Colorado Rockies Ship Troy Tulowitzki To Toronto Blue Jays

 

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Photo Credit: Getty Images

–UPDATE: 2:00 AM —

According to Bob Elliot of the Toronto Sun, 2014 first round pick Jeff Hoffman will be packaged in the deal for Tulowtizki. 

Hoffman is currently a top-100 prospect according to MLB.com and is 3-3 with a 2.93 ERA on the year. He was recently promoted to Double-A where he has a 1.54 ERA in two starts. 

-UPDATE: 1:35 AM — 

According to Jon Morosi of FOX Sports, Miguel Castro will likely be one of the prospects heading to Colorado in the deal.

Castro is a 20-year-old pitcher that has seen time as both starter and reliever in the minors. He began the season in the majors, but could not hold down the fort and was quickly demoted. 

While in Toronto, he has made 13 appearances, all coming in relief. 

He has not found success, posting a 4.38 and 1.70 WHIP in 12.1 innings. The lone bright spot in his short stint is his 8.8 strikeout-per-nine ratio, proving he has seen some success in an otherwise weak 13 games. 

–End of update–

In one of the most unexpected deals before the trade deadline, the Colorado Rockies have agreed to trade five-time All-Star Troy Tulowtizki to the Toronto Blue Jays, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. LaTroy Hawkins will also head to Toronto while Jose Reyes and multiple minor leaguers will be sent to the Rockies in return, as Rosenthal would go on to report.

Tulowitzki has been linked to trade rumors over the past year, but Toronto was not on the list of possible suitors, as the team seemed content with Reyes at shortstop.

To date, the 30-year-old middle infielder is batting .300 with 12 home runs and 53 RBI. He has remained healthy throughout the year, something he has struggled to do so in recent years; his last season with 140+ games came in 2011.

Tulowitzki is arguably one of the best shortstops in MLB history and could end up a Hall of Famer if he finds similar success with his new ball club. The Blue Jays are currently 50-50 and are hoping this trade will give them the final push needed for a playoff spot. They currently sit seven games behind the AL East-leading New York Yankees and three games out of a Wild Card spot.

Adding Tulowitzki gives them a middle-of-the-lineup hitter that will pair with the likes of Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista, and Edwin Encarnacion. However, one significant downside that will hurt Tulowitzki’s power is the change of ballparks. The shortstop is used to hitting in Coors Field, which is ranked the most friendly for hitters by ESPN’s 2015 MLB Park Factors. He will head to Rogers Centre, the 20th ranked ballpark for hitters.

Though regression may be in Tulowitzki’s future, a new change of scenery and actually fighting for playoff contention may have enough of a positive impact to improve his hitting and keep his value where it is.

Also going to Toronto is Hawkins, who has pitched well as of late for the Rockies. The 42-year-old is 1-2 with a 3.63 ERA over 22.1 innings and will provide another arm for the Blue Jays to go to late in the game. He has been a closer many times throughout the career and is no rookie when it comes to closing out an important game.

Heading to Colorado and taking over Tulowitzki’s job is Reyes, who is batting .285 with 16 stolen bases and 17 doubles on the year. He did suffer an injury that forced him on the disabled list – also a norm for the shortstop – but has been a solid lead-off hitter since being activated. He will likely lead-off for the Rockies, pushing Charlie Blackmon and DJ LeMahieu back in the lineup – that is if he stays in Colorado.

There are multiple reports swirling around that Reyes was traded to balance the money on both sides and will likely be traded yet again within the week. The New York Mets are one of many possible suitors for Reyes, as Joel Sherman acknowledges in his tweet:

There are currently no reports on which minor leaguers are being sent to Colorado alongside Reyes, but it is safe to assume one, if not more, will be highly-touted prospects.