Troy Tulowitzki is the world's best all around shortstop, and rumor has it he will soon be taking his amazing talents to the Big Apple.
According to ESPN, The Colorado Rockies and the New York Yankees have talked about a trade that would set Tulowitzki up to replace Derek Jeter in New York when the team's captain retires at the end of the year. Tulowitzki has been addressing these reports for months, and the fact that he is willing to talk about it speaks volumes. For years he has said he didn't want to leave Colorado, but now that the Yankees have a vacancy, things are a bit different.
At the least, the Yankees would have to absorb the seven years left on Tulo's $157.5 million contract that runs through the 2020 season, with a club option for 2021. They would also have to do something to soften the blow of stealing the face of the Colorado Rockies. Since Todd Helton left after 17 seasons, Tulowitzki has taken that job.
During the all-star game, reporters keyed on the fact that Tulowitzki wears number 2 because Derek Jeter wears number 2, and that Tulowitzki idolized Jeter when he was a kid.
Just before the all star break, Tulowitzki acknowledged to the Denver Post's Mark Kiszla that losing in Colorado was starting to get to him.
"In Todd Helton, there's someone who's easy to look at his career here and how it played out. I have the utmost respect for Todd, but at the same time, I don't want to be the next in line as somebody who was here for a long time and didn't have a chance to win every single year. He played in a couple postseason games and went to one World Series. But that's not me," Tulowitzki said. "I want to be somewhere where there's a chance to be in the playoffs every single year."
When asked at the all star game, he made it clear he was not demanding a trade, but he did call a trade to replace Jeter a great way to continue his career.
"Everybody wants that perfect story, whoever it may be. Whether it's me or somebody else who took over for Derek, no doubt, it makes for a great story," Tulowitzki said.
