The Colorado Rockies got themselves to a spot that wasn’t good enough to want to add assets prior to the non-waiver trading deadline and the baseball world pondered which pieces they should trade away. After all, fans reasoned, Peralta could always move to another position once Troy was finally in the house. He languished on a roster that consistently finished near the bottom of the National League West standings while only achieving a meager. His name has unfortunately become synonymous with the disabled list. It is estimated that Tulowitzki has missed 334 games between the 2007 – 2014 seasons due to various injuries and ailments.
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News of the apparent trade produced a flurry of social media reaction from several Blue Jays. He still hits for average and can still swipe some bases. If one were to look at Bill James’ Runs Created statistic, Tulowitzki’s estimated total contributions to the Rockies’ runs total was 526.
In 87 games this season, Tulowitzki is batting.
Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (2) forces out Cincinnati Reds’ Tucker Barnhart (16) at second while throwing out Billy Hamilton at first to complete the double play during the third inning of a baseball game, Friday, July 24, 2015, in Denver.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity early Tuesday because the deal had not yet been announced.
Tulowitzki has long been discussed as a possible trade candidate for the seemingly perpetually rebuilding Rockies, but ownership has long held tightly to their franchise centerpiece. Tulowitzki is making $20 million this year and $20 million a season through 2019, $14 million in 2020 and has a team option of $15 million in 2021, when he’ll be 36.
It’s not as though Tulowitzki is the flawless player at this stage of his career. The Blue Jays have struggled throughout the year in key bullpen situations.
Looking at the Blue Jays’ lineup, a middle of the order featuring Jose Bautista, Tulowitzki, Josh Donaldson and Edwin Encarnacion is absolutely scary for opposing pitchers. Members of the analytics community will watch with a close eye to see if Tulowitzki’s defense will improve as he makes the transition to playing on an artificial surface.
The Blue Jays are sending Jose Reyes, their current starting shortstop, to Colorado in return, but more rumors are already coming out that Rockies General Manager Jeff Bridich might have designs on flipping Reyes right back out of town. LeMahieu should continue to hit second. The Angels won 10-2.
Additionally, Tulowitzki’s long-term fit with the Blue Jays is puzzling.
The contrarians will say that offence was the least of the Jays’ requirements; or that it’s too much money for another guy with with a questionable injury history; or that the prospects they’ve surrendered will turn into Sandy Koufax. It’s safe to call the Blue Jays offense the scariest in the league. At a minimum, the Jays are absorbing an extra $52 million here, while also picking up three more years of control. He is signed through 2017 on a six-year, $106 million deal.
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So this projects as a one- or two-win upgrade for the Jays.
