The Rocky Mountains had other options. They could have negotiated Nolan Arenado with the Cubs last season. They could have challenged Arenado to give up in the next off-season. Instead, they chose port 3, an Arenado exchange for the cardinals, which only brought them contempt.
Rivaled executives remain baffled by the deal, in which the Rockies sent Arenado and $ 51 million to the Cardinals for southpaw Austin Gomber and four minor leagues, only one of which, infielder Elehuris Montero, was in Keith Law’s top 15 for St Louis entering the 2020 season.
Why were the Rocky Mountains so compelled to act when they had Arenado under contract until 2026? Despite all of Arenado’s frustration with general manager Jeff Bridich and team management, he acknowledged on Tuesday that “it might not have been a big decision” to give up at the end of the season, when he still owed $ 164 million in five years.
Arenado cited the financial uncertainty of the game …