Colorado Rockies: Did They Win or Lose the Troy Tulowitzki Trade?

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Mar 11, 2017; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (2) looks on against the Philadelphia Phillies at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Just two seasons ago, the Colorado Rockies made a blockbuster deal that sent one of the best and most iconic players in franchise history to the Toronto Blue Jays. At the time, Colorado seemed to have received plenty of prospects for the future … but is that really the case?

On that July day in 2015, Troy Tulowitzki (along with LaTroy Hawkins) was sent to the Jays for Jose Reyes, Miguel Castro, Jeff Hoffman, and Jesus Tinoco. It was definitely the biggest trade deadline move in all of baseball that year, and looked much in the Blue Jays’ favor. However, almost two years have now been removed from the Tulowitzki trade. The once prospects are now beginning to show life.

With the DFA of Castro over the weekend and Hoffman starting the season in Triple-A, it’s a good time to examine the trade. So did Colorado win or lose the big deal? Let’s take a look.

The Blue Jays can still prove they won the deal, but the time to do so is expiring.

Toronto made this move to accomplish one thing: Complete an offense that can contend for a title that same year and many years after. On paper, the trade did just that. The Jays have gotten to the ALCS in 2015 and 2016 respectively, and are one of the top 5 teams to make another run again this year. They have been in the final four teams standing both years with Tulowitzki, and many believe they still have an opportunity to win a World Series. However, you have to dig deeper than that.

Troy Tulowitzki is a very beloved player in the Colorado Rockies’ fanbase. However, he has not played as well away from Coors Field. His batting average plummeted from .340 in 2014 to .254 in 2016. He did, however, keep his home run total around the same, from 21 in 2014 to 24 in 2016. At age 31, he has seen 20 postseason games in a Blue Jays uniform, in which he has only hit three home runs. He just has not had the same production in the playoffs.

You can argue Tulo has been a liability on offense in the postseason, even when he has maintained solid numbers in the regular season.

Apr 6, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Miguel Castro (46) reacts after being pulled during the seventh inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /

The Rockies lost the deal most likely, but good has come from it. This could mean it helped them reach the playoffs even if the deal was a negative to begin with.

The Colorado Rockies got four players out of this deal, meaning the likelihood (at the time) of one of them developing into an All-Star caliber player is pretty large. However, the prospects arguably have underachieved.

Remember, the goal was to get prospects that could match Tulo’s value by 2017 or soon after. To begin with, Reyes ended up being a gigantic failure in Colorado gear. He was never necessarily a prospect to begin with, given he is over the age of 30. His constant problems off the field made him simply not worth keeping.

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Castro has not been a threat at the major league level quite yet. In fact, he was just recently designated for assignment by the Rockies. Castro is only 22 years old. There is still time for him to develop into a good pitcher, probably with another team.

Hoffman is the only pitcher in the trade that has seen much action in the MLB. Unfortunately, he has had a rough start as well. He posted a 4.88 ERA in 2016 while going 0-4 in eight games and six starts.

However, there is promise. Hoffman struck out 22 batters last year, close to three a game. Not too bad for a 24-year-old who still has an extremely high ceiling with very little professional experience under his belt.

Tinoco is the final player dealt to Colorado. He is only 21 years old, but hasn’t sniffed the majors and has yet to pitch above the A level.

However, there is one player out of all this that can guarantee the Rockies got value out of the trade. Someone not even in the trade itself. Rather, someone who may have not started if it were not for Tulo leaving town. His name? Trevor Story. Story worked his way into the starting position after Reyes was suspended and couldn’t play. He made storylines, as we all remember. Had it not been for an injury in his thumb, Story could have been the Rookie Of the Year, or at least runner up to Corey Seager.

Story has already had historic games and broken records. He could easily one day match the talent Tulowitzki had in his prime, or even be better.

Deciding who won this trade may come down to if the Blue Jays win a World Series in the near future.

With most of the pitching prospects still inexperienced, it is still pretty hard to say who got the most out of this deal. If the Blue Jays win a pennant, they likely will have the most proof towards winning the trade. However, Hoffman and Tinoco (and Story via the opening to play after the trade) still have a chance to bring Colorado to the top of the National League and show everyone the Rockies made the right move.

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