Nolan Arenado, St. Louis Cardinals. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado was shocked to see the Colorado Rockies pay out the wazoo for Kris Bryant in his free agency.
Seeing the Colorado Rockies pay Kris Bryant big money caught St. Louis Cardinals star Nolan Arenado totally off-guard.
Prior to getting traded over to St. Louis, Arenado had been the cornerstone at the hot corner for the NL West franchise. During his time in Denver, Arenado was the best defensive third baseman in baseball and one of the best hitters in the National League. Though he is in a better spot with a better-run organization in St. Louis, he was surprised to see Colorado give Bryant the bag here.
Do keep in mind that this is a different front office regime than the one he played for previously.
Nolan Arenado chimes in on Colorado Rockies signing Kris Bryant in free agency
While it seemed highly unlikely that Bryant would be returning to the San Francisco Giants in his free agency, he was often connected to teams like the New York Mets, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Seattle Mariners. Though the Rockies rumors never went away entirely, it is so strange to see a struggling franchise pay this much cash after essentially punting on paying Arenado’s deal.
As for the Rockies, they have a former NL MVP in the peak of his powers joining the club. While outfielder Charlie Blackmon has been the mainstay in Denver, this is Bryant’s team going forward. It will be interesting to see what type of talent the Rockies place around him. Though he may want to win again, him going to Colorado was about heading west and securing the bag above all else.
Arenado is in a better spot in St. Louis, but he will always remember how his Rockies run ended.