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Fantasy Baseball: Will Troy Tulowitzki’s Number Rise In Toronto

By Mike Marteny

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The Toronto Blue Jays were expected to make a splash at the trade deadline, but no one expected this. Instead of landing a much-needed starting pitcher, they landed the best shortstop in the game: Troy Tulowitzki.

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It is hard to fault the Jays’ logic. Not only did they unload the albatross of a contract that Jose Reyes has, they upgraded both their offense and defense. They also assured that they will have the best left side of the infield in baseball for at least the next five years. Both Tulowitzki and third baseman Josh Donaldson are signed long term.

Does this make the Jays the 1927 Athletics or the 1932 Yankees? Offensively, it might be close. The Jays already lead the majors in home runs. Tulowitzki will only add to those numbers. That’s all fine and good, but can they win without pitching?

Us fantasy players don’t care. All we see is the best offensive shortstop heading to a loaded lineup. This will mean more RBI opportunities, and possibly more runs scored. Will being away from Coors Field temper Tulo’s numbers some? It is possible. He is a career .299 hitter, but his average on the road is .276. Then again, Toronto is a hitter-friendly ballpark as well. I wouldn’t expect much of a drop in numbers. If anything, this trade might increase his value a little. Overall, not much will change on this front.

Here is what the full trade looks like:

Possibly the biggest piece of this deal for the Jays is LaTroy Hawkins. The closer situation has been a disaster for the Blue Jays all season long. The ageless Hawkins saved two games for the Rockies before losing the closer job to John Axford. The 42 year old Hawkins is 2-1 with a 3.63 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 22.1 innings pitched.

Hawkins looks poised to take over as the Blue Jays’ closer immediately. He is said to be available on Tuesday night, roughly 20 hours after the trade went through. Hawkins has 126 career saves, but holds a 4.32 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in his career. Hawkins is far from a sure thing, but if you need saves, you can do worse. Hawkins is worth picking up in any league unless he loses the job, but he likely has a long leash, and will have ample save opportunities.

This trade came at a cost for Toronto. Miguel Castro might be the one that is closest to being ready to pitch in the majors. He was 0-2 with a 4.38 ERA in 12.1 innings pitched for the Blue Jays earlier this season, and converted 4 of 6 save opportunities before being sent back to AAA Buffalo. He will start out in AAA for the Rockies, presumably to stretch him back out into a starter.

Castro did struggle this season in AAA and the majors, but he is still only 20 years old, and most scouts think he has a bright future. He is the 10th ranked prospect in the Rockies system right now, and this is a pretty loaded system.

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    • Jeff Hoffman, the 9th overall pick in the 2014 draft, was considered by many to be the best prospect in the Blue Jays’ system. He was 3-3 with a 2.93 ERA in 13 starts between high-A and AA this season. Hoffman will start off at AA for the Rockies, but the opportunity may be there for him to advance quickly if he keeps pitching like he is. He is the fourth ranked prospect in the Rockies system right now behind SS Brendan Rogers, P Jon Gray, and OF David Dahl.

    Tinoco is the wild card in this deal. He comes in to the Rockies system ranked number 18, but is still raw. He is at least two years away from the majors, but he projects as a middle of the rotation starter at worst so long as he can harness his sinker. Sinkerballers work well in Colorado. Just ask Aaron Cook.

    Getting four top 20 prospects – all pitchers – for a franchise player is a huge risk, but if you look through the Rockies system, Gray is the only pitcher that jumps off the page. The Rockies also have phenom Trevor Story tearing up the minors, and he is a natural shortstop. This trade could expedite his ascension to the majors.

    Lost in this shuffle some is Jose Reyes. Reyes was hitting .285 with four homers, 34 RBI, and 16 steals. He will likely take over the leadoff spot for Colorado, and could end up running a little more than he did in Toronto, provided he can stay healthy. Reyes will still be a fantasy asset, but his value will likely shift a bit. I wouldn’t expect as many runs scored, but he should make up for that with a couple of extra homers and steals. Also, if you play in a 10×10 league, he could be a huge asset moving to cavernous Coors Field.

    Take this with a grain of salt though. The Rockies have no reason to keep Reyes around since an aging former superstar really won’t help their rebuilding efforts. He will be hard to move because of his contract, but if the Rockies can get anything tangible before Friday, he is gone. Don’t go filling out a change of address form yet, Jose.

    Stay tuned to Fantasy CPR for the fantasy impact of every deadline deal. We still have more than nearly 72 hours to go, and this has already been one of the more crazy deadlines in history! Get what you need for fantasy purposes here!

    Next: Fantasy Impact Of Scott Kazmir In Houston

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