The hot stove is fun (have you seen our free agent profiles?!), but there's a danger to the winter: things get goofy. Sources, rumors, "reports," and the hypothetical here's-a-crazy-idea posts we all inevitably write (because they're fun!) jump the shark after a while. When that happens, we're left with questions like whether the Rockies should trade Nolan Arenado. To wit:
Should the Colorado Rockies consider trading Nolan Arenado? — Mile High Sports
MHS writer Michael Jaycox cites this Keith Law piece from a few days ago in asking the question about whether the Rockies ought to trade Arenado. Jaycox ends up concluding he'd rather keep Arenado (so would I!), but uses Law's base as a thought exercise on trading for pitching.
I understand the need for pitching, and that selling high should inform virtually all trades, but Arenado may be blossoming into a superstar well beyond the "sell high" attitude that ought to prevail with other lesser talents like DJ LeMahieu, Charlie Blackmon, and Nick Hundley.
Besides, Arenado recently left Scott Boras in favor of a new agent; while working with a new agency may not guarantee the Rockies' ability to sign Arenado to a favorable long-term extension, it certainly won't make that less likely, since the chances with Boras were literally zero. Even without the extension, Arenado won't see free agency until 2020, and it'd be worthwhile to keep him in Denver for at least another year or two and trade him later in the arbitration process closer to free agency if the Rockies felt they couldn't sign him to an extension.
Sure, Arenado could get hurt next season—or be particularly bad on the field, I suppose—and therefore kill his value and harm the Rockies' future plans. Those are the risks you take in sports. But a trade right now—while the Rockies are just getting the feel for whether Arenado's new agency would be amenable to an extension with arbitration remaining—would be a mistake.
Also from Mile High Sports, Eric Goodman and Zach Fogg of the Afternoon Drive discussed CarGo and Arenado and the possibility of them being once in a generation players.
Inside baseball: the needs of 14 big spenders; more from GM meetings — CBS Sports
There's not much to report here, and in a move that should just shock you, Colorado is not among those 14 big spenders this winter, according to Jon Heyman. In fact, Heyman drops in exactly one line about the Rockies:
The Rockies are said to have made Gonzalez available again. "He'll be thrilled," a friend says.
Huh.
He also mentions in passing that the Orioles might have some interest in CarGo, as they look to rebuild their outfield and account for the (presumable) loss of Chris Davis' left-handed power bat from the middle of their lineup.
The National League's weakest positions — FanGraphs
Without clicking on that link or looking below (yet), can you guess which Rockies' position grades out in the bottom ten?
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You got it! It's first base! And here I am busy looking at guys like Mike Napoli for some help on that side of the infield. Napoli or not (yes, he's underwhelming), 2016 is going to be brutal. That's fine—the Rockies aren't going to contend anyways—but man, it might be a long year with Ben Paulsen and (gulp) Wilin Rosario platooning there.
The outfielders who threw 100 — FanGraphs
Here's a fun rundown of outfielders who, well, threw 100 mph this season! Fifteen different outfielders hit the triple digit mark, including one Rockie—and you can probably guess who it was. Fun to see the breakdowns and specific plays, though!
DJ LeMahieu on Heart and Hustle Award nomination — MLB.com
Go DJ, that's my DJ!
(One quibble for DJ: Eric Young, Sr. is your first base coach.)