Blue Jays: Some ideas on how to trade Troy Tulowitzki

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Ian Desmond- Colorado Rockies

Since I already mentioned that Tulowitzki is a former Rockie, I figured I’d start with one scenario that could be feasible, at least in terms of the receiving team being open to taking Tulowitzki into the fold.

To be clear, the Rockies do not need a shortstop, as they have one of the best in the game in Trevor Story, who was part of the reason they moved on from Tulo back when he was traded to begin with. They don’t really need much help around the infield either, with the exception of maybe first base. As mentioned above as well, Tulo has already said he wouldn’t move positions, but perhaps he’d be more open minded with his old club, who should be a contender in 2019.

In this hypothetical deal, the Rockies would send back Ian Desmond and the 40 million he’s guaranteed over the next three seasons. I’m not sure the Blue Jays would want to add another year to their commitment, but Desmond is scheduled to make 15 million in each of the next two seasons, followed by eight million in 2021, and a two million dollar buyout on his 15 million dollar option for 2022. By the time two years from now rolls around, that contract could be a lot easier to swallow, if they chose.

Desmond would offer a first base/outfield option, who is likely best used in a platoon situation at this point in his career. He’s not exactly an upgrade, but he’s got a lot better chance of staying on the field than Tulowitzki does, at least if I were putting my money down. With that in mind, the Blue Jays might need to kick in some money and/or some prospect value to make the deal more appealing to Colorado, but I’m sure they would be interested in moving on from Desmond.

Whether or not they’d be willing to take back Tulowitzki may depend on his attitude about playing shortstop. It would be a pretty cool story to see him return to the team that drafted him and play well as a first baseman, or even a utility infielder, but it’s hard to say if he would allow for the possibility, let alone if the Rockies would go for it, especially with some talent in their minor league system. It’s an idea though, give me that at least.

Tyler Chatwood- Cubs

This one doesn’t make a lot of sense at first glance, but hear me out and I may be able to convince you that it’s at least possible.

The Cubs signed Tyler Chatwood to a three year, 38 million dollar deal before the 2018 season, and so far it’s been a bit of a disaster. Chatwood posted a 5.30 ERA and a 1.804 WHIP in 20 starts and 24 total appearances, and eventually lost his spot in the rotation after the Cubs gave him plenty of opportunity to get things turned around.

With 25.5 million remaining on the two years left on his contract, Chatwood’s commitment is quite a bit cheaper than what the Blue Jays owe Troy Tulowitzki, so it wouldn’t be a one for one swap in this case. The Blue Jays could eat some money in order to get a deal done, or they could also include some prospect value, or possibly even a reliever from the big league roster. The Cubs showed that they could use some help in that department this season, and especially in their Wild Card game against Colorado, so perhaps someone including someone like Ryan Tepera would get it done, although the Blue Jays may want to explore his trade value elsewhere too.

The Cubs are also expected to let Addison Russell go after he was suspended for 40 games due to allegations of domestic violence. They have the luxury of sliding Javier Baez over to shortstop and using a variety of players at second, but they could find a way to fit Tulowitzki into their creative infield picture, if he was healthy of course. Tulo wouldn’t be guaranteed playing time there, or a set position, but almost no one in Chicago is afforded that luxury.

Realistically, this probably isn’t going to happen, mostly because the Cubs will likely seek to improve their offence this winter with any additions they make. While Tulowitzki could theoretically add some depth to their lineup, it’s pretty hard to count on him to stay healthy enough to do anything these days. It would rid the Cubbies of Chatwood’s contract though, and a pitcher who it looks like they have very little plans for anyway. You never know.

Wei-Yin Chen- Marlins

I’m not sure that Tulowitzki would be thrilled to get traded to a team with almost no chance of making the playoffs next year, but there are worse places to live than Miami.

After selling off many of their best veteran pieces last offseason, the Marlins finished in the basement of the NL East with a record of 63-98. They are in the earliest stages of a rebuild, much like the Blue Jays, but are arguably further off from returning to being a contender, especially with a young and talented team like the Braves taking the division in 2018.

The Marlins may actually be a destination that could give Tulo a full-time opportunity at shortstop, and they have an equally expensive veteran that they could be willing to swap. Wei-Yin Chen has two years remaining on his deal, with 42 million guaranteed for 2019-20. He also has an option for 16 million for 2021 that would vest with 180 innings pitched in 2020, or 360 over the next two seasons. That’s likely a long shot though, as his 133.1 innings this season were his highest total since 2015 with he was still in Baltimore.

Chen did manage 26 starts in 2018, so the Marlins may be reluctant to part with him strictly due to his ability to eat some innings. That said, if the Blue Jays were to kick in some money or prospect value, the Marlins could likely be convinced to pull the trigger. It would also be convenient timing for the ownership group, as his salary is set to move up from 10 million, doubling up to 20 next season. Even if it means they’re taking Tulowitzki back in a deal, now is a decent time to move Chen’s contract as well, and Tulo could act as a good mentor for their young players.

Something about Derek Jeter’s club trading for Tulo also feels right, you know?

