5 Potential Landing Spots For Troy Tulowitzki

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With the Colorado Rockies now sitting at the bottom of the NL West after losing 10 straight games with the potential to extend that streak to 11 against the Los Angeles Angels tonight, many have wondered if the Rockies will deal away with their superstar shortstop Troy Tulowitzki.

Tulo is currently hitting .307 on the year and has uncharacteristically only hit two home runs.

According to the New York Post, the short stop has reportedly “mulled asking for a trade”. So with that being said, let’s take a look at some potential landing spots and trades that could be made for Tulowitzki.

1. New York Mets

This one is somewhat obvious. The Mets have a dire need for a short stop and they have the prospects and cap space to acquire Tulo. The Mets have repeatedly been rumored to be interested in the all star, so a trade to Queens would not be surprising. If a deal went down, I would expect at least one of their top prospects like Noah Syndergaard and someone like Michael Fulmer, their #15 ranked prospect according to MLB.com, to be traded.

Predicted Trade: Noah Syndergaard and Michael Fulmer for Troy Tulowitzki and a Player to be Named Later/Cash.

2. New York Yankees

Staying in New York, the Bronx Bombers are another team that have a need for a quality shortstop after the retirement of Derek Jeter. Didi Gregorius has simply not gotten the job done, and if the Yankees want to be in contention this year, they will either need Gregorius to step it up or they will need to make a deal for Tulo. I am choosing the latter of the two just because I truly don’t believe in Gregorius’s ability at the plate. He is only hitting .217 and while he has been above average defensively, Tulowitzki can do everything he does but just much better. Look for a pitcher like former 1st round pick Ty Hensley and their #1 prospect according to MLB.com Luis Severino to be dealt in any deal for Tulo.

Predicted Trade: Ty Hensley, Luis Severino, and cash for Troy Tulowitzki.

3. San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres were the talk of the offseason when GM A.J. Preller made move after move. Whether it was Wil Myers, Justin Upton, Matt Kemp, James Shields, or Craig Kimbrel, the Padres let the rest of the MLB know that they were in “Win Now” mode. One position that they failed to address, however, has been shortstop. With the Padres farm system almost depleted from all of their transactions, the only way to acquire Tulowitzki is if they traded one of their starters from their solid rotation and also included a young player on their roster like Jedd Gyorko or Cory Spangenberg.

Predicted Trade: Andrew Cashner and Cory Spangenberg for Troy Tulowitzki and Daniel Descalso.

4. Arizona Diamondbacks

While this landing spot is not as likely to occur as the other 3 teams, the Diamondbacks have a need for a quality shortstop that will add protection in the lineup for young phenom Paul Goldschmidt. So far, I have included a pitcher in every trade because the Rockies have a need for a quality starter outside of Jorge De la Rosa and potential breakout star Kyle Kendrick. However, the Diamondbacks do not have a starting pitcher to trade, as I do not see them trading young star Archie Bradley or top prospect Touki Tousaint anytime soon. Instead, I am looking for them to trade a bundle of prospects and current major leaguers for Tulo.

Predicted Trade: Peter O’Brien, Mark Trumbo, and Player to be Named Later for Troy Tulowitzki and Drew Stubbs.

5. Detroit Tigers

Yes, I know, they have Jose Iglesias, but a great defensive short stop will not help carry a team as far as someone who is a great all-around player (Just look at Andrelton Simmons on the Atlanta Braves). Adding Tulowitzki will give them an all star short stop that they haven’t had since the days of Jhonny Peralta, but he isn’t even comparable to Tulo as Tulo is by far a better fielder and he is also a somewhat better hitter than Peralta was in Detroit. Given Tulowitzki’s injury history, the Tigers would be looking to acquire another short stop prospect who is major league ready, which is why I can see them also wanting Trevor Story from the Rockies. The Tigers don’t have an extremely deep farm system, so like the potential Padres deal they would trade away players who are major leaguers, such as J.D. Martinez.

Predicted Trade: J.D. Martinez, Alex Avila, and Andrew Romine for Troy Tulowitzki and Trevor Story.