Dodgers-Rockies Nolan Arenado trade seems unlikely after organization’s comments

The Dodgers taking on Nolan Arenado seems problematic, actually.

Baseball fans still have no idea what to anticipate during this unpredictable offseason, and it’s giving way to a ton of rumors and speculation that serve mostly as confusion. The Los Angeles Dodgers haven’t exactly been involved in the crossfire, but they haven’t been immune to the chatter.

There’s been a lot of discourse surrounding Justin Turner’s status with the team, Corey Seager’s future after 2021, and potential trades involving Kris Bryant, Blake Snell and Nolan Arenado — all with varying degrees of veracity.

In the case of Arenado, though at first a trade seemed realistic — after all, the Dodgers had some money come off the books and that’ll be the case again after 2021 — it seems fans overlooked the organization’s recent actions and comments.

Here’s what Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times wrote:

“From the Dodgers’ perspective, could the team afford to absorb Arenado’s $35-million salary in 2021, assuming Major League Baseball holds a full season and players are paid in full? [Team president Stan] Kasten has said multiple times that the franchise lost ‘well north of’ $100 million in 2020. Last week, the Dodgers laid off more than 20 employees across the organization. Adding Arenado’s hefty salary doesn’t jibe with those developments.”

Also, adding Arenado’s contract puts them over the luxury tax threshold for 2021, which would cost them even more money. Yes, the Dodgers do print money and flex their financial might whenever necessary, but they don’t really need to do that in an offseason that’s characterized by financial murkiness. They just won the World Series and still have a majority of their core intact.

Why would they add $200 million to the payroll if they’re firing employees that were likely making six figures or less?

The rumors are fun. They’re captivating. But a lot of the time they don’t come to fruition. They’re rumors for a reason, and perhaps we all jumped the gun on an Arenado trade making financial sense. If the Dodgers have to give up a ton of prospects and inherit such a large contract, then you have to think that’s not exactly a priority.

We’re not here to rule it out, we’d just advise tempering expectations based on recent happenings.

Here’s why trading for Nolan Arenado solves a lot of the Dodgers’ issues

Trading for Nolan Arenado may seem like a tall task for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but it would actually solve a lot of problems.