The two oft-injured superstars are back on the market.
There were whispers about the Mets trading for either Troy Tulowitzki or Carlos Gonzalez leading up to the July 31 trade deadline this past season. However, nothing really serious developed, and both players ended up ending their seasons early due to injury, anyway.
Now, according to Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post, the Rockies are "keeping their eyes and ears open" for deals on both the outfielder and the shortstop.
Last offseason, club owner Dick Monfort said that Colorado was going to hang onto both All-Stars, but after a disastrous 2014 campaign, the team appears to be more flexible. The Mets' interest is simple. Shortstop and corner outfield are the two highest positions of need, and they have plenty of young pitching which the Rockies would presumably want.
Neither Gonzalez or Tulowitzki would qualify as a rental, either. The former is owed $53 million over the next three seasons, while the latter is still getting a whopping $118 million through 2020. That kind of heavy contract is a risky acquisition, but it might be worth it for the Mets for the drastic short-term improvement it would bring to the lineup. Of course, there's also the caveat that the team would probably have to shed a veteran contract or two just to afford Tulowitzki.
With all the issues surrounding money, health, and actually making a trade happen, it's going to be tough for the Mets to haul in either big fish, especially considering how the team values its pitching prospects. However, as long as the Rockies are listening, the Mets should be talking about a deal that could instantly launch the orange and blue into postseason contention.