Phillies rumors: Team interested in shortstop Troy Tulowitzki?
The Phillies were one of many teams on hand for Troy Tulowitzki’s recent workout, indicating at least some interest in the former All-Star.
After signing Andrew McCutchen at the winter meetings, the Phillies appear interested in potentially signing another player whose prime was in the first half of this decade. Troy Tulowitzki is now a free agent, and Philadelphia is one team at least somewhat interested.
Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports reported that 11 teams, including the Phils, attended a work out for Tulowitzki Tuesday. The other teams in attendance were the Giants, Angels, Red Sox, Cubs, Padres, White Sox, Orioles, Yankees, Tigers, and Pirates.
Tulowitzki was released by the Blue Jays with two years and $38 million left on his contract. He has not played since July 2017 due to a laundry list of injuries, including bone spurs in both heels. Toronto decided to cut ties with Tulowitzki as the team enters its own rebuild, meaning that any team who signs him will only have to pay the veteran minimum, $555,000.
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When healthy, Tulowitzki was one of the best shortstops in the league during his time with the Rockies. In 1048 games over ten seasons in Colorado, Tulowitzki hit 188 home runs, drove in 657 runs, and had a 123 OPS+. He was an All-Star five times and won the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger twice.
Since his trade to the Blue Jays, things haven’t been so great for Tulowitzki.
He only played 238 games for them since being acquired mid-2015, missing significant time due to injury. Even when he has played, his numbers haven’t been the same with a .250/.313/.414 line and 93 OPS+.
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According to Passan, the injuries appear to be long behind Tulowitzki now as he looks to revive his career. The Pirates, Yankees, Cubs, and Giants had all been linked to Tulowitzki before the workout. His agent has said that he would be open to playing second or third base, but that he is looking for consistent at-bats at one position.
Given Tulowitzki’s desire to stay in one position, its hard to see him becoming a Phillie. They would likely want him in a utility role, perhaps as an alternative to Scott Kingery if he still can’t cut it as a major-leaguer. Tulowitzki could provide similar veteran leadership to McCutchen, but finding a spot for him to fill will be tough.
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Ultimately, this appears to be the Phils doing their due diligence on a guy who was once one of the best in the game. He may still be able to return that form, but Philadelphia just may not be the place for that.