Rockies’ Arenado says ‘my heart was here’

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. » Nolan Arenado asked questions. Lots of them. A staggering amount, according to his agent.

Once the third baseman acquired the answers needed, it became clear to Arenado he didn’t need to experience the allure of free agency. He wanted to be in Colorado if the Rockies were willing to make the kind of commitment worthy of keeping the fourtime All-Star and six-time Gold Glove winner.

“At the end of the day my heart was here,” Arenado said on Feb. 27, a day after agreeing to a $260 million, eight-year contract.

Arenado chose the certainty and potential of the Rockies over the uncertainty of a free-agent market that’s been hard to predict in the past couple of seasons. He is sticking with the team that first drafted him in June 2009 in the hope of following Todd Helton’s path and being a fixture in Denver for his entire career.

“Believe me, I educated myself a lot on what I really wanted and I just felt like this was the best thing for me,” Arenado said. “I love playing with this group. I think we have a great group. I really believe we can win. I wouldn’t make this decision if I didn’t believe that.”

Arenado’s deal has a $32.5 million average annual value, second behind the $34.42 million for pitcher Zack Greinke in a $206.5 million contract with Arizona that began in 2016. Arenado has a full no-trade provision and can terminate the deal after three seasons, a point which both Arenado and Rockies GM Jeff Bridich saw as beneficial to determine whether Colorado remains a title contender.

“Hopefully it’s not a factor but those sorts of situations are part of large contracts these days with the type of commitment,” Bridich said.

Arenado’s deal is the second financial splash by mid-market NL West teams during spring training after San Diego landed a $300 million, 10-year deal with San Diego.