Colorado Rockies All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado is acknowledging an ongoing “disconnect” between himself and team management as he prepares to begin spring training.
“There’s a little bit of a disconnect, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fixed,” Arenado told Yahoo Sports on Friday. “It doesn’t mean that I’m not going to go out there and play hard for my teammates or be a negative presence in that locker room. That’s just not me. It’s not how I’m going to do things.”
The tension became public last month when Arenado told MLB.com that he felt “a lot of disrespect from people there” following general manager Jeff Bridich’s acknowledgement that he listened to trade offers for the third baseman this offseason.
Sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan at the time that Arenado was particularly frustrated by the Rockies’ inaction this offseason following their 71-91 record in 2019. Earlier this week, Bridich offered a “no comment” when asked about his relationship with Arenado.
Meanwhile, Arenado, who is set to report to the Rockies on Sunday, told Yahoo that he won’t take back his previous comments but is also trying to look ahead to the upcoming season.
“I’ve got to move on from it,” Arenado said. “I don’t need to surround myself with the negativity, because that’s going to factor in my performance.”
But Arenado also expressed his desire to be on a winning team. He is signed to an eight-year, $260 million contract that runs through the 2026 season, though he could opt out after 2021. The deal also contains a full no-trade clause, meaning he would have to approve any move.
“They signed me to win,” he told Yahoo. “And I want to be on a winner. If that’s in Colorado or somewhere else, I want to win.”