While Nolan Arenado asked questions about the tradition of the St. Louis Cardinals, the rivalry of games at Wrigley Field and life on a persistent playoff game, asked Dick Monfort, owner of the Colorado Rockies, if he had thought about firing himself.
Yes, the trade of the five-time All-Star and eight-time Gold Glove winner is going on in St. Louis. Louis much better off than in Denver. Even Monfort seemed sad that the franchise had finally agreed to meet Arenado’s desire and exchanged him for the franchise that set him up in 2009.
“I’m a fan. I’m real,” Monfort said. “I understand how they feel. To be honest, I’ll probably feel the same. I even feel the same. When we signed Nolan, it was an attempt to keep Nolan for the rest of his career. But things do change. . “
The Rockies never won a division title with Arenado, but they won the playoffs in 2017 and 2018 as a game card (in 2018, they lost a draw against the Dodgers for the 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 COVID shortened 2020 season, and they discussed several trading opportunities and finally decided on the St. $ 51 million – also goes to St. Louis to pay the remaining six years on Arenado’s contract.
Arenado can still sign up after 2021.
General manager Jeff Bridich disregarded the idea that the Rockies are now starting again.
“There are levels and variations in the rebuilding process, but it is certainly not a total breakdown and rebuilding as certain teams have chosen to go,” he said. “I think if it were the case that certain players would already be traded.”
One of the players is the two-time Trevor Story, the All-Star shortstop, who is eligible for free agency after the 2021 season. Story has been in seventh place since 2018 – with Arenado – in the WAR position among position players. Bridich said he expects Story to open the season with the Rockies, but adds that it is difficult to predict what will happen this season.
“His situation is separate from Nolan, as is the case with the rest of our players,” Bridich said. “We certainly cherish 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 do not know what the pandemic and what the virus will do and how things will work out. ‘
For now, the Rockies are acting as if they can still contest a playoff game in 2021, even without Arenado and without receiving any impact players in return or making any other important off-season.
“We have an extremely talented team,” Monfort said. “They are built to compete. It’s time for them to take the next step.”
After two poor seasons, the numbers don’t really support the rating. The Rockies were only eighth in the NL in runs in 2020 – after finishing in the top three every season between 2009 and 2018. They allowed the most runs in the league. Monfort still believes that the team must take on the fight in 2021.
“My biggest conviction is that we built pitching and that we did it internally. We have a lot of talented pitchers. … Jeff did a good job of getting young arms and not having to leave the free agency. “I think pitch is really a core we’ve never had in our history.”
The German Marquez is one of the more underrated beginners in the majors. Kyle Freeland finished fourth in the Cy Young poll in 2018 and bounced back with a solid 2020 after struggling in 2019. Jon Gray had the best potential, but had a few injuries and struggled with a 6.69 era in 2020.
The Rockies will therefore continue without their franchise player, and fans will wonder what will happen to Story.
As for himself or Bridich, Monfort replied, “I was thinking of firing myself, but I was not thinking of firing Jeff.”