2016 for New York Yankees Begins with Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez
By Jon Flint
After the abysmal season ahead, New York Yankees fans will demand a big offseason. It’ll take some bold moves to get back to playing October baseball, but it all starts with a trade for Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez.
The Yankees have been linked to Tulowitzki trade speculation dating back to last summer and now is the time to make a deal. The Colorado Rockies have been willing to field offers for Tulowitzki and Gonzalez since November, seeking to shed the combined $36 million in annual salary. Tacking on the hefty deals may not seem to fit their current model, but there’s the hunch things change once the first season of the post-Derek Jeter era yields a lot of adverse effects on the Yankees’ universe.
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Tulowitzki is not only the star personality the Yankees need but he’s a proven leader. A four-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner, Tulo is best suited to assume the role vacated by Jeter and become the new face of the franchise. There’s a misconception that injuries suffered during each of his least three seasons have put his best days behind him, a notion Yankees brass can play to their advantage while negotiating. Despite his injuries, Tulowitzki remains one of the most productive bats in the National League.
Perhaps an even better at-bat for Yankee Stadium is Carlos Gonzalez. Still on the right side of age 30, CarGo playing home games in the Bronx will keep him on a 20-25 home run, .3oo average pace per year. Another All-Star with his own collection of Gold Gloves, Gonzalez would bring above-average defense to the Yankees’ outfield which, when paired with Jacoby Ellsbury, becomes one of the better defensive units in baseball. Perhaps most important, Gonzalez brings brand name recognition that is sure to sell plenty of jerseys and garner much media attention.
“It’s worth noting the combined $62.5 million coming off the books when the contracts of Sabathia, Teixeira, and Beltran expire”
This isn’t a simple trade to pull off and Colorado certainly isn’t looking to give either player away. Regardless, the Rockies are trying to hit the reset button, with the contracts of both Tulowitzki and Gonzalez standing in the way. A majority of Yankees fans will groan at the thought of adding both salaries onto the current payroll. It’s worth noting the combined $62.5 million coming off the books when the contracts of CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, and Carlos Beltran expire after the 2016 season. Sabathia does have a vesting option for 2017, so unless he experiences a major comeback season, he’ll be bought out for $5 million.
The Rockies will want top prospects in exchange for their top two stars but if GM Brian Cashman plays negotiations properly, he’ll find a way to offset the $36 million in additional salary by way of subtraction. The best idea for the New York Yankees is to offset a potential trade by earmarking Teixeira.
Speaking of the prospects included in a potential deal, it simply is what it is. The Yankees’ farm system does have some attractive pitching and outfielders the Rockies would love to add in anticipation of a rebuild. Some fans of the Bronx Bombers will snicker at the idea but again, we’ll see how much changes with another year of being left out of the postseason.