Dodgers Should Pursue Disgruntled Nolan Arenado, Says FOX Radio
Indeed, it’s big news any time a superstar in baseball fires shots at his organization through the media. Therefore, when Nolan Arenado said he felt ‘disrespected’ by the Colorado Rockies on Monday, people sat up and took notice.
Now, the talk about Arenado has gone national with FOX Sports Radio hosts Jason Smith and Mike Harmon discussing the situation. The duo believes it’s time to strike while the iron is hot – or while Arenado and the Rockies aren’t getting along.
?? "#NolanArenado is a guy you go get! #Rockies can get out from the contract. They'd like to move him. They just need to be wowed. Who has the players that can wow them. The #Dodgers."@howaboutafresca w/@SwollenDome: https://t.co/fF6MpFTkTy pic.twitter.com/vRCA0cJiTE
— FOX Sports Radio (@FoxSportsRadio) January 21, 2020
First, the hosts talk about that this is the emerging item that the Dodgers need after an underwhelming off-season. Plus the Dodgers can weaken a division opponent by acquiring Arenado.
“The Dodgers clearly need to do something, because they are the team that didn’t really do anything in the off-season. Clearly they are the ones in the middle of a great run here in the NL West. They’re still the team to beat. A team that will be their closest competition [Colorado], they can weaken them by taking their best player. Are our prospects going to work out?”
Of course, they forget the fact that they may be shipping a Gavin Lux or another great sum of prospects to Colorado to haunt them for years down the road. Still, they make a point that when you hear Arenado wants out; it’s at least worth making a call.
“You can go get the best third baseman in baseball. I get that you have Justin Turner, but you work things out. This is a guy you go get if you can. You get on the phone right now when you hear he doesn’t want to be a part of things in Colorado. The Dodgers have the players to ‘wow’ them.”
Personally – while I feel the fit is undeniable – the Dodgers sharing a division with the Rockies actually makes it less likely. Let’s face it, they don’t want to see Gavin Lux or Keibert Ruiz coming to town annually for the next decade. That’s only natural across all sports.
We will see what happens, but it’s become a national story with Arenado and the organization that signed him to a long-term extension just a short time ago.
NEXT: Examining Why LA Was Not More Aggressive During Off-Season
He’s not coming to another rival NL West team until his opt out. Then he can be signed and we keep all of our prospects too. Wondering why Nolan feels disrespected…about 28 million reasons per year of respect from the Rox.
Indeed. When exactly does he feel that disrespect – when he cashes his check? Gotta love players that take 15 – 20% of a team’s payroll for themselves and then immediately whine that the team hasn’t signed the players needed to win. MLB players need to take a basic course in math.
He’s a gold glove and very good hitter at rockies stadium only away he is 260 hitter not worth it.Playing for Dodgers his average would be about 260 or less with 15 hrs 70 rbis He’s not worth 10 million that’s why rockies were trying to trade him.dodgers not that stupid
Nolan Arenado can hit ANYWHERE…He is an elite player in his prime…. no sense worrying about it, Fraudman and the cheap clowns running the team won’t do anything anyway
He hit .277 with a .521 slg % on the road last season and is the best defender in the NL at his position. A position the Dodgers have been looking to improve for the future. Too many people including me said DJLM couldn’t hit on the road. He proved everyone wrong this year. Arenado was stupid to sign that deal with them if he really thought the Rockies were going to invest the money to catch the Dodgers. He has a no-trade clause and could try to force his way to LA and that’s the only way the Rockies would deal him to LA.
Exactly Buckeye, correct on all fronts..
I may sound soft headed here, but that’s OK. Sometimes baseball can be beautiful. When guys like Brooks Robinson and Mike Schmidt made the acrobatic plays at third base it was beautiful. Arenado does the same thing. That alone would be worth it to have him on the Dodgers. I love watching the guy play. By the way he’s also a right handed power hitter the Dodgers desperately need. I don’t care if his average is lower on the road, and at Dodger stadium. I don’t deny the thin air effect in Denver. But once he calls Dodger stadium home, he might get real comfortable there too. And he’d have capacity crowds to give him an adrenaline boost for every home game.
A 265 hitter and less than 30 home run guy (which is what it is outside Colorado) is not worth 25 to 30 mil per year. His lifetime away average is only 265.
