Tulowitzki agrees to deal with Yankees

[January 02, 2019]  The New York Yankees found another big-name shortstop Tuesday, but it was not the superstar many fans in the Bronx might be expecting.

Troy Tulowitzki agreed to a deal with the Yankees, according to multiple media reports.

Tulowitzki, 34, will earn the league minimum of $555,000 with the Yankees while the Toronto Blue Jays pay the remainder of his $20 million salary after releasing him in December. He missed the entire 2018 season after undergoing surgery on both heels.

He is expected to fill in at shortstop while Didi Gregorius recovers from Tommy John surgery.

A five-time All-Star for the Colorado Rockies after he was their first-round draft choice -- seventh overall -- in 2005, Tulowitzki has sustained a number of hamstring and ankle injuries during his career. He was dealt to the Blue Jays in July 2015, and after playing in only 66 games in 2017 because of injuries, he sat out all of 2018.

He has a .290 career batting average, though, and has hit 24 or more home runs as a major-leaguer seven times. Four times he has topped 90 RBIs.

How much playing time Tulowitzki gets in New York remains to be seen. The Yankees are reportedly still in the running for Manny Machado, the fiery 26-year-old free agent infielder who is seeking a contract worth around $300 million.

--Field Level Media

[© 2019 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2019 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.