MLB notebook: Jays part ways with Tulowitzki
The Toronto Blue Jays released five-time All-Star Troy Tulowitzki on Tuesday, making the shortstop a free agent. Tulowitzki, 34, had two years and $38 million guaranteed remaining on his contract with the Blue Jays, a sum the club still owes the infielder. He had four injury-plagued seasons with the Blue Jays, including missing the entire 2018 season with bone spurs in both heels. He played in 131 games for the Blue Jays in 2016, batting .254 with 24 home runs. For his 12-year career, Tulowitzki is a .290 hitter with 224 homers and 779 RBIs in 1,286 games. With the Colorado Rockies, he finished fifth in the National League MVP voting in both 2009 and 2010. He won Gold Glove awards in 2010 and 2011. --Veteran outfielder Andrew McCutchen is returning to Pennsylvania, reportedly reaching a three-year, $50 million agreement with the Philadelphia Phillies. The Athletic first reported the signing, citing sources who said the acquisition does not mean the Phillies are dropping out of the Bryce Harper sweepstakes. McCutchen, 32, played his first nine seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2009-17, earning five All-Star selections and the 2013 National League Most Valuable Player award. He split last season between the San Francisco Giants and the New York Yankees. --The Chicago White Sox acquired veteran right-hander Ivan Nova from the Pirates for minor league pitcher Yordi Rosario and $500,000 in international bonus pool money. Nova, 31, has one year remaining on his current three-year $26 million deal and is owed $9.1 million in 2019. Nova went 9-9 with a 4.19 ERA for the Pirates last season and carries a 78-64 overall record over nine seasons, a career that started with the Yankees. The 6-foot-5 right-hander was the Pirates' Opening Day starter in 2018. --The Kansas City Royals signed outfielder Billy Hamilton to a one-year contract with a mutual option for the 2020 season, the team announced. Details were not disclosed. Hamilton, 28, had been with Cincinnati since the Reds drafted him in the second round in 2009. He batted just .236 in 2018 but finished second in the National League in stolen bases (34) and tied for second in triples (nine). He played in a career-high 153 games and tied for the major league lead with 12 outfield assists. --The owner of the Tampa Bay Rays says plans to build a new ballpark in Tampa's Ybor City neighborhood are dead, meaning the team likely will remain at Tropicana Field through 2027. Speaking at baseball's winter meetings in Las Vegas, Stuart Sternberg said the proposed $892 million stadium that was to open in 2023 is no longer viable because of a lack of progress. The city of St. Petersburg, Fla., had given the Rays a three-year window to negotiate a deal for a new stadium, but Sternberg conceded that it won't happen before the Dec. 31 deadline. --Free agent relief pitcher Adam Ottavino said in an interview that Babe Ruth would hit ".140" in today's game and that he "would strike Babe Ruth out every time." The 33-year-old right-hander told Mike Petriello, host of the MLB.com Statcast podcast, that Ruth's game wouldn't translate well. "I'm not trying to disrespect him, you know, rest in peace, you know, shout out to Babe Ruth. But it was a different game, I mean the guy ate hot dogs and drank beer and did whatever he did. It was just a different game," Ottavino said. --Field Level Media
