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With the trade deadline drawing near, fans of baseball expect big, blockbuster trades and the Toronto Blue Jays have gone and given them just that. According to FoxSports.com, the Blue Jays have acquired star-shortstop Troy Tulowitzki from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for a shortstop of their own in the form of Jose Reyes, as well as minor league talent. This trade is a shocker to the MLB, not only because of the popular names being tossed around, but because two teams have pretty much exchanged star players of the same position. This is a lot to take in, so I will break down each player, and their hopeful contribution to their respective new clubs.
First off, we have Jose Reyes. He has been the Blue Jays’ top leadoff man this season, seeing 69 games atop the team’s batting order. However, looking at his stats, he would be a perfect fit into any spot in the Rockies’ order, likely staying in the top half. He’s batting .285 this season, which isn’t amazing, but it’s well above average in the league. I do believe that we will see his average approach the .300 mark as he begins playing his home games in the best hitters’ park in baseball, Coors Field. He’s been known in the past for his speed, but at 32 years old, you won’t see any outrageous stolen base numbers from him. 30, at the most. Reyes has not fared well when playing in Toronto, batting just .266 at home, versus his .299 mark in away games. This trade may very well be good for him for that reason, along with the transition to Coors Field. We will have to see how good of a run producer he can be, assuming he does not take the Rockies’ leadoff spot.
Now, we come to the man himself, Troy Tulowitzki. He was a fan favorite with the Rockies, which makes this move all the more confusing. However, sentiments aside, he is still an exceptionally great ballplayer. He’s two years younger than Reyes, but he hasn’t exactly been the guy you’d expect to play 150 games in a season, as he’s only done so twice in his career. Despite durability questions, Tulo has played in 87 games this season, and has earned a .300 batting average to go along with a dozen dingers and 53 RBI. He’d be the Blue Jays’ best guy, if not for a guy named Josh Donaldson, who has been tearing up the league this year. He’ll compliment Donaldson’s game, however, and Blue Jays fans will look to see a little more explosion in their lineup.
We see both of these guys and automatically think to ourselves that Toronto got the better end of the deal, but that may not be so. The absence of Jose Reyes leaves the Blue Jays without a comfortable leadoff man, likely forcing rookie Devon Travis into the leadoff spot. Travis has played 21 games there, but has only put up a .195 average in those games. This could cause distress in the organization, having to shuffle the lineup card around every few games to find something that will work for the remainder of the season. The Rockies, however, already have an outstanding leadoff man in Charlie Blackmon, who has hit .293 this season, while slugging 12 homers and swiping 25 bases. The departure of Tulowitzki will allow the Rockies to move second baseman D.J. LeMahieu to the third spot in the order and slide Reyes right in front of him at number two.The Rockies’ lineup will be much more comfortable with the trade, as opposed to the Blue Jays, which could mean a lot for the rest of the season. Not to mention, the Rockies also acquired minor league players that have not been named yet. Those could definitely turn out to be big pieces in the club’s future.
With all things considered, I would have to say that the Rockies got the better end of this deal. Jose Reyes has been a much more consistent, everyday player that will most definitely contribute to the team’s future success; the Blue Jays will be lucky to get 140 games out of Tulowitzki over the next few years. If you have any argument, disagreement, or just simply want to put your two cents into the mix, feel free to sound off in the comments section, and I’ll be sure to respond. This has been yet another interesting and always original sports perspective from Couch Rider Report, straight from our couch to yours! Thanks for reading, and don’t forget to come back for more juicy baseball insight!
Tyler Wilson is a Writer for Couch Rider Report. Follow us on twitter and like us on Facebook.
