The Yankees recently signed Troy Tulowitzki to a league-minimum deal, but it seems like it could pay off big time in the end for the Bronx Bombers.
A couple of days ago, the Yankees signed former Blue Jays shortstop, Troy Tulowitzki to a one-year league minimum contract ($535,000). The signing came as a surprise to most Yankee fans, as Tulo has only played in 66 games the past two years.
Tulo had surgery on both on his ankles last season, so he hasn’t seen the playing field since 2017, but this signing is perfect for the Yankees. Here are two reasons why signing Tulowitzki was a great idea.
Low risk, High Reward
The Yankees are taking absolutely no risk in signing Tulo. He is actually being paid 20 million by the Blue Jays to play against them. This signing has a level of excitement to it. We don’t know what we are going to get with Tulo, he could get hurt in spring training and not play all year or we could get close to the player that was once one of the best shortstops in the MLB.
While he might not be the same player that he once was, he still is a top 10 shortstop when healthy. His last healthy season was 2016 with the Blue Jays. That year Tulo slashed .254/.318/.443, hitting 24 bombs while driving in 79 runs.
It is stated that Tulo will be filling in for the injured Didi Gregorius and we don’t know when Didi will be back. The high reward with this signing is the Yankees getting the same Tulo that helped lead the Blue Jays to the ALCS in 2016.
Elite defender?
One thing the Yankees struggled with last year was their infield defense. Every since Tulo was called up he has been known as an elite defender. He possesses a strong arm and great range.
However, with his recent injuries, it is unknown whether or not he will be able to return to being strong on defense.
With Didi on the shelf for who knows how long, the Yankees can use Tulo’s solid defending to fill the hole that Didi left.
Overall, the Tulo signing is a great move by the Yankees. If it doesn’t pan out then it doesn’t matter as the Yankees are paying him only $535,000, but if it does work out, then the Yankees could have one of the best infields in baseball.