Don't look now, but Ken Rosenthal is stirring up rumors regarding Troy Tulowitzki and a possible trade. Per Rosenthal, Tulo indicated that he would be open to a trade, saying "I want to be somewhere where there’s a chance to be in the playoffs every single year.”
However, before we all get our hopes up about the possibility of adding a true impact bat this month, Rosenthal is quick to point out that its more likely that Tulowitzki would be traded in the offseason rather than now.
Still, it makes one wonder if the Cardinals might pursue the Rockies All-Star shortstop this winter.
This season might be lost for the Redbirds, as the recent injury to Yadier Molina and the general malaise of the team have this writer wondering if they have what it takes to even make the playoffs. The Cardinals considered a trade for Tulo last winter before they ended up signing Jhonny Peralta to play short and they might revisit the idea again, if the Rockies make him available.
Peralta can easily shift over to third base, with Matt Carpenter moving to second, to make room for Tulowitzki. Kolten Wong would be the odd man out, but he hasn't exactly shown that he is major league ready. Perhaps he could end up being a trade piece (maybe even this month).
As Rosenthal points out, I'm sure many Cardinals fans would be willing to trade Allen Craig, Shelby Miller and Trevor Rosenthal to the Rockies for Tulo, as he suggested last year. The Rockies are in desperate need of pitching help and the Cards still have a nice stable of young arms.
The only thing that concerns me about Tulowitzki is his home/away splits. While he is a career .299/.374/.518 hitter, he has hit .324/.398/.565 in Colorado and just .275/.349/.470 on the road. However, fans had the same concerns about Matt Holliday and he's turned out alright. Besides, if those road numbers are his standard with the Cards, its still better than any shortstop we've had since I don't know when.
Its an interesting situation and one that bears watching this winter, however, its not gonna help the Cardinals this year.
Cards Claim George Kottaras
In other news, the Cardinals claimed catcher George Kottaras off waivers from the Indians. He will provide the Cards with much needed depth after Molina's injury. Kottaras is a career .216 hitter, but does have some power, as his career ISO (isolated power) is .199, which is above league average.
He will replace Audry Perez on the active roster and will likely split time at catcher with Tony Cruz while Molina is out.
"I'm sure many Cardinals fans would be willing to trade Allen Craig, Shelby Miller and Trevor Rosenthal to the Rockies for Tulo"
ReplyDeleteNo chance for all three, especially with Wong coming on strong, Tulo having a fat contract ($20M for next 5 years), Aledmys Diaz hopefully only a couple years from being ready to start at SS. MAYBE Craig and Miller only, but not Rosenthal when there isn't another strong candidate for closer waiting in the wings if Motte doesn't get back to where he was in late 2011 and 2012.
Absolutely correct. Tulo won't be Albert, when he comes to Busch stadium. He should settle into a 20 hr, 85rbi guy as a base, with upside possible in injury-free or outstanding seasons. Think Beltran's performance last year. We'll take it! But are there wiser options. The Cardinals have become reclamation specialists, not superstar buyers. Mujica, Peralta, Beltran, Berkman all had significant question marks, from performance questions to injury concerns, to drug scandals...making them easier to sign. A candidate like Tulo would require giving up so much. If we have to wait for off-season dealing anyway, why not draw cards when the deck is fuller?
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