New York Yankees' shortstop Didi Gregorius is batting .204/.269/.241. Although recent trade rumors suggest the Colorado Rockies are not planning to move Troy Tulowitzki, if they continue to lose that will likely change. The Yankees could potentially be a suitor if that were the case.
The Rockies are one of the worst teams in baseball thanks to their 13-21 record. They've lost 13 of their past 15 games, and when they were on a 10-game losing streak it was speculated Tulowitzki was going to request a trade. However, he addressed the media late last week and said he was not planning to do that.
General manager Jeff Bridich said the rumors have been "mostly a media production" and the club has no intention of trading their star shortstop, according to Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post.
But what if the New York Yankees were interested in a deal?
"Tulowitzki wouldn't be able to wear No. 2, but he certainly would be the most appropriate shortstop to replace Jeter in New York," writes ESPN Insider Jim Bowden. "His low-key leadership style would work well in the Bronx and give the Yankees the middle-of-the-order presence they've missed since Robinson Cano left for Seattle via free agency a year ago. The Yankees have clearly shown they are again the team to beat in the AL East, and a deal for Tulo would put an exclamation point on that."
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports also weighed in on the speculation.
"The Yankees had some interest this winter, but the conversation apparently was very brief. They are not short of prospects now, with young pitcher Luis Severino, powerful slugger Aaron Judge and others, they haven't convincingly replaced the iconic Derek Jeter yet and Tulo would love to man the spot where his idol Jeter played for 20 years," he writes.
However, even with their current shortstop situation, it's hard to believe New York would part ways with Judge or Severino.
Gregorius has failed to fill Jeter's shoes so far this season and that doesn't look like it will change. He has only 22 hits, seven runs scored, seven RBIs and 23 strikeouts in 120 plate appearances. His batting average on balls in play (BABIP) is also among the top-40 worst in the league (.256). In 181 games with the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2013-2014, the 25-year-old batted .241/.314/.368 with 82 runs scored, 8 home runs and 55 RBIs, so his struggles right now shouldn't be too much of a shocker.
It's unknown if New York is already looking to jump ship on this experiment, but they're one of the few teams that have the resources to trade for Tulowitzki and take on the rest of his salary (over $100 million through the 2020 season), which is something the Rockies would prefer. Gregorius also has some experience at second base and manager Joe Girardi could maybe move him there and put Stephen Drew (batting .177/.264/.345) on the bench.
"The Yankees could offer a package that includes pitchers Ian Clarkin and Jacob Lindgren, along with their top shortstop prospect, Jorge Mateo. Although that would be a lesser package than the Mets offer, the Yankees could pick up the entire contract, which would allow the Rockies to reallocate that money to free agency this offseason," adds Bowden.
It was mentioned Colorado is actively exploring starting pitching. The Yankees have some young options they could offer, but being that their rotation is enduring issues of its own, general manager Brian Cashman may not want to part ways with the young talent for the sake of the future.
Clarkin is currently on the disabled list due to inflammation in his left elbow, but he had a successful campaign in 2014 after finishing 3-3 with a 3.21 ERA and 1.229 WHIP in 16 games (15 starts) with Class A Charleston. Lindgren is regarded as perhaps the best reliever in the Yankees' farm system and he's already dominating Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (1-1 with a 1.42 ERA and 1.158 WHIP in 13 games), so Cashman may not be too keen on such a deal.
He's probably more focused on ensuring the stability of the starting rotation and keeping the bullpen strong. Although Tulowitzki would help in one aspect, it will be a costly acquisition in a time where the Yankees perhaps have other needs that could be addressed without inheriting a $100 million contract on top of surrendering promising prospects.
