Troy Tulowitzki, currently on the disabled list with a hip flexor strain, made an appearance at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, watching the game from the ninth row behind home plate. It certainly was a little strange, even given Tulo's respect for Jeter (he wears No. 2 in homage) and the fact that he been in Philadelphia getting a second opinion on his hip.

Ian O'Connor wrote an interesting column on Tulo's presence in the Bronx, essentially blasting him for attending the game and comparing him to Alex Rodriguez. I don't quite get that comparison, but O'Connor's bigger point was hinting that Tulo would make for a nice replacement for Jeter. He writes:

The Yankees aren't just replacing Jeter full time next year with the likes of Brendan Ryan, so Tulowitzki makes sense on all sorts of levels. He's 29. He's a monster at the plate. He's tired of losing. And he's a Dan Marino fan who doesn't want Marino's postseason résumé -- a one-and-done trip to the big game in the early hours of his career.

Tulowitzki lost the World Series in his rookie season; Marino lost his only Super Bowl in Year 2. The shortstop is under contract with Colorado through 2021, and he's afraid of being stuck in mile-high loserville for the balance of his prime.

So he figured he'd go catch a couple of playoff contenders between doctor's appointments. Tulowitzki had to know how this look-at-me stunt would play, and beyond that, he had to know Jeter would've never showed at another man's ballpark while his own team was scheduled to play.

Well ... Tulo makes sense for nearly every team, of course, not just the Yankees.

Trouble is: How do you get him if you're the Yankees?

Let's say the Rockies do decide to blow things up, figuring they haven't won in recent years building around Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez, and shop Tulo in the offseason for depth and young assets. As O'Connor mentioned, he's signed through 2021. But he's also signed at a pretty team-friendly rate for a superstar performer: $20 million per year through 2019, then $14 million in 2020 (his age-35 season) with a $15 million team option for 2021. Yes, there's risk considering Tulo's injury history, but he's still averaged 5.1 WAR per season since 2009 -- and that's including a 0.4-WAR season in 2012 when he played just 47 games (plus an incomplete 2014).

Trading for seven years of Tulowitzki would obviously be expensive. I can't think of a player of his ability who has been traded with that many years of team control remaining, so there are really no comparable deals to consider. You think of Miguel Cabrera going from the Marlins to the Tigers, and while he was younger (entering his age-25 season), he was traded with just two seasons of control remaining. The Tigers gave up Cameron Maybin (a top-10 prospect in the game at the time) and Andrew Miller (a top-10 prospect the previous year). When the Mariners traded Ken Griffey Jr. to the Reds, he had asked for a trade but also had just one year left on his contract.

The Mariners' hands were tied; the Rockies' hands aren't, not with Tulo signed long-term.

Anyway, to acquire Tulo, you have to start with at least one top-10 prospect, probably need another top-25 guy or young proven major leaguer, and then add in a slew of other good prospects or young major league talent. The Yankees don't have those kinds of prospects. Keith Law recently updated his midseason top 50 prospects and the Yankees had one player on it, Class A outfielder Aaron Judge, ranked No. 45. Aaron Judge is not the starting point for a Troy Tulowitzki trade.

Truth is, I'm not sure any team could afford Tulo. Well, the Cubs. But you're talking a Kris Bryant-Javier Baez starter package. Maybe the Dodgers, with Corey Seager, Joc Pederson and Julio Urias. The Twins could start with Byron Buxton and the Rockies would want Miguel Sano as well. The Astros could build a trade around Carlos Correa and a bunch of young pitching. That's what it would take to get Tulo. Remember: Even Bryant isn't a lock to be an annual 5-WAR player in the majors like Tulo.

So, sure, Tulo would make a nice successor to Jeter. But it's not going to happen.