Tulo?

[interloper]

Someone had to start the thread.

Jays released him, still owed $34 million, but assuming he could be had for league minimum by any other team.

I'm not up to date on whether or not he can still play/is injured/whathaveyou. If he's healthy, maybe an option for veteran SS? 

[interloper]

Make that $34 over 2 years.

[nevadaO]

For the minimum salary he'd be a fantastic buy low sell high candidate if he can rebound and stay healthy (which admittedly would be difficult in and of itself).

[interloper]

I know he's had a track record of injuries - didn't play at all in 2018, but was a 3.4 WAR player in 2016. I guess that's not really worth much 3 years later.

He's 34. 

Probably can't play D at this point right? 

[interloper]

From Wiki:

Early in 2018 spring training, it was announced that Tulowitzki had a bone spur in his right ankle, and that he would miss the start of the Grapefruit League season.^[82] On March 4, John Gibbons stated Tulowitzki was unlikely to be ready for Opening Day.^[83] Tulowitzki did not appear in any spring training games, and was placed on the 60-day disabled list to begin the year. On March 30, it was announced that his bone spurs would require surgery.^[84] He ended up missing the entire 2018 season. On December 11, 2018, Tulowitzki was released by the Blue Jays.^[85]

[wildbillhiccup]

I believe he's played 238 games over the last four seasons. During that time he's hit .250 with a .313 OBP and 36 home runs. And while he was once a plus defender his defense slipped in 2017. At this point in his career he's basically a lottery ticket with a very little chance of winning. 

[weams]

If he could play, they would not have released him. 

[DrungoHazewood]

It can be liberating to just not care how many games you win.  It's not crazy to think they could sign Tulowitzki to a 1/1 kind of contract maybe with some incentives.  if he happens to be pretty good then they trade him in June or July for a prospect.  If he's not any good, oh well... you weren't going to win anything anyway.  Can you find better ways of trying obtaining a prospect for $1M or so?  Maybe.

[Frobby]

So apparently it is possible to just eat a huge contractual commitment when you’ve concluded that a player has nothing left to contribute.   Keep that memo on file.....

[interloper]

4 minutes ago, weams said:

If he could play, they would not have released him. 

That's... not true at all? The O's released Gibbons and he was perfectly healthy. The Jays are moving to a younger group. Tulo's ankle surgery is assumed to have gone well. Is he a GOOD player anymore? Doubtful. But he can still play. 

End of the day, 2 years/$34 isn't a ton to eat when compared to Davis' 5/$90 or whatever. They can't be beholden to starting a veteran at the prime infield position if they want to start retooling. 

 

[wildbillhiccup]

3 minutes ago, Frobby said:

So apparently it is possible to just eat a huge contractual commitment when you’ve concluded that a player has nothing left to contribute.   Keep that memo on file.....

Yeah, but Tulo's contract is like a snake swallowing a cow. Davis is more like a snake swallowing an elephant. 

The Jays must have REALLY been down on Tulo because I think they had a very affordable buy out option coming up in a few years. 

[wildbillhiccup]

2 minutes ago, interloper said:

That's... not true at all? The O's released Gibbons and he was perfectly healthy. The Jays are moving to a younger group. Tulo's ankle surgery is assumed to have gone well. Is he a GOOD player anymore? Doubtful. But he can still play. 

End of the day, 2 years/$34 isn't a ton to eat when compared to Davis' 5/$90 or whatever. They can't be beholden to starting a veteran at the prime infield position if they want to start retooling. 

 

...but aren't we retooling? Honestly, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but Tulo just isn't a fit for this team. 

[Lucky_13]

I mean I wouldn't totally be agaisnt it.  The Jays would pay him the 34 million and we only have to pay the pro-rate minimum right? So it gives Tulo a chance to rebound and the Orioles get a veteran guy they could deal at the deadline.  And if he sucks just release him.  Its not like they have someone to play at SS right now if Villar is at 2nd. 

[Camden_yardbird]

3 minutes ago, wildbillhiccup said:

...but aren't we retooling? Honestly, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but Tulo just isn't a fit for this team. 

A lot of people think that because the Orioles are rebuilding that they must play only young players and any movement away from that would be stupid and tantamount to the superficial "competitive" teams they used to trot out with milquetoast middling free agent talent manning many positions on the field.

The truth is, rebuilding teams usually identify one or two buy low, rebound, sell high players to roster every season.  Signed to low value 1 or 2 year contracts, these players can help but almost never can they hurt.

Hitting on these players speeds along the rebuilding process, which would otherwise just be predicated on draft classes and international signings.

I think it's perfectly valid to ask if Tulo is one of those candidates.  His pedigree is of being the best shortstop in the game.  As even a competent shortstop with a little power and a halfway return to his former OBP he could not something at the trade deadline.  

I think it's far to early to say he is the best candidate.  We still have a lot of free agents to shake out of the tree before we get to Tulo.

[interloper]

7 minutes ago, wildbillhiccup said:

...but aren't we retooling? Honestly, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but Tulo just isn't a fit for this team. 

I'm not saying we should go sign him, I'm just saying we don't know if he can't play and I disagreed with what weams was saying. I do hear some murmurs now that he had some trouble coming back from the surgery so perhaps he can't play after all. His agent thinks otherwise, of course, based on his comments.

The fact is, teams cut players for different reasons, not just health.

The Orioles are not simply retooling. They are undergoing an entire organizational shift. Releasing Davis would be great, but it solves nothing in the short or even medium term. Removing Trumbo from the roster is both much easier and just as beneficial. Davis is only blocking Mancini or Stewart, depending on how you look at it. It's also 1B/DH, not SS. 

The Jays probably have some young players they want to get in there and are fine to eat the salary. But $90 million? Sorry, no team just does that. We're stuck with Davis for a little while longer.