LOS ANGELES — Seeking to quiet growing trade rumors and put his baseball future in perspective, star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki emphatically said Thursday that he is not trying to force the Rockies to trade him.
“Whatever happens on the Rockies’ end happens, but for me to sit here and try to force my way out of here, that’s not the case,” he said.
Tulowitzki spoke to the media for more than 10 minutes before the Rockies’ game Thursday night at Dodger Stadium, trying to quiet the furor that arose Tuesday when t he New York Post reported that Tulowitzki and his agent, Paul Cohen, would meet in Los Angeles on Thursday morning, and whether Tulowitzki should ask the Rockies for a trade would be a prime topic of discussion.
“To say that it is not a possibility would be silly,” Cohen told the New York Post, adding that “it doesn’t take a rocket scientist” to see why the subject is heating up.
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Tulowitzki and Cohen did talk Thursday, and they discussed the shortstop’s future, but Tulowitzki insisted he didn’t authorize or order Cohen to start trade rumors percolating.
“The one thing I do want to make clear is that I don’t know where the talk came from of me demanding a trade,” he said. “There is no talk like that and never has been. And my relationship with the Rockies … we never wanted it to get to that point.”
Asked if he understood there was a perception among media and fans that he and his agent were trying to kindle trade talk and send a message to the Rockies, Tulowitzki answered: “The Rockies’ ownership and myself have always been close, so there’s no reason to try to leak something. I’d go straight to them. … If I have an issue, I would take care of it myself. The last thing I would try to do is leak something and get it out there.”
Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich so far has declined to comment on the matter.
“My agent already informed them on how our meeting went, and I’m sure the Rockies in the near future — if not today or tomorrow or the next day — will comment on this,” Tulowitzki said. “Hopefully they will say what’s on their mind and we can kind of go from here.”
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Tulowitzki said he addressed the issue now so that he wouldn’t have to deal with it on a daily basis, adding that he didn’t think it was fair to his teammates to have the issue hanging over them.
But, he said, he understands why the trade speculation has arisen, especially with the Rockies mired in an 11-game losing streak entering Thursday and being 9½ games out of first place in the National League West.
“When you make the most money on the team and your team’s not playing well, you’re going to be that target,” said Tulowitzki, who has a contract that will pay him $118 million, including $20 million this season. “I understand … (with) my contract, and with me being here longer than anyone in this locker room, what comes with that territory. That’s fair.”
The shortstop also addressed the Rockies’ poor performance, which has seen them lose 17 of their last 21 games.
“Bottom line, we have to play better baseball,” he said. “That’s kind of vague, but starting with myself, I have to start playing better.”
Tulowitzki, whose 2014 season was cut short by surgery to repair his torn hip labrum, said he wants to concentrate on baseball.
“I have to keep things in perspective and realize that I am playing the game I love again and enjoy it a little bit more, even though it is tough, even with the losing streak,” he said. “I (want to) be the guy I know I can be as far as a player, and keep things loose in the clubhouse (and) make these guys realize that just because we’re off to a bad start, it doesn’t mean we can’t rebound and win games.”
Patrick Saunders: psaunders@denverpost.com or twitter.com/psaundersdp
