The Braves had some conversations with the Rocky Mountains on Nolan Arenado before the third baseman was distributed to the Cardinals, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required). Rosenthal also sheds some light on one of the most intriguing rumors of the last off-season, conversations between the Rocky Mountains and Cubs about a trade involving Arenado and Kris Bryant. Jason Heyward was also part of the negotiations at one point when the Cubs sought payroll compensation for the Arenado contract, although the Rockies were not interested in adding money beyond the 2021 season (which marks the end of Bryant’s current contract and when Arenado could have exercised its exclusion clause).
As Rosenthal notes, the Cubs may end up looking back on these negotiations as “what could have been”, as they will now face Arenado regularly at Central NL. From Colorado’s point of view, such a negotiation might not have been a clear victory if a Bryant bound for the Rocky Mountains had suffered a series of similar injuries that hurt him in the current 2020 season, but may still have attracted better criticism than his commercial package from St.. Louis. “Rival executives remain perplexed by the deal,” writes Rosenthal, while the Roxs inexplicably found themselves in an unhealthy situation with their best player.
More from the West NL…
- Also from Rosenthal, the Diamondbacks I have received some interest in Eduardo escobar but the team doesn’t seem very interested at the moment. If an exchange happens, it may not happen until closer to the exchange deadline if the Snakes are not in the running, as Arizona would like to give Escobar a chance to rebuild some suitable commercial value. Escobar fought for a .212 / .270 / .335 cut line in 222 plate appearances last season, a big step below his very solid performance in 2018-19. Signed for a three-year extension in October 2018, Escobar is also scheduled to reach the free agency next winter, so he has even more incentive for a year of recovery.
- Brandon Belt underwent heel surgery in October, and the Giants it did not provide any specific timeline for when the first baseman could return to action. Baseball operations president Farhan Zaidi shed a little more light on the subject when talking to reporters (including Alex Pavlovic of the NBC Sports Bay Area) this week, saying that Belt was “it is not a certainty” and just “a possibility”To play on Opening Day. On the positive side, Zaidi said the team is satisfied with Belt’s rehabilitation so far, and more will be known as soon as they take a look at Belt during spring training. Belt is leaving a great year for San Francisco, although the team should be able to cope in the event of a relatively brief absence from Belt, due to the number of players in the squad with first base experience – Wilmer Flores, Austin Slater, Darin Rufregular catcher Buster Posey, and new addition Tommy La Stella.