On Tuesday, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that the New York Yankees and Troy Tulowitzki have agreed on a league minimum deal. Upon this announcement, the Yankee universe went haywire.
It’s long been rumored that the New York Yankees are favored to land the star infielder, Manny Machado. On New Years Day, however, after it was reported that the Yankees had come to terms on a league minimum ($555K) deal with Troy Tulowitzki, people began to speculate.
Will this negatively impact Miguel Andujar?
Tulowitzki to the Yankees is soo interesting. On one hand, I don't get taking a risk on someone who was literally paid millions of dollars to go away. But you know Cashman loves a good reclamation project.
— Dan Federico (@DanJFederico) January 2, 2019
Plus, Andujar's future in New York is that much more in doubt
The quick answer is: No! This will not negatively impact Migual Andujar’s standing with the New York Yankees.
Until further notice, Miguel Andujar is the Yankees third baseman. Tulowitzki will serve as a fill-in for Didi Gregorious, who underwent Tommy John Surgery at the end of the 2018 postseason and is expected to return sometime in mid-2019.
What might impact the ROY runner-up, however, is if the Yankees sign Manny Machado. Especially after Didi returns mid-season.
Other fans and commentators have also speculated if signing Tulowitzki is a sign that the Yankees are moving on from Manny Machado, who is said to be expecting an offer from the Philadelphia Phillies soon.
Again, the short answer to this question is: No!
Signing Tulowitzki to a league minimum deal will not steer the Yankees away from Manny Machado and vice versa.
If the Manny Machado ends up accepting an offer from the New York Yankees, Tulowitzki, who did not play at all in 2018, will move down the totem pole, behind Andujar. Think of signing Troy Tulowitzki as Brandon Drury 2.0. A low risk addition to the team with tremendous upside.
If given an opportunity to play in the hitter-friendly confines of Yankee Stadium, Tulowitzki will essentially be auditioning for his next job while with the New York Yankees, and could potentially be used as trade bait sometime in 2019.
This is a win-win deal for both parties.