NL West Notes: Arenado, Braves, Cubs, Escobar, Belt

The Brave had talks with the Rockies about Nolan Arenado before the star third baseman is distributed to the Cardinals, reports Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (subscription required). Rosenthal also sheds some light on one of the most intriguing rumors of the last offseason, the talks between the Rockies and Small about a trade involving both Arenado and Kris bryant. Jason heyward was also part of the negotiations at one point as the Cubs sought payroll compensation for the Arenado contract, although the Rockies are not interested in adding money beyond the 2021 season (which marks the end of Bryant’s current contract and when Arenado could have exercised his opt-out clause).

As Rosenthal notes, the Cubs could end up seeing these talks as “what could have been” given that they will now face Arenado regularly in NL Central. From Colorado’s perspective, such a trade might not have been a clear victory if a Rockies-linked Bryant had suffered a series of similar injuries that hampered him in the actual 2020 season, but he still could have attract better reviews than their St. Louis. “Rival leaders remain baffled by the deal,” Rosenthal writes, as the Rox rather inexplicably put themselves in an irreparable situation with their best player.

More NL West …

• Also from Rosenthal, the Diamondbacks were interested in Eduardo Escobar but the team does not seem very interested at the moment. If a trade does take place, it may not happen before the trade deadline if the Snakes are not in contention, as Arizona would like to give Escobar a chance to rebuild an appropriate trade value. Escobar struggled to hit a .212 / .270 / .335 cut-off line in 222 appearances on the field last season, a major step up from his very strong performance in 2018-19. Signed for a three-year extension in October 2018, Escobar is also expected to enter free agency next winter, so he has all the more incentive for a year of rebound.
• Brandon belt had heel surgery in October and the giants did not give a specific timeline as to when the first baseman could be back in action. Baseball operations president Farhan Zaidi shed some more light on the matter during his interview with reporters (including Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area) this week, saying Belt was “not a certainty” and only “a possibility”To play on opening day. On the bright side, Zaidi said the team have been happy with Belt’s rehabilitation so far, and more will be known once they take a look at Belt during training. spring. Belt has just had a huge year for San Francisco, although the team should be able to cope with a relatively brief absence for Belt, due to the number of players on the roster with first-time grassroots experience – Wilmer Flores, Austin slater, In its reputation, regular receiver Buster posey, and new addition Tommy La Stella.