Just a year ago, we were all talking about how the Colorado Rockies not only gave away third baseman Nolan Arenado, a legitimate MLB star, to the St. Louis Cardinals, but also paid them $51 million to help cover for his mammoth contract and get a better return.
Now, the Rockies are bringing in another stellar third baseman, with the same age as Arenado at the time (30), to play the same position for the next seven years.
The Rockies put $182 million on the table for Kris Bryant, so it was, in reality, hard for him to say no.
Lots of fans, analysts, and media members have tried to find some reasoning behind Bryant’s decision to go to Colorado with so many contenders interested in him.
Some say, and they would be right, that he has played under pressure for most of his career, on contenders and winning teams.
He has won an MVP award, a Rookie of the Year award, and the World Series, so he deserves to have the chance to play in a low-pressure environment, in a beautiful city and making a lot of money if that’s what he wants.
A Puzzling Decision By Bryant And The Rockies
But there is just no way he can expect the Rockies, one of the most dysfunctional franchises in MLB, to deliver a competitive team for him to contend anytime soon, especially in the tough NL West.
In fact, MLB insider Ken Rosenthal has some questions himself.
“Bryant earned the right to become a free agent and sign with the team of his choice. But did he not talk to Arenado or any of the other former Rockies who grew disillusioned in Colorado? Tremendous as Bryant’s contract is, how long before he becomes disillusioned, too?,” he tweeted.
Bryant earned the right to become a free agent and sign with the team of his choice. But did he not talk to Arenado or any of the other former Rockies who grew disillusioned in Colorado? Tremendous as Bryant’s contract is, how long before he becomes disillusioned, too?
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 16, 2022
Not only did Arenado grow disenchanted with the Rockies for many reasons, mainly the direction of the team, but Trevor Story did, too.
One has to think that they could have just kept Arenado and re-signed Story if they put some more money in the table instead of signing Bryant and giving the Cardinals money to take Arenado.
The three are amazingly talented baseball players, but two are better than one if they are all similar.
The opt-out clause they offered Arenado had disastrous consequences for everybody.
In any case, the Rockies sure hope they can keep Bryant happy: otherwise, he will be asking to be traded in two years.
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