The Rockies and Blue Jays struck a blockbuster trade on July 28th, 2015. In today’s video, MLBTR’s Jeff Todd looks back at how the Troy Tulowitzki deal worked out for both sides.
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Spoiler from a Jays fan: Not well
dont worry, Hoffman is only just hurting the Rox so the Jays are not terribly worse off for it
Spoiler from a real jays fan: it worked out well. Reyes was not going to be able to play and was wasted cash. Hoffman is a bust and Castro didn’t do anything for the Rockies. Tulo faded quickly sure but for the playoff runs provided exactly what they needed at the time
Also, other than what Reyes did off the field, he couldn’t hit his way out of way out of a wet paper bag with Colorado (had a triple slash line of .259/.291/.368 and .659 OPS as well a 67 OPS+) a big step down from what he was doing with Toronto in 2015, yet he wasn’t even that great with them that year, despite the fact that he had a respectable .285 batting average at the time of the trade.
Lmao, implying I’m not a “real” Jays fan because I said the trade didn’t work out well? I didn’t say it went well for the Rockies. I said it didn’t work out well, which is accurate for both teams.
The Rockies got busts and a terrible Reyes and the Jays got to pay Tulo millions of dollars to go away.
You’re either not a smart Jays fan or you hate seeing the Jays make the playoffs. Pick one or the other.
The Jays making the playoffs and not winning anything gets them as much as the last place team. One team wins per year, unless you’re that team it doesn’t matter. Did I enjoy the run? Absolutely. It doesn’t make me less of a fan to be able to look at it in hindsight and say the trade didn’t work out the way the Jays envisioned it. Be better.
A very equal trade, sucks for both teams. The only one who could make it yet is Jesus Tinoco for the Rockies.
About $54M in wasted money would disagree with you…
For which side? That’s about the amount of money the Rockies paid Reyes to go away as well.
I watch a lot of U.T baseball (the real U.T not Tennessee), and the Longhorns actually signed Tulowitzki to be the Assistant Coach. He has garnered immense praise by the players and the staff, they all love him. And now all the sudden our rookie 3b is making Troy Tulowitzi esc plays, and it’s so fun to watch. Great guy.
The Blue Jays did what had to be done. For any Jays fan to think this trade hurt them has seemingly forgotten how mediocre the team was with Reyes. In fact, I’m not certain the Jays make the postseason with Reyes. Their record was 50-51 when the deal for Tulo was made.
The Jays upgraded at SS defensively while cutting out a player who enjoyed choreographed celebrations more than winning games. Jays received a poised veteran with a calming influence. In order words, a better leader than Reyes.
Jays made the playoffs for the first time in 22 years in 2015 and made it again in 2016. The trade was worth every penny for the Blue Jays.
and when discussing upgrades got rid of a guy who couldn’t play any position let alone SS. It was so painful as a fan watching Reyes try to play in the infield. By the end in Toronto he had no range, glove or arm was basically a black hole in the infield
BINGO Bigdaddyt! People forget the team was playing better with Goins at SS (while Travis was healthy at 2B). Reyes was a Hall of Fame talent with a five cent brain. Anyone remember when Reyes was called for obstruction for bumping into a runner in a rundown? Or the time he hurt himself because he can’t slide properly?
Tulo brought stability and that was enough of an upgrade.
Tulo wouldn’t know anything about hurting himself in a stupid way…..
Might want to cite an actual example, maybe?
Rockies won the trade because they saved money and without the trade Trevor Story may not of become the star he is
They used the Tulo money to acquire bullpen arms and extend Charlie Blackmon. Did they really save money in the end?
They didn’t use the Tulo money for anything other than paying Jose Reyes to go away. They didn’t save that much money by trading Tulo. Maybe $25 million, which paid for Bryan Shaw. The Jays didn’t do great, but the Rockies lost this trade by far. At least so far. Hoffman is still on the roster, so in theory he could still be something positive. So is Tinoco. But to be honest, I am not holding my breath for either one.
Trading Tulo is not what gave Story his opportunity. Jose Reyes getting into trouble is what gave Story the chance. I guarantee you that if Reyes didn’t get into trouble, Story would not have gotten his chance for the two years remaining on Reyes’ contract.
Funny!
Lol
Tulo kicked it up a notch in the 2016 post season. He had the team on his back in that Royals championship series that they almost tied in the 9th in game 6.
That would have been 2015. Tulo had one big hit in the ALDS against Texas that helped turn that series around after being down 2-0.
Agreed! It was 2015 against the Royals…2016 the Jays lost to the Indians.
The problem with evaluating this kind of trade is that you can do it based on the knowledge available at the time or with hindsight. And if you do it with hindsight then a lot of new variables kick in. So you can say that it was not that bad for the Jays because of Reyes’ domestic violence issue and because Hoffman et al did not work out, which makes this trade less painful – the same way that the Dickey trade was more painful because Thor *did* work out. But nobody knew that would happen at the time. Pre-2013, Thor was the BA prospect # 54 and prior to 2015 Jeff was BA#69, so they were ~equivalent “lottery tickets” at the times of the trades
We knew Tulo was made of glass at the time. We knew RA Dickey was 39 years old and I dont care that a knuckleball was his primary pitch….trading a top 100 prospect for a player that old is bad business
If you were referring to Dickey, there were two top 100 prospects. Syndergaard and D’arnaud.
Knuckleballers are a strange lot. Phil Niekro turned 39 just before the 1978 season (appropriately, on April Fools Day!). He was coming off a 5.9 fWAR 1977. In the following three years – his age 40, 41, 42 seasons – he put up fWARs of 8.6 (!), 4.1 and 3.7. I suspect that the Jays were hoping for a similar pattern.
Win Win
Somehow both teams lost
Yep. Definition of a lose-lose.
It cannot be emphasized enough just how important Tulo was in 2015 for his day to day sense of calm at short and his overall approach off the field as well. This has been well reported in Toronto, but before him the jays regulars were largely in clic’s, I.e. the Latin players hung out a lot together.
Reyes was truly terrible in the field, perhaps the numbers don’t show it looking back, but in 2015 he blew a lot of big plays, leaving the pitchers hung out to dry a lot….the local radio play by play caller Jerry Howarth, who was as homer a play by play as you can get, rarely criticizing the jays had come out with a razor sharp outburst on Reyes’s effect on the team, pre trade.
Hawkins was also key for unifying the bullpen. Got them going out to bullpen diners, etc.
Jerry was part of the jays broadcast pretty much since day 1 of the franchise. Guys a true legend and wasn’t appreciated enough by the fans as the current radio team is painful
I enjoyed AA’s aggressive style, a rare glimpse at an outwardly competitive Jays franchise. AA’s moves were necessary to call-to-an-end the bottomless mediocrity of the Ricciardi era.
The Jays are still paying Tulo.
$14 million this year and $4 million next year with the buyout.
Thats on top of the $40 million they paid so he could sit at home/ try and play for the Yankees in 2018 and 2019.
Blech.
They made the postseason. Twice. And improved with him on the team. Get over it.
Alex Anthopolous did exactly what he needed to do in that situation. He paid a steep price but brought in Price and Tulo; the kind of players and GM would love to add in a playoff hunt.