Mets and Rockies have been discussing Troy Tulowitzki for weeks

At the same time the Mets have been telling people that a deal for shortstop Troy Tulowitzki is “not happening,” they have been speaking to the Rockies about a potential deal that would bring Tulowitzki to the Mets.

Semantics aside, the Mets and the Rockies have reportedly been talking about Tulowitzki for weeks, with the talks centered around Noah Syndergaard. Writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports:

"Prized Mets pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard is said to be the centerpiece of discussions revolving around a potential package of young players in a possible deal for Tulo, though it seems like there is still quite a ways to go to have a chance to complete such a monster trade.New York and Colorado have been stealthily talking names for weeks, and while there’s said to be some progress, it still feels like they are almost in the early stages with several hurdles to go, including ultimately whether the Rockies-owning Monfort brothers would sign off on such a deal for their beloved superstar shortstop."

Heyman notes further that there has been “a bit” of progress in the discussions for Tulowitzki, but that the chances of the two sides agreeing on a deal are “slim.”

Also weighing in on the subject, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports cited a source who said that Tulowitzki to the Mets has a five to 10 percent chance of happening.

Thoughts:

I wrote in this space on Thursday that it was time for the Mets to re-engage the Rockies on Tulowitzki. According to today’s reports, they’ve been engaged all along.

The hurdles Heyman cites – money owed to Tulowitzki, players who would be going to Colorado – are big ones. However, as was noted on Thursday when word was that Tulowitzki to the Mets was “not happening,” it makes no sense for the Mets to portray this as something that’s likely. Doing so could only result in disappointment if a deal is not struck.

It’s known that the Mets reached out to the Rockies about Tulowitzki in early-November, so their public “not happening” stance never made sense.

While Friday’s reports indicate that there’s still a ways to go for a deal between the Mets and Rockies for Tulowitzki to materialize, it can’t be viewed as anything but a positive that the two sides are actively engaged in discussions with names being thrown around.

It remains hard to envision the Mets taking on Tulowitzki’s entire salary while parting with a package centered around Noah Syndergaard, but perhaps this is why Sandy Alderson has been doing virtually nothing this offseason. Perhaps his main target is Tulowitzki, putting any potential trade for another shortstop on hold until the Tulowitzki talks resolve themselves one way or the other.

Acquiring Tulowitzki would be a franchise-altering move for the Mets, and the fact that they’re in active discussions with Colorado means that this thing – still being portrayed as a longshot – could happen.