Nolan Arenado trade rumors close out the Rockies’ winter meetings

Nolan Arenado trade rumors heat up as Rockies’ winter meetings end | The Denver Post ($)

Patrick Saunders reports that the Rockies have taken calls on Nolan Arenado, and that “those calls have recently picked up steam.” What’s not clear is if momentum has picked up because the Rockies are encouraging offers (perhaps by setting an attainable price) or because teams are feeling pressure to make a splash as winter meetings wind down.

What is clear is that trading Arenado would indicate the Rockies are going into a rebuild around Trevor Story, Ryan McMahon, Brendan Rodgers, and their young rotation. Next to leave would probably need to be Charlie Blackmon, and, if the Rockies could find a suitor, Ian Desmond. Hoping for a Wade Davis trade seems like the stuff of a galaxy far, far away, but that would make sense for a rebuilding club, too.

In other words, trading Arenado wouldn’t just be about the package of prospects the Rockies can get in return. It would signal a seismic shift in philosophy and an acknowledgement that the team Bridich built after the Tulowitzki trade is broken beyond repair. Even if that’s true, it’s hard to imagine the Rockies making that dramatic of a u-turn after one difficult season.

Also of note in the article is talk about Chi Chi Gonzalez making an impact in the rotation next season. Since I’m an Alex stan, I fully support this position regardless of how overly optimistic it may be at the moment. I believe in Chi Chi.

5 teams who could trade for Rockies third basemen Nolan Arenado | Fansided

I’m not sure how seriously I should take a list that has the Los Angeles Dodgers as the second most likely suitor in an Arenado trade. There is zero, zed, less-than-none chance the Rockies would ever trade perhaps the most talented player in franchise history and the star the fan base put their hopes into for half a decade to a team they play 18 times a year and consistently struggle to beat. Yes, the Dodgers have a deep farm system with plenty of pitching, I’m sure. It does not matter.

An AL team would make more sense, but even as I’m trying to think of the kind of package a deal like this would take, I’m seeing flashes of Jeff Hoffman and Jose Reyes in my mind, and I just can’t. I’m in a fragile place right now, apparently, because this is not a scenario I can even contemplate right now. I’m not ready for another five-year rebuild with a promising group of unproven prospects and the Rockies’ inability to consistently field a contender.

What do you think?

The 2019 Rule 5 Draft Scouting Reports | FanGraphs

For fans who have no idea what a “Rule 5 Draft” is (or for those who do but just want to make sure FanGraphs got their facts right), Eric Longenhagen begins his scouting report with a useful explanation.

The only transaction of note here is that the Rockies selected Michael Petersen from the Brewers. He’s a 25-year-old with a big arm who is a “lightning in a bottle type of add,” according to this report. It’s unlikely Petersen will ever make a big league roster, but the Rockies need all the big arms they can get, always, so why not?