The long-awaited Troy Tulowitzki trade finally came to pass on Monday night, with the five-time All-Star heading to the Toronto Blue Jays as the key cog in a six-player blockbuster. Last week, I argued that the Blue Jays were the team with the most to gain by making a trade deadline acquisition. But was this a good one? Let's break it down, piece by piece.
The prize
There's little question that Tulowitzki has been the premier shortstop of the last decade. He's a worthy heir to the Big Four of Alex Rodriguez, Nomar Garciaparra, Derek Jeter and Miguel Tejada, the quartet that previously dominated the position. From 2007, Tulowitzki's first full season, to today, Tulo's 39.7 WAR (Baseball-Reference) ranks first in baseball among shortstops -- with only a single player, Hanley Ramirez, landing within 10 of that total (31.6).