Arenado puts brakes on contract-extension talk

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Rockies star third baseman Nolan Arenado said he and the club will not discuss the possibility of a contract extension until after the 2018 season.
Considered one of the game's top stars at his position, Arenado refuses to let his possible free agency after the 2019 season become a distraction to a club that is coming off its first postseason appearance since 2009. Sunday morning, he made that clear.
"I don't think anything's going to happen until after the season," he said. "We have a good team and our focus is on winning -- as it should be -- and that's what everybody wants."
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Arenado is due $17.5 million in '18 to complete his two-year, $29.5 million deal, and is eligible for arbitration after the season. 
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Arenado arrived at camp open to talking about a contract -- meaning an extension into his free-agency years -- but warned then that he was not going to let it be a distraction.
Neither will two core players in the last year of club control -- second baseman DJ LeMahieu, playing on an $8.5 million one-year deal, and center fielder Charlie Blackmon, due $14 million on his one-year agreement.
"I don't think it's really a factor, honestly," LeMahieu said. "Charlie and I have talked about it quite a bit, together, about the future. We came to the conclusion we have a really good team this year and we want to have a great year as a team."