Long Beach State University Athletics
Tulowitzki Thankful for Big Deal
2/20/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Jan. 24, 2008
Troy Tulowitzki thanked his parents, his Rockies teammates and the organization, taking time to expand on that last reference.
"Everybody from the front office to the trainers, anybody who's ever done anything for me in the clubhouse," he said.
Those words of gratitude were among the first Wednesday from Tulowitzki after he and the Rockies finalized a six-year, $31 million contract. If the Rockies exercise their $15 million option in 2014, Tulowitzki's second year of free agency, the deal will be worth $44 million to the shortstop.
Regardless, it's by far the richest for a player with less than two years of service time in the majors and an almost unfathomable sum for a player who only a year ago was getting ready to go to spring training to solidify his status as the Rockies shortstop and in one sublime season became a franchise cornerstone.
"We know we've got a special player here, but more important, we've got a very special person," general manager Dan O'Dowd said. "And in my career, they come along very rare."
Agent Paul Cohen knows how rare Tulowitzki is. Cohen has been an agent for nearly 20 years and has represented Jim Edmonds, Tim Hudson, Troy Percival, Tim Worrell, Damian Easley, Bobby Crosby and Robinson Cano. Cohen said Tulowitzki "feels an affinity" for those in all levels of the Rockies organization, all the way from ownership down to those who work in the clubhouse.
"If this was my first three, four or five years, I'd say, 'Aw, that's really nice,' " Cohen said. "But after doing this for almost 20 years, it's unusual. It's an exception to the rule. It's actually amazingly nice to see."
The extraordinary contract represents the latest effort by O'Dowd to identify a core group of players and sign them to multiyear deals. Pitcher Jeff Francis, who turned 27 earlier this month, was signed in November 2006 through 2010 with a club option for 2011. A contract extension last month with pitcher Aaron Cook, who will be 29 on Feb. 8, has him signed through 2011 with a mutual option for 2012.
Last week, the Rockies ensured left fielder Matt Holliday, who turned 28 eight days ago, will be with them through 2009, when he can become a free agent.
"Obviously, we've got only one- year data on 'Tulo,' but you certainly have three years of history now with a lot of the other guys," O'Dowd said. "And I think the goal is to try to keep the core of the players together as much as you possibly can in today's economic world, so to speak."
Asked about the process of identifying someone as a core player, O'Dowd said, "It's how they fit in the club, what is their role on the club. What is the character of the person involved. What's coming behind them in the system, too, obviously has to play a role in that. And how they perform; we think they'll continue to get better."
To that end, O'Dowd said, "we'll know a lot more at the conclusion of this season," whether starting pitchers Ubaldo Jimenez, who turned 24 on Tuesday, and Franklin Morales, who turns 22 today, and closer Manny Corpas, 25, could rise to core-player status.
"It's been a long process to get to this point and it's going to be an ongoing process . . . ," O'Dowd said. "But to get to this point, you have to have a steady flow of talent come through the system, and we've been able to accomplish that.
"Now the key to it is we have to have more coming through as we go along." Tulowitzki, drafted seventh overall in 2005 out of Long Beach State, came through the system quicker than most, playing a mere 126 games in the minors before reaching the Rockies and replacing Clint Barmes at shortstop.
After a slow start, Tulowitzki hit .291 with 24 home runs - the most ever by a National League shortstop - 99 RBI and 104 runs while making only 11 errors and leading all major league shortstops in fielding percentage, putouts and assists.
O'Dowd and Cohen agreed to talk earlier this month about Tulowitzki's contract. Before that discussion, Cohen met with Tulowitzki and outlined scenarios of what a multiyear contract might look like now, what it might look like in another year or two or what it would look like if Tulowitzki went year to year for the next five years until he was eligible for free agency.
Tulowitzki stressed to Cohen that once he and O'Dowd began negotiating, any deal would have to be finalized quickly because
Tulowitzki didn't want anything to be adversarial with the Rockies. It wasn't, which is why the Rockies can look forward to having Tulowitzki through at least 2013.
Getting to the World Series as a rookie on a team that should continue to contend "played a huge part" in Tulowitzki's decision to cast his lot long term with the Rockies.
He cited his teammates for their talent and as people, calling the situation special.
"We jell," he said. "We get along. I took that into consideration. I said, 'Wow, if we can really keep these core guys together, we have the makings to be something special.' Now the next step is keeping these guys together. I believe that that's going to happen. We'll wait and see, but I'm excited."
Tulowitzki on . . . The Rockies keeping Matt Holliday beyond 2009, when he can become a free agent: "We have him for two more years and, hopefully, more. I pray that there's more years because he helped me so much last year become a better baseball player, become a better person, that I hope he's around me my whole career."
Whether he feels more pressure to produce because of the historic contract: "No. I don't base my season off my numbers. I base my season off wins, if we go to the playoffs, if we make it to the World Series. So my year coming up, if we get in the playoffs and make some noise again, then it will be successful. If we don't make the playoffs, that's where I say, 'I didn't have a good season.' Numbers mean nothing to me. It's all about wins and losses."
His decision to sign a six-year, $31 million contract with an option for a seventh season: "Obviously, the money's nice. Let's be honest. It's awesome; it puts me in a great situation. I look forward to helping many people in the Denver area, helping my parents, helping as much as I can. But I'm excited. I see a great opportunity here for the next six years that we can really do something special here."
