Arenado ‘disrespected’ as GM discloses trade talk
Nolan Arenado apparently will be on the Colorado Rockies roster come spring training, but that doesn’t mean the All-Star third baseman is happy about it.
On the same day general manager Jeff Bridich acknowledged that he listened to trade offers for the franchise cornerstone this offseason, Arenado voiced his displeasure about the situation.
“There’s a lot of disrespect from people there that I don’t want to be a part of. You can quote that,” he told MLB.com.
Arenado didn’t specify why he feels disrespected, but the timing of his comments to MLB.com came shortly after the Denver Post published a story in which Bridich spoke about those trade talks.
“With the season coming up and spring training on the horizon, we are going to start focusing on that,” Bridich told the Post. “We have listened to teams regarding Nolan and really nothing has come of it. We are going to move forward pretty much as we expected — with Nolan in the purple and black and as our third baseman.
“So we can put this to bed and collectively look forward to the upcoming season and work toward that.”
Asked by MLB.com about Bridich’s comments, Arenado continued: “You ask what I thought of Jeff’s quotes and I say I don’t care what people say around there. There is a lot of disrespect.”
Arenado is just one year into an eight-year, $260 million contract he inked with the Rockies last February. He is tied to the team through the 2026 season, although the contract includes a player opt-out after the 2021 season, as well as a no-trade clause.
A five-time All-Star and a seven-time Gold Glover, the 28-year-old Arenado hit .315 with 41 home runs and 118 RBIs in 2019. But Colorado went just 71-91, a year after making the playoffs.
Among the teams that reportedly expressed interest for Arenado this offseason were the Atlanta Braves and St Louis Cardinals.