras told Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times: “How valuable is Kris Bryant?” He is truly glue. He’s the glue of the team, where if there is a gap offensively or defensively he’s there to fill it. Now he just needs an appropriate nickname, and that is ‘Elmer.’ Because he’s Elmer’s Glue for the Cubs.” And considering Bryant has shown an ability to line up at more than one position and hit in multiple spots in the Cubs’ lineup, Boras said he and others in his office have taken to calling him ”Island Boy.” Whatever nickname you want to give Bryant, it appears he’ll remain a Cub despite an offseason rife with trade rumors. The 28-year-old and the Cubs indicated earlier this week they expect to stay together this season.
  • There have been rumblings regarding a trade that would sent Bryant to the Rockies and fellow superstar third baseman Nolan Arenado to the Cubs. Those discussions became serious enough during the winter that both teams’ owners were on the phone with one another, but the talks didn’t get “that close,” Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com writes. Bryant and Arenado now seem as if they’ll stay where they are, at least to begin the season. Arenado addressed the Cubs rumors, though, per Rogers, saying: “That would have been interesting. That would have been crazy.”
  • As with Graterol, Bryant and Arenado, Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager was a prominent part of trade rumors over the winter. But like Bryant and Arenado, he hasn’t gone anywhere. The former Rookie of the Year didn’t pay much attention to that speculation, however, as Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register relays. Seager said he was “not bothered, maybe surprised is a better word” by the fact that his name came up in trade talks. Now, barring a blockbuster shortstop acquisition for the Dodgers (Francisco Lindor, for example), they’ll go into the upcoming season with Seager as their starter at the spot. They’re still in better position than most teams there, as the 25-year-old Seager has been one of the game’s finest shortstops since he debuted in 2015.

Jeff Bridich On Relationship With Nolan Arenado

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We’re nearing the one-year anniversary of the mammoth extension the Rockies awarded superstar third baseman Nolan Arenado last February. The club gave Arenado a franchise-record $234MM over seven years on a deal that won’t take effect until this season. There have already been trade rumors centering on Arenado, though, as well as a rift in the two sides’ relationship.

Arenado said last month “there’s a lot of disrespect from people there that I don’t want to be a part of,” and it’s not because his name has surfaced in trade talks. Rather, Arenado is reportedly annoyed that the Rockies haven’t made a clear attempt to better themselves after going from back-to-back playoff berths in 2017 and ’18 to a 71-win showing last season. The 28-year-old five-time All-Star remains a Rockie, however, and he assured last week that he won’t do anything behind the scenes to disrupt the team if he does stay in place.

Arenado’s beef is largely with general manager Jeff Bridich, who discussed the relationship he has with his franchise player Tuesday at Cactus League media day (via Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post). Bridich and Arenado haven’t sat down to clear the air yet, “But I trust that we will,” Bridich said.

The GM added that he’s hoping he and Arenado will get past their issues “through communication.” Regardless, Bridich emphasized that the goal is for the team to put together a much better year in 2020. Whether Arenado will be a part of it may be in question, but with seemingly no clubs making strong pushes to acquire him or his enormous contract (which includes an opt-out after 2021), it does seem he’ll at least start the upcoming season in Colorado.

Nolan Arenado Discusses Relationship With Rockies

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It hasn’t even been a full 12 months since third baseman Nolan Arenado signed a whopper of an extension with the Rockies, but the relationship between the two has already grown frosty. Arenado said late last month that he felt “disrespected” by the Rockies. Trade rumors were swirling around Arenado at the time, but that wasn’t the problem. Rather, he was reportedly irked because the Rockies made little effort to improve in the offseason after winning just 71 games in 2019.

With spring training in its early stages, there remains a “disconnect” between Arenado and the Rockies, he admitted to Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports. While Arenado isn’t thrilled with Rockies higher-ups, the relationship isn’t necessarily irreparable, nor will Arenado be a disruptive force behind the scenes if the team does retain him.

On the contrary, Arenado said to Brown: “To be honest with you, there is a disconnect right now, right? There’s a little bit of a disconnect. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be fixed. It doesn’t mean that I’m not gonna go out there and play hard for my teammates. Or be a negative presence in that locker room. That’s just not me. It’s not how I’m going to do things. I’m not going to be there trying to show them I don’t want to be there. I’m not going to be that way. That’s not fair. That’s drawing attention to me.”

That’s good news for the Rockies, who inked Arenado to a franchise-record seven-year, $234MM contract before last season. However, Arenado noted that he doesn’t regret anything he has said this offseason. The bottom line remains that the five-time All-Star wants to play for a contender.

“I’ve been to All-Star Games. I’ve done some special things, you know? I’ve won Gold Gloves,” he told Brown. “Those all mean a lot to me. At the end of the day the goal is to win. They signed me to win. And I want to be on a winner. If that’s in Colorado or somewhere else, I want to win.”

The Rockies made playoff appearances in 2017 and ’18, the first two of Arenado’s career, but they’ve fallen flat since then. The club, led by owner Dick Monfort and general manager Jeff Bridich, has signed just one major league free agent (unproven righty Jose Mujica) since last season ended. Thanks in part to that, the Rockies aren’t favored to push for a playoff spot this year.

