Rockies owner on Troy Tulowitzki to Mets: ‘It’s not happening’
Mets fans hoping to see Troy Tulowitzki in blue and orange next season won’t want to hear this.
Rockies co-owner Charlie Monfort told the New York Post on Thursday at the MLB owners meetings there’s no chance Colorado is trading Tulowitzki to New York:
“It’s not happening. I can’t speak for him, but yeah, we want him. I think he’s strong and he’s worked hard and he’ll be back. He’ll be Tulo of old.”
Earlier this offseason the Rockies indicated they were open to moving their All-Star shortstop, but the asking price has been exceedingly high.
There’s a reason for that. When healthy there’s no shortstop in the game today that can match Tulowitzki’s production at the plate and in the field.
However, health has been an issue throughout his career. Last season Tulowitzki hit an absurd .340/.432/.603 but was limited to 91 games because of a left hip injury. He underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in August and is expected to be ready for spring training workouts.
Besides the injury risk, there’s another reason teams haven’t been willing to give the Rockies what they want for Tulowitzki. He’s now 30, he’s still owed $118 million over the next six seasons, and according to the Post, Colorado isn’t planning on picking up any of that money if they do trade him.
Tulowitzki hasn’t been afraid to criticize the organization, making the relationship between star and team a little more contentious of late. It’s not a perfect situation but it appears both sides will have to make it work, at least for the time being,
With Tulowitzki seemingly out of the picture, the Mets will turn their attention elsewhere. Wilmer Flores is currently set to be the starter at shortstop but New York continues to search for a possible upgrade. Ian Desmond of the Nationals is reportedly a target while free agent Everth Cabrera, who was let go by the Padres in December, could be a buy-low candidate.
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Israel Fehr is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr
