Chicago Cubs: Trading Kris Bryant isn’t as simple as it might seem

Chicago Cubs: An Arenado trade could change everything

As if there weren’t enough moving parts in this whole trading Bryant scenario, Jon Morosi is reporting that there’s a ’50-50′ shot the Colorado Rockies trade Nolan Arenado this offseason.

Arenado, a five-time All-Star and seven-time Gold Glover, is one of the best players in the game, hands-down. Last season, he had a .962 OPS while hitting 41 home runs and finishing in the Top 10 in MVP voting for the fifth straight season.

He signed a massive contract extension with Colorado recently, a seven-year, $260 million deal that runs through 2025. That likely rules out any small market teams, leaving clubs like Atlanta, Washington or maybe the Dodgers as potential suitors, although Morosi says the Rockies are unlikely to trade Arenado within the division.

All that considered, acquiring Bryant and acquiring Arenado are two different animals. The former has just two years of control and is slated to make $18.5 million in arbitration this offseason. Arenado, meanwhile, makes nearly double that ($35 million annually) for the next five years. The cost is significant in either case – and this could be the storyline to follow in the weeks to come.