Rockies willing to trade Troy Tulowitzki

Along with outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, the Rockies are reportedly ready to listen to offers for shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. Writes Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports:

"The Rockies are telling clubs they are keeping their “eyes and ears open” for potential deals involving both players, according to major-league sources.The mere willingness to discuss Tulowitzki and Gonzalez is a departure for Colorado, which previously has refused to entertain deals for its two stars."

According to Rosenthal, the Rockies will attempt to deal Tulowitzki and/or Gonzalez without eating any salary or taking a discount as far as the return they might receive from a trade partner.

Tulowitzki, 30, had season-ending hip surgery in August, and is due $114 million through the 2020 season.

Thoughts:

Tulowitzki, when healthy, has the ability to carry a team offensively – and do it while playing a premium defensive position extremely well.

A career .299/.377/.517 hitter, Tulowitzki of course hits better at Coors Field, but his home/road splits are much more palatable than those of his teammate Gonzalez.

The problem with Tulowitzki, is that he was limited to 47 games in 2012, played just 126 in 2013, and had the hip injury (and surgery) that held him to 91 games in 2014.

If the Rockies hold firm in their quest to deal Tulowitzki without eating any salary and/or without accepting a lesser package in return, it’s hard to see any team willing to make a deal.

However, if Colorado realizes that they’re not dealing from a position of strength and agree to eat some salary and/or be flexible with a return package, talks for Tulowitzki could heat up.

If healthy, Tulowitzki – a relatively young, middle of the order bat who plays a plus shortstop – would be the perfect fit for the Mets.

If the Mets were to acquire Tulowitzki, they could then go cheaper with a corner outfielder since the expected offensive boost would be coming from shortstop. It would also allow them to be patient while waiting for Brandon Nimmo and/or Michael Conforto to reach the bigs.

Again, the Rockies will have to get realistic before any team seriously engages them regarding Tulowitzki. If they do, things will get interesting.