I would go after him if I were the Dodgers but the Rockies have stated that they are reluctant/not going to trade Arenado to a division rival. I would wait until Arenado opts out of his contract.
This is such a lazy take. So basically you’re saying rich people can’t be upset with their situation just because they’re rich? Small minded fool.
Clearly the Rockies told Arenado that they would put together a team that can compete every year and they’re not doing that. The guy wants to win, the Rockies aren’t putting him in a position to do that. And don’t forget he signed the deal a couple months after the Rockies made the playoffs for the second straight year.
He feels disrespected because the owner said he’ll be on the Opening Day roster, which implies he may not be on the season ending roster. Misplaced or misused words can effect the ego or the heart a player has for his team when it may appear non mutual.
What I find amusing is ANY player that demands a long term hundred million $ contract the Dodgers and some of their fans always speak of its not worth the prospects! What the money ball generation doesn’t quite absorb, is the Hundred million guy IS and was someone else’s prospect at one time! Arenado is the 1 in a hundred prospect that turned out! That was every fantasy sports kids dream player! And he deserves every cent ! Aranado would make any lineup dangerous in October! The Dodgers haven’t produced a Arenado from their system since Piazza! I’d give Colorado our top 10 prospects! No way any Dodgers 3 rd base prospects will amount to this perennial all star, goldglove MVP candidate! Once in a generational player! But the Dodgers with their love affair with their nothing prospects, moneyball dream and huge profit margin will always convince the fan base that Rocky Gael and Joc Pederson are gonna be great!!! Just let us developed them!!!!
The Dodgers haven’t produced an Arenado since Piazza? Bellinger is a hell of a lot better than Arenado. God, the regulars who comment here are, for the most part, as dumb as a rock.
No he’s not. Bellinger didn’t deserve that award last year. Bell hasn’t been as consistent yet as Nolan has ! Bell chokes in Oct! MVPs are supposed to be the best player in the league, including playoffs. Canuck, your speech resembles that of a man who’s rectal aperture is comprised of a material generally used in basic reproduction and publication of tabloids! Touche’ hoser…….
Lmao Kirk
LOL, for sure. But right on, Kirk! As I said before , Rocky Gale offensively makes Austin Barnes look like Johnny Bench or Mike Piazza. I certainly would deal Lux and a few others for Arenado in a heart beat!
Canuck, Bellinger was mvp caliber for 3 months. He won that award because Yelich went down and also because those 3 months were so unbelievable he could sit on it for the second half and still have better stats than Rendon
Until Corey and Bellinger can actually hit at all in the playoffs, I wouldn’t ditch the ‘nothing prospect’ Joc.
I would. All Pederson does is yank homers. I’d sign Pillar from the Giants, eat that horrendous Pollock contract and send them both anywhere but in L.A. Pillar is above and beyond night and day better than both of them.
In response to your remark about Dodgers not producing a talent like Arenado from their system since Piazza, I would say even recent history of Kershaw, Bellinger and to a lesser extent Buehler and Seager would have to disagree with you. That’s not even mentioning diamonds in the rough they found from other teams’ trash bins such as Turner and Muncy who developed into all-star level players as Dodgers, or the current younger prospects with high ceiling talent such as Lux or May. Say what you will about Kershaw’s checkered post-season resume, but there is no doubt that his career accomplishments up to this point vastly exceeds Arenado, and even with the postseason resume considered, he at least helped his team get and advance in the postseason a lot more and farther than Arenado ever has. And as far as Bellinger goes, he already at the age of 24 (4 1/2 years younger than Arenado) has to some degree accomplished more than Arenado has, with an MVP, several long postseason runs, etc. And guys like Buehler and Seager have already shown to have perennial all-star talent. I’m not saying Arenado isn’t an elite talent, and I would be all for seeing him in Dodger blue for the right price, but to say blanket statements like “love for prospects, moneyball dream,” etc. is the downfall to this team would be a grossly oversimplified and ill-informed statement.