Jordan Zimmermann- Detroit Tigers

The third pitcher, and last entry on my list comes from the Detroit Tigers. Things haven’t worked out well for the team or for Jordan Zimmermann since he signed his five year, 110 million dollar deal before the 2016 season.

The 32 year old made 25 starts last year and hoped to improve on his disastrous 2017 campaign, but unfortunately it wasn’t a whole lot better. After putting up a 8-13 record with a 6.08 ERA in 29 starts in 2017, Zimmermann followed it up by going 7-8 and dropping his ERA to 4.52. He managed lowered his WHIP from 1.550 to 1.264, so perhaps there’s some reason for optimism going forward from the right-hander, but they Tigers still aren’t getting what they’re paying for.

Like the rest of the players on this list, Zimmermann is handsomely compensated through the remainder of his deal, and is owed 50 million over the next two seasons. His contract also contains some interesting clauses, including a 10 team limited trade approval list, and several performance incentives, most of which are likely a non-factor. While it’s possible Zimmermann included the Blue Jays on his trade list, it’s unfortunately rare for veterans to do that, so he would likely have to approve a trade to Toronto for it to happen.

Whether or not he would be open to the possibility is unknown, but the Tigers would save a bit of  money by trading Zimmermann, and the Blue Jays could use another veteran starter, even if he’s not the borderline ace he used to be. The Tigers don’t have an obvious candidate to fill the shortstop gap in the immediate future either, so Tulowitzki could theoretically start there if he were healthy as well.

Chances are this one isn’t going to happen either though. As much as the Blue Jays need some veteran starters to eat some innings, the Tigers are going to need the same thing in their rebuild. Perhaps they would see the value in saving a bit of money with the swap, but it’s also possible that the roughly 12 million they would save may have to be spent on another starter anyway. It does make sense on some level though, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the idea could come up.

If It Makes You Feel Better

I’m not sure how many more trade fits there are around the league, unless of course the Blue Jays were willing to eat all, or the majority of the money remaining on Tulowitzki’s contract. In that scenario, the possibilities would open up a lot more, although the acquiring team would still be taking a gamble that the former star could still contribute.

As I looked through the possible trade candidates across the league, it did make me feel a little bit better to see that there are worse contracts in baseball. Even if it’s frustrating to see Tulowitzki paid very well to sit on the disabled list for the better part of two years, it could always be worse.

Robinson Cano- 5 years, 120 million remaining 

The former Yankee signed a huge 10 year, 240 million dollar deal with the Mariners, and he’s only halfway through it so far. The soon to be 36 year old had a solid year when he was present in 2018, but an 80 game suspension for the use of performance enhancing drugs put a big damper on his season, on Seattle’s playoff chances, and on Robinson Cano‘s legacy.

Albert Pujols- 3 years, 87 million 

He might be one of the greatest hitters of all-time, but I’m willing to bet the Angels wish there weren’t three years left on his contract. Albert Pujols has remained a reasonable power threat, but beyond that he’s a very tough player for the Angels to keep putting in the lineup. With the presence of Shohei Ohtani, Pujols has had to spend more time at first base, which doesn’t help his value either.

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There’s a pretty good chance he plays out the remainder of the deal unless he’s bought out, so the Angels are definitely paying now for what they had earlier in his contract. (And the Cardinals definitely got the best of him)

Miguel Cabrera- 6 years, 160 million remaining 

Like Pujols, Miguel Cabrera profiles as one of the greatest hitters to ever pick up a bat, and should be a lock as a first-ballot Hall of Famer when the time comes.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, it’s a long time before his current contract is up, and it pays him a pretty significant sum through the remainder of his career. He’ll make 30 million in each of 2019-21, 32 million in 2022-2023, and has a sixth year at the end for eight million.

In this case, Cabrera is a legacy figure for the Tigers, and I’m sure late owner Mike Ilitch would still be in favour of the contract today even given everything that’s happened since it was signed. That said, it’s going to be a huge boat anchor for the Detroit front office as they attempt to rebuild, even if Cabrera can bounce back and add some productive years before he’s done. I don’t mean to pick on the legends, but there’s a lot of time left on this deal, and Cabrera’s numbers were waning even before his season-ending injury in 2018.

Chris Davis- 4 years, 92 million (average salary of 23 million)

Last but not least, I think this is a no-doubter as the worst contract in baseball, and at least it belongs to the Baltimore Orioles.

Chris Davis signed a seven year, 161 million dollar deal before the 2015 season, and he still has four years remaining. That wouldn’t be that big of a deal at age 32, except that he just put up historically low numbers this year, and had arguably the worst season in professional baseball history. That’s not an overstatement, he was truly horrific.

And for his efforts, Davis is still due to collect a whopping 92 million over the last four years of his deal in Baltimore. Baltimore’s recently departed GM Dan Duquette made plenty of good moves throughout his tenure in the front office, but he probably deserves to lose his job for signing off on that one alone, even if it was rumoured that he wasn’t fully in favour at the time.

So while Tulowitzki’s contract doesn’t look good at all these days, it could always be worse based on the candidates directly above, and there’s also some reasonably comparable ones out there across the league as well. With that in mind, it might be possible to move Tulowitzki’s contract after all, even if it feels like a pretty tall order.