Rockies, Arenado agree for $26M, avoid arbitration

The Colorado Rockies agreed to a one-year deal with third baseman Nolan Arenado on Thursday to avoid arbitration, the team announced. Terms were not announced, but multiple outlets report the deal is worth $26 million, surpassing Josh Donaldson's $23 million from last year for the largest one-year salary for an arbitration-eligible player.

Arenado reportedly sought a salary of $30 million, with the Rockies offering $24 million. The sides eventually met at $26 million to avoid an arbitration ruling. ESPN reports the Rockies hope to lock up the four-time All-Star on a long-term deal before he hits free agency next offseason, but it's unclear how interested Arenado is and how much he would be seeking.

The 27-year-old led the National League with 38 homers and finished second in RBIs (110) in 2018 while batting .297, finishing third in MVP voting. Over the past four seasons, all All-Star campaigns, he's batted .297 with an average of 40 homers and 126 RBIs while playing 158 games per year. Arenado has also won Gold Glove awards in each of his six MLB seasons. He finished fourth in MVP voting in 2017 and fifth in 2016.

The Rockies took Arenado in the second round of the 2009 draft. In 876 career games, he's batted .291 with 186 homers and 616 RBIs. --Field Level Media