Chicago Cubs: Top three reasons Cubs should pass on Nolan Arenado

The Chicago Cubs are one of the teams considering going after Colorado Rockies third baseman, Nolan Arenado. The Cubs might want to pass on this one.

Most Chicago Cubs fans are singing the same song this offseason – one of the team being very frugal in their acquisitions. That whole notion of not spending money really set off some of the Cubs fans and pundits that have labeled the offseason as ugly and lackluster.

While no one will negate the fact that the Cubs have been lethargic this offseason, I have to counter the negative narrative with the thought that at least they haven’t done another mind-blowing Jason Heyward or Brandon Morrow deal. In fact, Morrow signed back on with the Cubs for next season under a minor league contract which makes better sense than his first Cubs contract.

Although Chicago has not formally stated that third baseman Kris Bryant will be out next season or gone, they have been looking for players who can fill that role with the latest being Colorado Rockies All-Star third baseman, Nolan Arenado.

But are the Cubs settling for leftovers after a quiet offseason that has seen many big names move on? Are they trying to hop on the Arenado bandwagon to settle their third base controversy with Bryant? Here are the top three reasons the Chicago Cubs should pass on Arenado.

Chicago Cubs: Reason #3 – Arenado is injury prone 

Rockies fans won’t much understand this article, as Arenado is basically Colorado’s Anthony Rizzo. They love the guy there, but just like Rizzo, the All-Star third baseman has been beaten up pretty good while serving as one the best players in the league.

The person who really said it best was Chicago Cubs owner, Tom Ricketts, who told reporters at the beginning of the offseason that no one out there available is really a good deal. Ricketts went on to say that players come with baggage unless you get them right off the farm or Triple-A. These guys have injuries, family issues, money-issues and some even playing issues.

Ricketts knows a good deal when he sees one and hopefully he won’t be blinded by headlines enough to make an offer on Arenado whose injuries are a concern.

Last season, Arenado was out several times, although in his defense, he did everything Rizzo-style to come back to his team and help out. The question is: do we need another Rizzo with back, shoulder, hand, finger and toe issues? Those were just a few of the injuries that took Arenado out the last few seasons and could be a signal of where he could be suffering again next season.

Remember Arenado has played for the Rockies for seven seasons. Just start looking backward and the injuries pile up. Broken fingers and hand injuries have prevailed throughout his career but as Arenado got older he began to “tweak” his shoulder, bruise his toe and injure his lower back more frequently each season. I can just see the headlines if Arenado comes aboard and I can hear all the chatter that first time as a Cub, Arenado goes on the injured list for a bad back.

Told you so.

Chicago Cubs: Reason #2 – Colorado wants too much for Arenado

If the rumors are true, Colorado would be willing to part ways with Arenado if the Cubs would give up All-Star catcher Willson Contreras and possibly right fielder Jason Heyward. In a separate deal, Chicago would flip Bryant to another club for pitching and prospects.

The almost laughable proposal makes me wonder what color the sky is in Colorado’s world, because they are on another planet.

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First, lets just do a side-by-side comparison of Bryant and Arenado’s careers. Arenado is about two years ahead of Bryant since he came on the scene in 2013 as opposed to Bryant in 2015. Yes, that means that Arenado is older than Bryant in baseball career years.

In two more years, the Cubs superstar would most likely have reached or surpassed Arenado’s numbers if he hadn’t been injured in 2018. That injury and timeout significantly hurt his stats by stopping an otherwise promising career start. To Arenado’s credit, even with his injuries, his stats have remained consistent.

Arenado is eight months older than Bryant and so still has a lot of time to develop at age 26, whereas we may be seeing the best of Arenado right now. Arenado’s home run, double and run totals went down last season from 2018 – although, granted, he still turned in another stellar campaign.

While a trade for Arenado and of Bryant are separate matters, the two are undoubtedly intertwined. One thing is perfectly clear though – the latter is still one of the best players in the game and the Cubs won’t trade him just for the sake of making a deal this offseason.

I think Bryant will have a lot on his mind this season, whoever he ends up playing for but something tells me it just may be his best season ever; as he is really playing for his future.

The question is how much interest is there for Bryant out there?