Debacle In Denver

On Monday, the Cardinals and Rockies finally completed a trade that sends  All Star and Gold Glove winner, Nolan Arenado and 50 million dollars to the Cardinals for 5 players, only one who has MLB experience, LHP Austin Gomber. None of the other 4 players played baseball last year due to the shutdown of the minor leagues.

Reaction to the trade by the fan base has been almost entirely negative. Some expressed shock that the Rockies would even think of trading him. But the bad blood between Arenado and GM, Jeff Bridich, is a major factor in his being traded. And the fact that the Rockies wanted to get out from under his contract. So they paid the Cards to take him. What they got back was not much. Not one of the prospects is a top 10 prospect. Gomber was expected to compete for a spot in the starting rotation in St. Louis. Now he will do the same in Colorado.

One fan lamented, we gave them the keys to our Ferrari and wound up with some burned Sears activewear. Another asked if all of a sudden the Rockies were the Houston Texans of the major leagues.

To his credit, Bridich took the blame for the failures of the franchise the last couple of years, and when asked if he had thought of firing Bridich, owner Charlie Monfort said no, but he had thought of firing himself. The problem was two-fold, financial, and the fact that Arenado had asked for a trade only 9 months after he signed his contract.

Arenado felt disrespected by Bridich, and he did not feel the GM was honest with him about building a winner in Denver. One of the writers for the Denver Post, Mark Kizla, said that one thing he had noticed about Arenado is that he is soft hearted. He dislikes distraction, especially when it gets in  the way of him playing baseball. He felt he signed because he genuinely cared about his teammates. Oh the money was part of it and he probably felt at the time that he would finish his career as a Rockie. But after he felt underappreciated by Bridich, everything changed.

How does this affect Trevor Story? Well, Story looks at baseball with the eyes of a businessman. It is hard for anyone to imagine that he has not thought about the pros and cons of a potential exit from the Rockies. Most of the writers feel that if he is not traded at the deadline, he will most definitely leave via free agency next winter.

But the fan base? They could not be angrier. Almost all who I have talked to say they are done supporting the team, others have tried to get a fire Bridich website going. Some fans moaned that Monfort chose Bridich over the fans. It is hard to support an organization that lets it’s biggest stars go for what seems like nothing, and pay 50 million to boot.

Arenado himself is very happy about the change. He stated that as a kid, you dream of winning a World Series. And the Cardinals are the kind of organization that is committed to winning. His new deal is 7 years, 214 million, and he has 2 chances to opt out; 2021 and 2022. But he stated he has no intention of exercising the opt outs. Of course, if things get sour in St Loo, that could happen. But for now, he is a very happy guy. And he is going to a city with one of the better fan bases in baseball.

As for the Rockies themselves, they are definitely in trouble with their fans. This is the 3rd time a fan favorite has been sent packing. First was Matt Holiday, who was traded to the A’s for Carlos Gonzalez, and then Troy Tulowitzki. They have always had good hitters who rake in the thin air in Denver. Pitching? Not so much.

And now it seems that not only could Story be moved at the deadline, but other players also. There has been talk about pitcher Jon Gray. Fans are disgruntled and angry. As well they should be. Monfort’s steadfast refusal to deal Arenado to the Dodgers probably cost him some better prospects. The Dodgers could have easily given the Rockies a better package.

The real repercussions will not be known until later in the season. The Rocks still have some talent on the roster, but no ready replacement for their gold glover. 30 homers and 100 RBI s are not all that easy to replace.

Of course, like most of the franchises in baseball, no one really knows how much money the Rockies lost last year except the management. The good thing for the Dodgers is they no longer have to face Arenado 18-or 19 times a year. He did well against them in Colorado, but like most players, his numbers in Dodger stadium were not that great.

The Dodgers have their own free agent to worry about in Corey Seager. Do they try to sign an extension, or wait for him to try free agency. Some good ones on the market next season.

Some who wear the Purple and black, feel more like they are wearing black and blue. All of Arenado’s teammates had nothing but praise for him as a teammate. For the franchise, winning back the fans will not be an easy task. Most are convinced that the current leadership has no clue how to build a winning franchise. The lack of top 100 prospects is cited as one shortcoming.

Fans are calling Bridich all kinds of names, most of them not fit for print. And they point to longtime owner, Charlie Monfort as being someone who is not committed to bringing a winning team to the table.

Denver has never won a division title in their entire existence. Their only trip to the World Series came as a wild card entry. And they were soundly beaten by the Red Sox. Arenado has a much better chance of tasting, as Tommy would say, the fruits of victory in St Louis. Of course we all wish him well, except when they play the Dodgers.