The New York Yankees are signing the former shortstop Troy Tulowitzki to a league-minimum deal as a fill-in for the injured Didi Gregorius.
The New York Yankees made a splash on the first day of 2019, but it wasn’t exactly what fans were expecting. The Yankees inked Troy Tulowitzki to a one-year deal at the league minimum according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.
Passan is also reporting that Tulowitzki will fill in for the injured Didi Gregorius at shortstop, but this signing doesn’t take the Yankees out of the Machado sweepstakes.
This is an unexpected move, but it’s one of the low-risk, high-reward signings that general manager Brian Cashman often seeks out. He took similar chances on Matt Holliday and Neil Walker. Of course, snagging Tulowitzki at the league minimum is buying as low as possible.
Tulowitzki missed the entire 2018 season with injury and his 2017 season was plagued by injuries as well. He only played in 66 games and he posted an unimpressive slash line of .249/.300/.378. He’s not the same player that went to four All-Star Games and drove in 105 runs one season in Colorado.
If nothing else, this move gives the Yankees some insurance if Manny Machado decides to sign elsewhere. Machado’s recent social media activity had many believing he was ready to sign with New York, but the superstar is still a free agent as of Jan. 1.
Of course, if Machado signs with the Yankees, they’ll find a place for him. Consequently, the front office will have to make tough decisions about the infield. That could mean that Tulowitzki is cut before he even makes it to Spring Training. On the other hand, that could be the impetus for a Miguel Andujar trade.
Either way, that all depends on what Machado decides to do.