While there’s certainly a case that Arenado’s within reason to be upset, that doesn’t mean he’ll be going anywhere before the season opens. Among his potential suitors, the Cardinals have indicated they don’t have payroll space for such a mega acquisition; the Rangers don’t expect anything to come together right now; the Nationals like their third basemen; and the Cubs probably aren’t moving Kris Bryant for Arenado.

Rizzo Downplays Nationals’ Interest In Trade For Third Baseman

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While we’ve heard some chatter suggesting the Nationals remain interested in trading for a top-shelf third baseman, Nationals president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo downplayed the possibility in comments to assembled media members including Todd Dybas of NBC Sports Washington (Twitter link).

Rizzo didn’t exactly stamp out the possibility of a late-breaking addition. But he certainly poured a bucket of cold water on recent hints that the Nats could still be talking with teams like the Rockies (Nolan Arenado) and Cubs (Kris Bryant).

“We’re not looking to make a trade,” says Rizzo. “It’s nothing that’s been a priority for us in the offseason.”

It would be foolish to assume that those comments are decisive. After all, no executive would fully commit the team’s direction through the media. And Rizzo in particular has acted counter to his public indications in the past.

That said, the Nats’ multiple, smaller veteran infield additions run counter to the concept of a major trade for a third baseman. It’s possible to imagine a reshuffling of the roster that would accommodate a new star player, but the organization might’ve stayed its hand a bit more with its earlier moves if it saw that as a plausible outcome.

As things stand, the D.C. organization will seek to defend its crown by relying upon a gathering of options at third (and second) base. The team hopes that youngster Carter Kieboom can lock up the job in camp, Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com writes. Otherwise, it’ll be a matter of mixing and matching. Another inexperienced player, Jake Noll, also has a 40-man spot and could push for a shot with a big spring. Veterans Asdrubal Cabrera, Howie Kendrick, and Starlin Castro all have spent time at the hot corner. Adrian Sanchez and Wilmer Difo will compete for a utility gig with veteran Emilio Bonifacio.

Cubs Still Discussing Kris Bryant Trade Scenarios

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Spring Training is already getting rolling, but it seems there’s still some possibility for a big deal or two. The Cubs are still talking through possible Kris Bryant trade scenarios with rival organizations, according to Patrick Mooney of The Athletic (subscription link).

There’s still no indication that Bryant is particularly likely to be dealt, or that talks are especially hot and heavy with any given team. But the Chicago organization is not only “still active in the trade market,” per Mooney, but is “feeling a sense of urgency to do something” to improve the roster.

Potential landing spots remain as obvious as ever on paper — and as obscure as ever in terms of firm public knowledge. Mooney says the Rockies and Cubs still haven’t “completely dismissed” sorting out a wild swap involving Nolan Arenado, but it remains awfully hard to see that coming together.

Otherwise, we can only assess reasonable fits based upon an analysis of rosters, balance sheets, and tangential reporting. The Rangers make a good bit of conceptual sense as a match. It seems fair to wonder whether the Padres could engage the Cubs after missing on Mookie Betts, with the idea of utilizing Bryant in the corner outfield. The Phillies certainly could stand to improve at third base; the Braves and Nationals also make some degree of sense.

As much as anything, the still-open situation makes for added intrigue as the Cubs prepare to launch a fascinating spring. The team is not only attempting a cultural re-boot, but still has quite a few roster and playing-time situations to sort through. And there’ll be no shortage of scrutiny after another deafeningly quiet winter on the transactional front.

Rockies Notes: Monfort, Murphy, Hilliard

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The Rockies lost 91 games in 2019, and they haven’t signed a single major league free agent, but Chairman and CEO Dick Monfort predicts a 94-win season in Colorado, per The Denver Post’s Kyle Newman. That would be a franchise high for the Rockies, who thrice have won 90 games but never exceeded 92. And of course, they have yet to capture their first NL West crown. Let’s stick with the Rockies…

  • Monfort cites the 2007 to 2009 Rockies as precedent for his projection, who sandwiched a pair of playoff teams around an 88-loss unit in 2008. The core of the Rox’ 91-win team from 2018 remains largely intact (for now) with Nolan Arenado, Trevor Story, and Charlie Blackmon leading the offense, while Jon Gray, German Marquez and Kyle Freeland front the rotation. Of course, questions abound for that group, from performance to health to Arenado’s recent comments about the team. The Rockies were a top-10 unit by measure of runs scored even in 2019, so a turnaround isn’t impossible. Significant, wholesale improvements from the pitching staff would have to figure heavily in a turnaround after the staff ranked 29th in the majors with a 5.58 ERA in 2019.
  • Daniel Murphy will be a key player to watch in 2020, writes Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. Murphy seemed like a great fit for Coors Field heading into 2019, but an injury slowed the start of his season and the offensive numbers never really surfaced. Murphy doesn’t bring a plus glove at first base, so his contribution needs to come with the bat. A .279/.328/.452 line was his lowest mark across the board since 2015.
  • Of the young players, Sam Hilliard has a chance to break into the everyday lineup, per MLB.com’s Thomas Harding. The lefty masher put up a 1.006 OPS in 27 games last year, an impressive audition. He’s a candidate to take the strong end of a platoon with Ian Desmond in left. Hilliard will have to prove he can make enough contact to see his name on the lineup card daily, but with his combination of speed and power, the physical gifts are there.
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