The latest on the Mets and Troy Tulowitzki

On Friday night, Troy Renck of the Denver Post sent out a series of tweets regarding the reported Troy Tulowitzki talks between the Mets and Rockies.

In the first tweet, Renck said:

Later, Renck added some clarification to his first tweet, saying:

Renck went on to say that if the Rockies want a premium package for Tulowitzki, they’ll have to either wait until he proves his health in Spring Training, or absorb some of his contract – of which $114 million is owed through 2020.

It’s been reported by many that at present, the chances of Tulowitzki getting dealt to the Mets are slim – with some placing the odds at around 10 percent. However, Renck is not stating unequivocally that Tulowitzki will not be dealt to the Mets. In Renck’s first tweet on the matter from Friday night, he notes that it will be interesting to see if life is breathed back into a potential deal.

Still,  Renck is pointing out that at present, the Rockies’ demands are too high.

So, what are the Rockies’ current demands?

According to Ken Davidoff in the New York Post, Colorado is currently seeking three or four “top players,” some who are in the minors and some who are in the majors.

According to Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog, the Rockies are specifically seeking Noah Syndergaard, one of Zack Wheeler or Jacob deGrom, and other pieces.

Thoughts:

It’s Colorado’s right to ask for the moon in return for Tulowitzki, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to get their way.

The common belief, as Renck points out, is that the Rockies can either lessen their demands or wait until Tulowitzki proves he’s healthy to trade him at their current asking price – if that ever happens.

It’s not just the Mets who would refuse to part with a potential ace-level starting pitcher, their top overall prospect (who is also one of the top prospects in all of baseball) and one or two other significant pieces while assuming the entire $114 million that’s left on Tulowitzki’s contract. It’s believed that not a single team would meet Colorado’s current demands.

Would the Mets part with Noah Syndergaard or Zack Wheeler plus more for Tulowitzki? Perhaps. But it’s simply not reasonable at this point for Colorado to expect two of the Mets’ top four starting pitchers in return plus more while refusing to eat any of Tulowitzki’s contract.