It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. For the St. Louis Cardinals, they just traded for a hall of fame caliber third baseman, and for the Colorado Rockies, they got nothing in return. The Cardinals are trying to win, the Rockies are trying to lose.
On Feb. 1, the Rockies agreed to give the Cardinals star third baseman Nolan Arenado, along with roughly $51 million dollars. The Rockies return for this trade was five low-grade prospects, pitchers Austin Gomber, Tony Locey, and Jake Sommers, along with two infielders, Mateo Gil and Elehuris Montero, according to CBS Sports. Keep in mind that only one of the five players the Rockies traded for have played in the MLB.
This is a losing move for the Rockies. The Rockies didn’t even get a top 100 prospect in the trade, a complete and utter failure. These were not the best prospects available, and yet, the Rockies agreed to trade away their best player (and don’t forget the 51 million dollars to help pay for the said player) for nowhere near as much in return.
“I’ve concluded that this is quite possibly the downfall of the Rockies”
Declan Hume
“I’ve concluded that this is quite possibly the downfall of the Rockies,” said Declan Hume, junior. “To protest the decision they made, I won’t go to another game, wear their logo, buy their merchandise, and I have moved my interests toward a new team, the Oakland Athletics.”
This trade is a nightmare. But, maybe the Rockies are just looking to start over and compete 4-5 years in the future, with new, better prospects, right? No. Hilariously, the Rockies GM Jeff Birdich, in a public interview, according to the Denver Post, said that the Rockies weren’t going to rebuild.
“This certainly is not a total teardown and rebuild like certain teams have chosen to undergo over time. I think if that were the case, certain players would have already been traded right or we would have made serious overtures to move certain players in an effort to completely tear down and start a complete rebuild,” said Birdich.
This move is outraging, but it could at least be respected if the goal was to try to restart. We needed better pitching, and a better outfield, so I understand trying to reset it all. But, as Birdich said, this isn’t how things are going to go, which makes no sense. This team, without Arenado, has no shot of playoff contention. Stop pretending it does.
The trade has set this team’s playoff window back for 4-5 years, and it got rid of a franchise player, which is why die-hard fans, like Hume, are leaving. But the worst part about it all is the fact that the Rockies don’t have a viable plan to compete. The lack of a viable plan just shows how incompetent this team is run at the very top, and at the end of the day, all they want is for you to go to the games, buy the $20 hotdog and drink, and not care about the quality of play on the field. There is no focus on winning, no focus on improving the team.
The Rockies’ real plan is to make more money. That’s all they want. If you value competitive baseball in Colorado, show the Rockies by not giving them any of your money. At the end of the day, that’s all they want. They don’t want to win the World Series, they want to get your money. So don’t give it to them. Show the Rockies that you’re only willing to pay and support the team when their plan is to win.
Anthony Kargoll, Podcast Editor
