Yankees Trading For Tulowitzki Would Be A Mistake

The great Derek Jeter has walked off the field for a long time. The walk down memory lane, the honors, the magic moments, the pageantry and the tears are over. Now it’s time for business and there is no bigger business than who could possibly replace the legend.

The list of candidates includes J.J. Hardy, Asdrubal Cabrera, Hanley Ramirez, Stephen Drew, Jedd Lowrie and Jung-Ho Kang. But one name remains constant. One player has been the unanimous answer to the question “Who is Jeter’s heir?”

That player is the best shortstop in baseball, the 4-time All-Star superstar Troy Tulowitzki. While the the thought of the Yankees making a deal to pry the star way from the Colorado Rockies would make most fans absolutely giddy I have to say that I find the whole idea to be a disaster waiting to happen. Striking a deal for “Tulo” would be a huge mistake, one the Yankees and their fans would regret for a long time.

Yeah I know, he’s one of the best players in baseball. He idolizes Jeter (Sometimes a little scary how much) and has expressed desire to be a Yankee. He’s a career .373 hitter with 176 home runs and 604 RBI over his 9 year career. His defense is superb and at the age of 29 he’s certainly has a solid career ahead of him.

I get that. I know what he’s capable of when he’s on the field.

The problem is… He’s not on the field enough! In his nine years in the big leagues Tulo has only played in at least 130 games three times and he’s played in less than 100 games just as many times.

Tulowitzki’s injuries aren’t the short kind either. When he gets hurt he’s out for a long time and it’s a big blow to a team.

Tulo’s numbers are inflated, not a lot but slightly, by the greatest hitters’ park of all time in Coors Field. While the full effect of the stadium isn’t measurable everyone knows the thin air in Colorado helps out hitters. But I’d be willing to risk injury and a slight drop in numbers if only he was a free agent.

The Yankees have put a lot of time, focus and effort into drafting and developing their own players over the past few seasons and the fruits of their labor are just starting to show themselves. Trading for Tulowitzki would destroy all that in one swoop.

Oh yes, you could say goodbye to Luis Severino, the 20-year old righty who has drawn comparisons to Pedro Martinez. That big time hitter who’s been hailed as possibly the next Giancarlo Stanton, that would be Aaron Judge, oh he’d be on his way to Denver. Gary Sanchez, the catcher of the future, you could say goodbye to him as well. The left hander Ian Clarkin and third base star Eric Jagielo? Tulo would probably cost one if not both of them.

Jul 14, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; National League infielder

(2) of the Colorado Rockies at bat in the first round during the 2014 Home Run Derby the day before the MLB All Star Game at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The way I see it, the Yankees are currently doing the right thing by cultivating these young guys which was something they previously neglected to do. Giving up virtually all of the team’s best farm hands for one star isn’t the solution by any means. Tulowitzki will soon be 30 and before we know it he’ll be 32, 34, 36, and then soon after that he’ll be gone.

Would we really be happy watching a player, no matter how talented he may be, grow old while former Yankee prospects become stars elsewhere. Oh wow… seems like we’ve seen that movie before. Yeah, we’ve seen that movie far too many times before.

So Yankees fans, dream of a world where Troy Tulowitzki becomes a Bomber, stays relatively healthy while here, hits 30 homers and drives in 100 runs each season and retires as Hall of Fame player with pinstripes on his back. Dream of that same world where the Yankees gave up basically nothing in return. Fans, I’m right there dreaming with you.

But unfortunately that dream is just that… a dream.

Tulo would be the perfect heir to Jeter’s thrown at shortstop but all things considered it’s just not the right move by any means.

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