Many thought because the Colorado Rockies hired a new general manager that the team would be more willing to trade stars Troy Tulowitzki or Carlos Gonzalez this offseason. Well, GM Jeff Bridich had something to say regarding the matter on Tuesday.
According to FOX Sports' Jon Morosi, Bridich said the team is "highly, highly unlikely" to trade either Tulowitzki or Gonzalez before Opening Day. The pair of All-Stars underwent season-ending surgeries after only playing in a combined 161 games in 2014.
Earlier in the offseason Bridich said he would "entertain" trade talks for the shortstop and outfielder, but nothing has come close to happening. Former Rockies' general manager Dan O'Dowd was adamant about not trading either of these stars, but Bridich at least entered talks with the New York Mets regarding Tulowitzki. The Mets reportedly offered the Rockies a package that included top prospect Noah Syndergaard prior to the trade deadline, but O'Dowd rejected the deal. Talks were ongoing for a significant portion of the offseason, but Bridich impressed enough to make such a move.
It was believed Colorado would consider trading at least one of them after the team finished with a 67-95 record in 2014, on top of owing Tulowitzki $114 million over the next six seasons and Gonzalez $53 million over the next three. Additionally, the two have been hampered with injuries over the past few years, which further pointed to a trade being a serious possibility.
And a trade is still possible, because Bridich said a deal would not be made before Opening Day. The trade deadline is July 31.
Because the two stars are coming off season-ending surgeries, it's been noted that the Rockies may not be able to get the value they want if they were to trade one of the two, which has been speculated to be a reason they haven't made a deal yet. However, the team may also keep Tulo and Gonzalez if they get off to a good start in the first half of the season in a competitive NL West division.
Bridich said he doesn't want to blow up the whole operation by trading his best players, but will he have much of a choice if the Rockies are clearly out of playoff contention in July?
Tulowitzki and Gonzalez are ready to play, but the Rockies had the worst ERA in baseball last season and failed to significantly upgrade their pitching staff. We'll see if Bridich makes a deal to get prospects in return for either of these starts if the team underperforms.
