Arenado wants to win 'in Colorado or somewhere else'

Colorado Rockies superstar Nolan Arenado had his name bandied around in trade rumors all winter and traded public barbs with the front office. In an effort to come clean, Arenado explained his only motivation is winning a World Series, wherever that may be.

"The perception of me right now, some people have different things, right?" Arenado said, according to Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports. "It's, 'Oh, you make money, keep your mouth shut. You signed this deal,' and this and that. But, at the end of the day, man, people misunderstand. ... I only get one chance at this. I have seven years left on my deal. I don't know how it's all going to turn out and I want to win.

"I've been to All-Star Games. I've done some special things, you know? I've won Gold Gloves. Those all mean a lot to me. At the end of the day, the goal is to win. They signed me to win. And I want to be on a winner. If that's in Colorado or somewhere else, I want to win."

After reportedly being shopped throughout the offseason, Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich told reporters in late January that Arenado was off the table. Hours later, the five-time All-Star and seven-time Gold Glove winner told reporters that he felt "a lot of disrespect" regarding the way the front office had treated him.

Trade rumors tied Arenado most predominantly to the St. Louis Cardinals but also to the Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers.

Arenado and the Rockies agreed to an eight-year extension worth $260 million last winter. He is still owed $234 million over the next seven seasons and can choose to opt out following the 2021 campaign.

Since breaking into the majors in 2013 as a 22-year-old, Arenado has proved himself as one of the most durable and talented third basemen in the game. Over seven seasons, the four-time Silver Slugger has authored an .897 OPS and won the Gold Glove each time. Over the past five campaigns, Arenado has appeared in at least 155 games and finished no lower than eighth in NL MVP voting.