Listening to the men in charge and the player, the easy conclusion is Troy Tulowitzki will remain the long-suffering Colorado Rockies shortstop.
Suffering because the franchise has not had a winning season since 2010 and is nowhere close to being able to contend with National League West rivals the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants or San Diego Padres. And Tulowitzki will remain so because he, the owner and the general manager have all come out publicly and shot down thoughts that Tulowitzki, the best shortstop in baseball, is seeking a trade or that they will even be willing to consider such a request.
GM Jeff Bridich went so far last week as to call the topic “a media production.” Owner Dick Monfort hung up on one Fox Sports reporter (Ken Rosenthal) for even broaching the subject and made it absolutely clear to another (Jon Morosi) that no such trade is unfolding and the franchise’s biggest star has not said he wants one.
“We’re not trying to trade him,” Monfort told Morosi. “There’s no story there.”
Behind the scenes, there have been different kinds of whispers. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported last week that people who “know” Tulowitzki hinted he would like to be traded to a team with a chance of winning, such as the New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers or Los Angeles Angels.
The Rockies have waited long enough for Tulowitzki to be healthy and a significant part of a winning lineup. However, he and fellow star Carlos Gonzalez have been healthy all season and the Rockies are still terrible because too many other parts of the club—mainly pitching—have never been properly addressed by the organization.
The time has come for all sides to realize and accept that the best thing for the player and the Rockies is for Tulowitzki to be traded. He can finally take his elite game to a bigger stage and the Rockies can start a rebuild they so desperately need to become relevant again.
So, based on what Tulowitzki is reported to want, other teams’ needs and resources, here is a look at the shortstop’s top five suitors for a blockbuster trade that could reshape one or more of the postseason races.
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