While Nolan Arenado took questions about the consecrated tradition of Cardinals St. Louis, playing rivalry games at Wrigley Field and living in a permanent playoff contestant, Colorado Rockies owner Dick Monfort was asked if he thought of firing himself.
Yes, the transaction of the five-time All-Star winner and eight-time gold glove winner goes down much better in St. Louis. Louis than in Denver. Even Monfort seemed sad that the franchise had agreed to accept Arenado’s wish and changed it from the franchise he developed in 2009.
“I’m a fan. I’m really a fan,” Monfort said. “I understand how they feel. To be honest, I would probably feel the same way. I feel the same way. When I signed Nolan, it was an attempt to keep Nolan for the rest of his career. But things are changing. “
The Rockies never won a division title with Arenado, but they made the playoffs in 2017 and 2018 as a wild card (losing a tiebreaker game to the Dodgers for the 2018 NL West title). However, they went 71-91 in 2019, and Monfort said the club tried to trade Arenado after that season, when he first asked for a trade.
The Rockies then went 26-34 in the 2020 season shortened by COVID and discussed several commercial possibilities, eventually settling on the St. Louis deal. Louis who brought pitcher Austin Gomber and four minor leagues, with some money – maybe as much as $ 51 million – also going to St. Louis. Louis, to help pay the remaining six years of the Arenado contract.
Arenado may give up after 2021.
General manager Jeff Bridich downplayed the idea that the Rockies are starting over.
“There are levels and variations of the rebuilding process, but this is certainly not a total destruction and rebuilding as certain teams have chosen to go,” he said. “I think if that were the case, some players would have already been changed.”
One of these players would be twice the All-Star short film Trevor Story, which is eligible for free agency after the 2021 season. The story is tied for seventh place – with Arenado – in WAR among position players in 2018. Bridich said he expects Story to open the season with the Rockies, although he added that it is difficult to predict what will happen this season.
“His situation is separate from Nolan’s, as it is for our other players,” Bridich said. “We certainly value having Trevor as a shortstop. It’s very difficult to predict what the coming months will look like, in terms of the deadline, in terms of this season in general … but we don’t know what the pandemic is and what the virus will do and how things will work. “
For now, the Rockies are acting as if they could fight for a place in the playoffs in 2021, even without Arenado and without receiving impact players in return or making other significant off-season moves.
“We have an extremely talented team,” Monfort said. “They’re built to compete. It’s time to take the next step.”
After two weak seasons, the numbers don’t really support that assessment. The Rockies were only eighth in the NL in the 2020 races – after finishing in the top three each season between 2009 and 2018. They allowed the most races in the league. However, Monfort believes that the team has to play in 2021.
“My biggest belief is that I built pitching and did it internally. We have a lot of talented pitchers … Jeff did a good job of getting young weapons and not having to go to the agency market. “I think pitching is really a core we’ve never had in our history.”
German Marquez is one of the most underrated majors. Kyle Freeland finished fourth in the Cy Young vote in 2018 and came back with a solid 2020 after fighting in 2019. Jon Gray had a peak rotation potential, but had some injuries and fought an ERA of 6.69 in 2020.
So the Rockies will continue without their franchise player, and fans will be wondering what will happen to Story.
As for the dismissal itself – or Bridich – Monfort replied, “I thought of firing myself, but I didn’t think of firing Jeff.”