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Kansas City Royals missed opportunity to acquire Nolan Arenado

By Cullen Jekel

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 22: Nolan Arenado #28 of the Colorado Rockies hits a sacrifice fly ball to score Trevor Story #27 from third base against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the sixth inning at Dodger Stadium on August 22, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 22: Nolan Arenado #28 of the Colorado Rockies hits a sacrifice fly ball to score Trevor Story #27 from third base against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the sixth inning at Dodger Stadium on August 22, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
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Kansas City Royals third baseman Kelvin Gutierrez (47) – Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Kansas City Royals third baseman Kelvin Gutierrez (47) – Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /

First, let’s chat a bit about Nolan Arenado.

Dude’s a stud. He turns 30 in mid-April. He broke into the league in 2013 as a 22-year-old, won his first Gold Glove, and then, two seasons later, he broke out, slashing .287/.323/.575.

For the first of three times, he led the league in home runs (42). He also led the Majors in RBIs (130) and total bases (354), made his first All-Star Game, won his third straight Gold Glove, won the first of four straight Silver Sluggers, and finished in the Top 10 in MVP voting for the first of five straight seasons.

Even including last year’s shortened schedule in which he appeared in only 48 games and, due to a shoulder injury, posted his lowest OPS and OPS+ since his rookie season, Arenado has averaged throughout his eight-year career the following:

  • .293/.349/.890 for a 120 OPS+
  • 97 runs, 181 hits, 39 doubles, 35 home runs, 114 runs batted in

He’s made five All-Star Games while winning eight Gold Gloves and four Platinum Gloves (awarded to the best overall defensive player of each league) along with four Silver Slugger awards.

So, what did the Cardinals give up to land such a baseball player?

A fringe Major League pitcher and four prospects.

Really. That’s it. And the pitcher, lefty Austin Gomber, may be the best of the bunch.

The Fringe MLBer, Gomber has pitched in the Majors in just two seasons, starting 15 games while appearing in another 28 out of the bullpen. The former fourth-round pick is 27 and owns a career 3.72 ERA and 3.89 FIP while walking over four batters per nine innings.

Then there’s 22-year-old third-base prospect Elehuris Montero, the best of the prospects, and The Headliner of this deal. Signed out of the Dominican Republic when he was 16, Montero was previously ranked 10th in the Cardinals’ farm system by Bleacher Report, but only the team’s third-ranked third baseman.

Mateo Gil is just 20 and can play both short and third. The former 2018 third-round pick most recently posted a .518 OPS in the Mexican Pacific Winter League. He can perhaps turn into a Solid Utility Player.

The Rockies also acquired two minor-league pitchers: Tony Locey and Jake Sommers, both righties. Locey, an Organizational Depth Piece and who played for the Georgia Bulldogs, is 22 and has only pitched 17 professional innings to the tune of a 5.29 ERA. Sommers, 23, is a former 10th-round draft pick and pitched rather decently over 51 innings in Rookie Ball back in 2019. He’s most likely a Future Relief Pitcher.

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