Say the Dodgers take your advice and trade their top 10 prospects, that will include guys like Lux, May, Ruiz, Gray, Downs, Hoese, Busch, Cartaya, etc. for either 2 years of prime Arenado or 7 years of a $230+ million contract to a guy approaching his mid to later 30s. If we use recent history as a barometer for what that would look like 5 years later, take our top 10 prospects from 5 years ago in 2015. There are perennial all-stars like Seager, Bellinger, Buehler, and above average starters such as Verdugo, or the (still) promising impact guys like Urias. Not to mention other prospects we used in that list as trade bait to get contributors like Hill, Darvish, Machado. If our top prospects in 2015 is any indication for what our current prospects might become over the next 5 years, it would be incredibly foolish to let go of all that cheap, cost-controlled all-star level talent and depth for one expensive, albeit elite player. According to your logic, if the Dodgers did that kind of a move back in 2015 for an all-star level player at the time, they wouldn’t have had a big part of their core that took them to back-to-back WS, and are positioned for many more in the coming years. Even if we were to make a VERY conservative estimation, there is likely to be at least 2 all-star level players in our current top 10, and probably another couple MLB starting level talent. Again, I personally wouldn’t be opposed to getting someone like Arenado, or the Kris Bryants/Francisco Lindors of the world, but again, at the right price, because your take on prospects having a 1% chance of panning out, especially in the Dodgers development system is a gross underestimation, and we don’t know if we Lux or Downs or Hoese, etc. might become a perennial all-star talent for years to come.
An, good reply, and thank you for your take. None of these guys you mention are in the hall and won’t be with the money ball platooning.But the org evaluates them ” with their metric” dreams as ” one day” being as valuable as actual FA veterans that have ” earned” their paydays and also notereity as the games top performers. Kersh has been a great Dodger and will go down as one of the greatest regular season pitchers of all time, but usually to make it to the Hall you have to be a post season performer as well. Kersh is good, but not considered with the likes of Greg Maddox per say. Bell is on his way to being the player Arenado is, but his 1 great season will have to keep up for a few more years to be as good as Nolan. Arenado has had 5 straight seasons of 100 runs, 100 RBIs, 30 to 40 homers, gold gloves and MVP. Piazza we all know ended up being the best hitting catcher of all time and his numbers match well with Arenado to this point in their careers. Arenado is the blueprint for all great players to be judged by at this time! Hopefully Bell will continue, but unless money ball changes its path, Bell will end up a Yankee or Red Sock. As far as money ball and dream prospects, a few of the fans even here have fallen for the Dodgers and their incredible farm system that developed all of these phenomenol players that are so good and have so much potential, that they can’t be traded etc. Let me remind you that the Dodgers have not won a PAC triple A championship since the 90′ s. All players are good, they have to be to make that level, but there’s a false perception being sold to the fans that ALL of these players are better than the rest of the leagues farm systems. That they All are better to take a wait and see approach while passing up on young in their prime players that have already developed into once in a generation players, just like Arenado! This why I consider their penny pinching money ball, triple A experiment just that! It hasn’t won for them at any level! While other orgs keep plugging along paying Free Agents, only keeping the top tier farm players and winning world series, the Dodgers keep the fan base sold on ” just wait”, and well be good for years to come! Question is, do you put a ring on that girls hand and seal the deal? Or do you sit around for 33 years waiting for the right one to come along? Money ball has never won a thing!
@Kirk, you seem to have massive tunnel vision in your evaluation of the baseball.
A few things
1) Arendo would be a massive get for the dodgers. I agree with your assessment that he is a superstar player. I would be all for dodgers getting him, but not at cost of getting fleeceed. A trade like what Yankees gave up for Stanton would make sense as starting point (assuming Dodgers take on massive contract)
2) If you care so much about post season performance when evaluating talent… you do know Arenado is hitting .190 in post season games right? (Granted, 5 game sample size, but that is kinda the point, post season stats are terrible way to measure a player)
3) It is very hard to take your opinion seriously say “Kersh has been a great Dodger …, but usually to make it to the Hall you have to be a post season performer as well”. Literally, EVERY SINGLE sports writer has Kershaw down as a guaranteed HOFer, even if he retired RIGHT NOW…. You do make some solid points, but terrible takes like that are a detriment to your arguments.
4) the moneyball platooning thing…. like, you watched 2019 right? only strict platoon was LF… Taylor/Kike I guess also kinda platooned, but that was more positional versatility. 2018 they platooned like crazy sure… but that was because that team was just bad… if they had not platooned, we wouldn’t have made it to post season, let alone world series.
