Milestone No. 23. The Rockies trade Nolan Arenado to the Cardinals
Mar 12, 2025, 7:08 AM | Updated: 6:33 pm
The Fan is turning 30! For three decades, the station has been covering Denver sports, serving as a media outlet of record for the biggest events over the past 30 years.
There have been a lot of them. From championships to MVPs, from historic seasons to improbable victories, The Fan has been there for all of them.
What were the best of the best? During a six week span, Denver Sports will chronicle the moments that stood out the most. It’s a countdown from No. 30 to No. 1, in a series called “Mile High Milestones.”
Enjoy the trip down memory lane!
***
For a brief moment, all was right with the Rockies. They had just come off back-to-back postseason appearances for the first time in franchise history. They boasted the best starting rotation the team had ever fielded. They had invested heavily in their bullpen. And they inked their best player to a contract that keep him in Colorado for the rest of his prime.
It was February 26, 2019. And everyone was all smiles at Salt River Fields, with Dick Monfort happily announcing that his ballclub had signed Nolan Arenado to an eight-year, $260-million contract extension.
It seemed like a great investment. After all, Arenado was one of the best players in the league. The third baseman had been selected to the previous four All-Star Games, had won six Gold Gloves during his six MLB seasons, was a perennial MVP candidate and had led the National League in home runs three times.
Arenado was a star. And the Rockies had secured the 28-year-old for eight more seasons.
Fast forward two years and Arenado was being shipped to the Cardinals in one of the most-disastrous trades in franchise history. Colorado sent the then six-time All-Star to St. Louis, as well as $51 million, in exchange for five marginal players, the best of which was pitcher Austin Gomber.
General manager Jeff Bridich worked the deal, literally paying the Cards to take the Rockies best player off their hands. It was a shockingly sparse haul that the GM was able to get in return for on the game’s biggest stars.
But that’s how desperate Colorado was to get Arenado out of town. They were willing to pay $51 million to have him play for someone else.
Why? Because the relationship between the third baseman and the club had turned toxic.
Less than one year after signing his eight-year, $260-million deal, Arenado was grumbling about the talent around him. He was unhappy about the Rockies finishing a disappointing 71-91 in ’19 and he wanted the team to pony up to add pieces around him. Unfortunately, Colorado wasn’t in a position to do so.
They were still reeling from ill-advised contracts given to Ian Desmond and Daniel Murphy, two players who greatly underperformed in purple pinstripes. Plus, they still needed to get out from under the most-expensive bullpen ever assembled, with contracts given to Wade Davis, Jake McGee and Bryan Shaw that still had years remaining on them.
With $146 million committed in 2020, the Rockies were going to have to try to win with what they had. Unlike, the Yankees, Dodgers or Red Sox, they couldn’t afford to buy their way out of mistakes; they had to ride it out and hope that things would turn around.
That didn’t sit well with Arenado, despite the fact that he knew the situation when he signed his mega-contract. The third baseman was aware of who was on the roster. And he knew that Colorado didn’t have the king of deep pockets that other franchises enjoyed.
Yet, he wanted out. One bad season and Arenado wanted to take his ball and go home.
That didn’t sit well with Bridich. The two men suffered through the COVID-shortened ’20 season, but neither wanted to continue the relationship beyond that campaign.
Thus, one of the best players in franchise history was traded away for five journeymen. And the Rockies paid $51 million to make it happen.
***
THE COUNTDOWN
30: Ubaldo Jimenez has a magical season
29: Todd Helton get enshrined in Cooperstown
28: Valeri Nichushkin goes missing in the postseason – twice!
27: The Avalanche win their second Stanley Cup
26: The Nuggets come back from two 3-1 deficits in the bubble
25: The seemingly never-ending Broncos ownership saga
24: Hurricane Josh hits the Mile High City
***
Wanna hear more about this Mile High Milestone? Tune into “The Rundown” at noon or check out the show on YouTube to hear Richie Carni and a special guest take a walk down memory lane.
