DENVER – The Colorado Rockies and Toronto Blue Jays swapped star shortstops.
The teams confirmed the blockbuster trade Tuesday that will send Jose Reyes and right-handed pitchers Miguel Castro, Jeff Hoffman and Jesus Tinoco to the Rockies for Troy Tulowitzki and reliever LaTroy Hawkins.
Both shortstops have remarkably similar career statistics but also a history of injuries.
Tulowitzki is a five-time All-Star and a career .299 hitter. He’s hitting .300 this season. At 32, the speedy Reyes is two years older than Tulowitzki. He’s a lifetime .291 hitter and is hitting .285 this season.
Reyes, a four-time All-Star, is signed through 2017 on a $106 million, six-year contract he received from Miami.
Before the 2011 season, Colorado made a big commitment to Tulowitzki by agreeing to a contract that guaranteed him $132 million over seven seasons from 2014-20. The deal included a $14 million team option for 2021 with a $4 million buyout.
The face of Colorado’s franchise, Tulowitzki has spent his entire career with the Rockies (42-55) but has been the subject of trade talk for some time. Still, the Blue Jays seemed an unlikely destination.
“Tremendous player,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said in San Francisco. “Sometimes you’re surprised when you have a guy like Tulo who’s so iconic in Colorado.”
Last season, Tulowitzki played only 91 games before undergoing hip surgery. This year, he’s been injury free, with manager Walt Weiss resting him on occasion to save wear and tear.
AP Baseball Writer Janie McCauley in San Francisco, and AP Sports Writer Jay Cohen and freelance writer Brian Sandalow in Chicago contributed to this report.
