This Rangers-Rockies Trade for Nolan Arenado Could Actually Work
By Sean Facey
Despite their signing of veteran third baseman Todd Frazier, the Texas Rangers are still very much in on the Nolan Arenado sweepstakes.
The St. Louis Cardinals have reportedly discussed trading quite a haul of players for him, but the Rangers have plenty of pieces that could entice the Colorado Rockies into making a deal.
If they were willing to trade top prospect Josh Jung, left fielder Willie Calhoun, reliever Jose Leclerc, and pitching prospect Jonathan Hernandez, they could end up acquiring Arenado after all, and matching St. Louis' rumored four-player offer.
Sources: #Rangers will continue their efforts to acquire 3B Nolan Arenado via trade from #Rockies even after agreeing to a free-agent contract with Todd Frazier. Frazier could play 1B in the event Texas lands Arenado. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 12, 2020
Jung would give the Rockies a talented, young third baseman to groom in their farm system. He already ranks as the No. 55 prospect in all of baseball, and in a few years, he could be a meaningful contributor at the hot corner in Colorado.
As for established major-league talent, Calhoun and Leclerc would be perfect pieces to head back to the Rockies. Calhoun finished 2019 with a strong 110 OPS+, and Leclerc's xwOBA against ranked in the 90th percentile last year.
Jose Leclerc's xwOBA, xSLG, and xBA against all ranked in the 90th percentile or higher last year.
— Baseball Focus (@baseball_focus) January 12, 2020
Dude is filthy and poised for a re-emergence next season.
The two of them are both on controllable contracts and provide plenty of upside in areas of need for Colorado.
Hernandez would be a bit of a sweetener to help seal the deal. The 23-year-old right-hander managed a modest 4.32 ERA and logged 19 strikeouts through his first 16.2 innings in the majors last year.
Our @MLBBruceLevine just reported the Cardinals trade offer he heard for Nolan Arenado would be newly acquired Matthew Liberatore, Dakota Hudson, Carlos Martinez, and Tyler O'Neill. Good luck topping that offer, anyone.
— M@ (@MattSpiegel670) January 11, 2020
It's going to take a massive package like this to land Arenado, especially considering that he's under contract through 2026 (though his opt-out two seasons from now complicates the matter of compensation). However, with Jung, Calhoun, Leclerc and Hernandez combined, the Rangers could finally grab their big third base bat.