5) AJ’s analysis up top is spot on. This FO does value prospects very highly, but they get to because of how well they have used the farm to make a powerhouse team. If FO showed no restraint, we would have traded Seager for Hamels, Bellinger for Dozier, Urias for Sale (that one may prove to be wrong decision, time will tell), Buehler for Darvish (FO played hardball until deadline almost closed to bring Rangers demands down), Verdugo for Kluber. These are just the ones I remember, and im sure there are countless more.
6) FO has shown a consistent willingness to pay to keep their own players. Granted, I’m curious to see what happens with Seager, as they showed with Yasiel, if they have positional depth, they are willing to let good players go, but we haven’t seen them let elite talent (like Turner, Kershaw, Jensen) go. So as far as the moneyball argument used for assuming our elite players will just move on is not a strong argument. (You do have very valid reasons to be worried though!)
When the rumors first started to circulate about Arenado being traded to the Dodgers, I thought the chances were slim to none. And the chances aren’t much better now. But the Dodgers should pursue him for one simple reason. Arenado really is unhappy with the Rockies. In fact he’s clearly pi**ed off. Not only did the Rockies shop him after the long contract signing (a real mixed signal), but they were also terrible last year and show no sign of trying to be a contender in the near term. Trout is in a much better situation with the Angels. Even though they are perennial losers, they have made a real commitment to winning, with the Rendon aquisition being the biggest move. I think Arenado wants to play on a team that will make a real commitment to him, and to winning. The Dodgers are a good fit for both. It’s still a long shot, but the Dodgers should make a push to get Arenado. They can’t lose anything by trying. At least we don’t have to worry about the Angels getting him, they already stole Rendon out from under us.
Almost guaranteed our FO has reached out about Arenado! Our guys stay pretty tight lipped when it comes to there wheeling and dealing. I remember the Machado and the Puig/Farmer trades coming almost out of the nowhere! (First Kemp trade as well!)
It’s really if Rockies wanna play ball.
Once at Boland stays away from Coors Field not all that good. Not worth giving away our top prospects who just might be great. Many one of the top and then others. You can’t give away guys we would have to face for years to come.That would be dumb. We need another top pitcher more of we want to win it all.
Get Arenado out of rockies stadium and his numbers suck.
Louis, even if ya say that, he is STILL better than any RH hitter Dodgers have. Turner is good, don’t get me wrong, but at this stage in his career he cannot be counted on to be in there daily. and the other RH hitters, Kike and Taylor are serviceable utility players Will Smith could really blossom as a RH bat but he is still unproven got the most part.
Get real here guys……….Gavin Lux, Kelbert Ruiz, Justin Turner, it does not matter who you offer them………the Rockies will NEVER trade him to the Dodgers……….sending this guy to the team who has won the last seven division titles within you own division? As if that would not be stupid enough, the Rockies have SEVERE Dodger envy going already, they most certainly will not compound their misery by giving their favorite son Arenado an opportunity to win in LA. Whomever came up with this idea is using some serious meds.
In any event, Arenado may decide that he won’t be dealt to the Dodgers and if he wants out of Colorado before his opt out time, he would have to agree to go elsewhere, such as St. Louis, because he is good friends with Goldy there. But when all is said and done Arenado is a RHB, an impact player even if his road numbers may not be equal to those at Coors. Right now Dodgers are VERY LACKING in RH bats.. Most of the offense comes from the LH hitter’s box and it sure looks like that will again be the case in 2020. That I don’t believe will get them deep into October.
I’m not sorry, I don’t like the guy, yeah I’ve seen him play many games, he’s been good and I’ve seen the bad plays also. Dodgers let go one hot head a couple of years ago and they’ve had their share of hotheads booted out of the Dodger organization. Dodgers don’t need to get a superstar, check the farm, look at trades later, Dodgers should wait.
Make the deal!!!!! Lets not get raked over the coals in doing it. We have numerous catching prospects, as well as “sweeteners” we can to the pot. The only issue in my mind is this : Do the Dodgers really want to make a deal, or are they going to wait until mid-season, or 2021? Go Blue!!!