Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black hears all the Nolan Arenado trade rumors on a daily basis, same as everyone else. That said, he doesn’t put all that much stock into them. As far as he is concerned, both Arenado and Trevor Story will likely be members of the organization come the start of the season.
“My expectation is that they’ll be with us come Opening Day,” Black said this week.
“It’s great for baseball to talk about players and talk about trades and talk about movement, talk about free agency,” Black said.
“That’s good for the game. It’s great for the game to have that out there and baseball be in the news.”
During the abbreviated 2020 season, Arenado hit.253 with eight homers – unimpressive totals by his standards. He also ended up missing the last nine games of the year with a left shoulder bone bruise.
“I think Nolan’s in great shape as far as the shoulder and where it is health-wise,” Black said.
“We sort of knew that at the end of the season, if given a month of rest that the shoulder would bounce back. “As normal, he’s preparing as hard as anybody for the 2021 season.”
At his best, Arenado is one of the best players in the league at his position. Two seasons ago, he recorded 41 homers and 118 RBIs on .315 batting with a .962 OPS.
There are a lot of teams out there that could use a guy with his skill set – unfortunately he comes with a hefty price tag.
Arenado is due to make $35 million in 2021 as part of a $260 million, eight-year contract he signed with the Rockies in 2019.
Will that massive deal be what ultimately keeps him in Colorado for the long haul?
Time will tell.
Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.
