The 26-year-old Troy Tulowitzki shined for the Rockies in 2010, slugging .568 and playing solid defense at shortstop as he and Carlos Gonzalez attempted to carry the team on their backs down the stretch. So impressed were the Rockies, and so content was Tulowitzki, that the two sides have now come together and nearly hammered out a long-term contract extension that will keep Tulowitzki around in Colorado through 2020.
Tulowitzki is already under a guaranteed contract through 2013, due to a deal signed in January 2008. According to Ken Rosenthal, the Rockies will pick up an existing $15 million 2014 option and add six more years and $119 million more on to the end. In total, Tulowitzki will be under contract with the Rockies for the next ten seasons for a grand total of $157.75 million, and his contract will expire the month he turns 36.
Troy Renck says that the Tulowitzki deal is essentially done and will be officially announced at a 2pm Tuesday press conference. It's a hefty reward for an excellent player who has expressed a desire to remain a Rockie for life, and while giving a player a six-year extension four years early is a gamble, Tulo is about as steady as it gets, and he's posted a .939 OPS since the start of the 2009 season.
Between the Tulowitzki extension and the imminent Jorge de la Rosa re-signing, this has been a big Monday for Colorado. Be sure to read more over at Purple Row.