Danielle Server
Staff Writer
About a year ago, the Colorado Rockies and Nolan Arenado, their star 3B, signed a $260 million eight year contract that included an opt out clause after three years.
This news exploded across baseball as other star players like Bryce Harper and Manny Machado were being locked down for some of the biggest contracts baseball has seen. All across the country, Rockies fans alike celebrated at the news that their favorite third baseman would be with the Rockies for possibly the rest of his career.
Over the past winter, however, the Rockies organization made those plans as murky as dirty water, starting in December of 2019, displeasing Rockies fans. After a disastrous season with one of the worst opening records in baseball, the Rockies needed to work on making the team stronger, which includes trading.
Despite this, the only thing that Jeff Bridich, the general manager for the Rockies, did was make a mess of an off season. The Athletic, a sports journalism website, graded the off season with an F, giving it the worst grade out of all the baseball teams.
In December 2019, some individuals who closely followed the trade talks started reporting of talks between the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals, teams who are rebuilding and who could benefit from having a star third baseman.
The tension reached its boiling point when Arenado spoke out about the ordeal. He has no social media accounts to voice his life and opinions. He does not even make himself available for Rockies events like school visits.
So, when Arenado spoke to Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post about feeling disrespected by his own team, his words rippled throughout the baseball community, promptly sending Rockies fans into a frenzy. The fans backed up Arenado and called for Bridich to step down as the general manager.
“There has been a lot of stuff going on that nobody knows about and I was reacting to what was said. That was out of character for me because I’m very private with my life. The Rockies have been talking to my agent and [myself] this off season about a number of things that will remain between us. I will not speak on these things anymore. I’m getting ready for the upcoming season. I’m working hard to get better for my teammates and fans,” said Arenado to Saunders after his original comments were seen across social media.
A few days after, on Jan. 20, it was announced by Bridich that Arenado would not be traded during the off season. This seemed to calm fan’s fears at first, but the anger remained. The Rockies did not make any real moves to make the team stronger, especially in the pitching department, which they still need.
Spring training for all Major League Baseball (MLB) teams starts soon, which was reported by pitchers and catchers this week. It also means the media gets the chance to push for answers from Bridich about the Arenado situation. However, when asked by a member of the media, Bridich had no answer.
“Nothing. There is no comment. I haven’t any comment to this point, so we will move past that,” said Bridich.
Bridich is not treating the situation or Arenado with respect. Arenado was reported on Thursday to be practicing apart from the team. Although the rest of the team does not report until next week, players usually arrive early to get into the batting cages and workout with one another. If Arenado is practicing apart from them, who knows about the future Arenado has with the Rockies?
