The New York Yankees have been in search of a temporary replacement while Didi Gregorius recovers from Tommy John surgery and Troy Tulowitzki is currently slated to fill that role with full no-trade protection.
According to Jon Heyman of Fancred, the New York Yankees were able to fend off fifteen other major league clubs to obtain the services of Troy Tulowitzki by including a full no-trade clause. Tulowitzki is currently owed $38.00 million from the Toronto Blue Jays over the next two seasons (including the $4.00 million buyout of his 2021 team option) after the organization recently chose to release him.
Due to this, any interested teams were limited to offering the five-time All-Star a minimum salary contract for each of the upcoming two seasons. As Heyman pointed out in the aforementioned Tweet, a no-trade clause was important for Tulowitzki to obtain as he was unhappy that the Colorado Rockies moved him to Toronto in 2015 without first consulting with him on his new destination.
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Despite missing the entire 2018 regular season due to bone spurs in both heels, the Yankees were also able to lure Tulowitzki to the Bronx due to a temporary opportunity to start at shortstop. In an interview with Coley Harvey of ESPN, general manager Brian Cashman stated: “We have really reacted in a positive way to have that type of dialogue with Troy and to commit to giving him that opportunity to be our everyday shortstop.”
Cashman also addressed the possibility of Didi Gregorius eventually reclaiming his role at shortstop, regardless of any future performances of Tulowitzki. “He knows that Didi is coming back, and he welcomes that,” Cashman said. “He wants to be on a team with the best players, and if Didi comes back and is ready to go and plug and play, he’s all for it.”
Even though Tulowitzki only has two seasons with at least 100 games played over the last eight seasons, the Yankees seem to be set with their current middle infield contingent, even if the organization misses out in the Manny Machado sweepstakes. Nonetheless, if Tulowitzki is able to remain healthy and provide the .734 on-base plus slugging percentage he compiled between 2016-17, he would be a much-needed addition to the Yankees lineup, especially on a minimum salary commitment.