The Colorado Rockies Would Be Foolish To Trade Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki
By Andrew Dill
Jun 16, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (2) stretches before taking batting practice before the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
As the Major League Baseball trade deadline approaches, a few Colorado Rockies players will be mentioned in the ongoing rumors. One of them is All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki who is having an incredible season. Scratch that, an outstanding season. Many fans continue to say the same thing repeating that Colorado should trade Tulo to a contender rather than be with the lowly Rockies. Well, that is not such a good idea in terms of being a successful team in the next couple of years and maybe even longer.
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Sure, the Colorado Rockies are terrible right now and lack the necessary depth to compete night in and night out with the annual injuries to key players. You don’t need to trade one of the top players in the game to get better all-around. An idea I continue to throw out on Twitter is that the Rockies should consider gauging trade interest for left fielder Carlos Gonzalez. Yes, CarGo is on a rehab stint with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox due to a finger injury that needed surgery, but I have my concerns with him and think his better days are behind him.
CarGo is a tremendous player and a fan favorite, but his strikeout rate has been a major concern with me. I know he was injured for most of the season with a nagging finger injury, but his eye at the plate was simply not there. CarGo was hitting .255/.307/.449 in the three hole for the Rockies, collecting 12 doubles, 8 home runs, and 31 RBI’s. He struck out 45 times in 196 at-bats. But hey, he’s entering his prime so I’m sure teams will be quick to jump the gun on him.
Keith Law recently noted that CarGo could attract two impact prospects which should/could be focused on pitching — definitely need some bullpen help. Colorado already has Corey Dickerson who deserves to play everyday and deservedly so.
The Colorado Rockies aren’t as bad as their record states and everyone knows that. They have a pretty good lineup consisting of players such as Charlie Blackmon, Corey Dickerson, Tulo, Justin Morneau, Nolan Arenado, Wilin Rosario, and you could throw Drew Stubbs or Brandon Barnes in there as well. The only area Colorado really needs to address is the bullpen which is 29th in the league. Back to my main point, trading Tulowitzki would set the franchise back a couple of years in my opinion.
You simply don’t trade a guy who is slashing at a line of .350/.442/.605 with 17 doubles, 18 home runs, and 47 RBI’s just for the sake of a making a change (stats as of July 7th). Tulo also was the leading vote-getter for the 2014 All-Star Game in Minnesota which isn’t a fluke. The guy is the premier shortstop in the Majors and these guys just don’t grow on trees.
As the deadline approaches, names to keep an eye on include Michael Cuddyer, Jorge De La Rosa, and as noted above, Carlos Gonzalez. But whatever Colorado does, they must keep Tulo in the Mile High City.