NOLAN IN COLORADO
Will we see star at Coors again?
Q: With the prognosis of baseball returning this season with no fans and the reasonable possibility of next season with no fans, what are the chances of Rockies fans being able to see Nolan Arenado in a Rockies uniform IN PERSON? With this season already lost as far as no fans at the ballpark, and his opt-out clause at end of next year and the possibility of him being traded even before that, it seems to me that the odds of seeing Nolan play in person for the Rockies again seem very slim at best.
Douglas, Denver
PS: Wow, that’s a gloomy thought. I had not considered the Arenado issue from the angle that Rockies fans will never see him play in person again. That would be a bummer.
On the bright side, I still think there’s a very slight chance that a limited number of fans might be able to watch games in person at Coors Field late this season — if there is a season.
But the heart of your question is legitimate. I’m convinced that Arenado, barring an injury or something else unforeseen, will opt out after 2021.
Before the coronavirus pandemic struck, I thought there was a good chance he would be traded by the July 31 deadline, especially if the Rockies were not in contention.
That’s not going to happen now, of course, meaning that an Arenado trade will once again become a hot topic during the 2020-21 offseason. But things are even more complicated now because teams are losing a lot of money this year. Is another team going to want to take on Arenado’s $35 million paycheck for the 2021 season? I have my doubts.
My bottom line: I think Arenado will play for the Rockies in 2020 and will be in a Colorado uniform to begin 2021 but will be gone before the 2021 trade deadline.
Q: I love the game of baseball, but the players union and the owners both repulse me. My latest reason to despise them? Two words: Blake Snell. What an ungrateful, self-absorbed, out-of-touch prima donna. I work in a hospital. Him? He’s 60-feet, 6inches away from the nearest human in his job. Guys like him make me hope there’s no season. Nolan Arenado should stay away from those comments — you don’t have to have the back of the biggest idiot in the room. It took me 13 years to get over 1994. If they do it again, I’m not coming back.
PS: Allen, many fans share your point of view. As I’ve said before, I thought Snell’s comments were callous and tone-deaf and a big mistake. I agree with the players’ position that they have to make a united stand and I understand why they reject the idea of revenue sharing, but they don’t need Snell shooting his mouth off. Some players are so cocooned in their baseball world that they have no understanding of what regular people go through. MLB and the MLBPA are going to have to reach some sort of compromise — and soon — if they are going to save what’s left of the 2020 season. The problem is, they don’t trust each other.
Q: Who’s on your Mt. Rushmore of Rockies pitchers? I feel like with batters, it’s a no-brainer in Larry Walker, Todd Helton and Nolan Arenado with some debate for the fourth spot (I like Vinny Castilla, personally). But with pitchers, it’s a whole other story. So, Ubaldo Jimenez and who else?
Nathan S., Fort Collins
PS: Nathan, that’s a very tough question. I agree on Jimenez. I would also include lefty Jorge De LaRosa and right-handers Aaron Cook and German Marquez. I think Marquez has a chance to be the best Rockies’ best pitcher to ever take the mound.