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Officials from the St. Louis Cardinals and Colorado Rockies are expected to meet at the GM/owners' meetings in Orlando this week and discuss parameters of a potential trade involving Troy Tulowitzki, which already has been broached in informal talks between the parties, sources with knowledge of the situation told Yahoo Sports.

Not only have the Cardinals shown significant interest in Tulowitzki, the Rockies' 29-year-old shortstop, they've inquired about the availability of a shortstop from the Texas Rangers, who have Elvis Andrus and Jurickson Profar, sources said.

St. Louis' preference is to fill its gaping hole at shortstop with Tulowitzki, considered the best at the position in the major leagues. While Rockies ownership has said publicly it has no intentions of trading Tulowitzki, privately it continues to weigh advantages of freeing itself from the final seven years and $134 million guaranteed remaining on his contract against the loss of a superstar and the public-relations hit of trading a beloved homegrown player.

Should the Rockies change their mind and deal Tulowitzki, his contract calls for an additional $2 million “assignment bonus” and would immediately grant him no-trade provisions. St. Louis projects as a good fit for Tulowitzki. Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday, a former teammate in Colorado, is a close friend, and with the Rockies languishing in last place for the second consecutive season, St. Louis, coming off World Series appearances in two of the last three years, would provide the immediate contender Tulowitzki covets.

Certainly the Cardinals have the pieces to land him – or, if the Rockies balk, one of the Rangers' shortstops. Between a logjam at first base and a surplus of hard-throwing, young arms, St. Louis has stockpiled the sort of talent to pull off a 3- or 4-for-1 deal. In a previous conversation between the teams about a possible Tulowitzki deal, first baseman Matt Adams' name surfaced, with Colorado needing a long-term replacement for the retiring Todd Helton and St. Louis unlikely to trade Allen Craig because his team-friendly contract keeps him under control as long as Adams.

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In addition, the Rockies would like to add at least one young starter to a pair of promising right-handed prospects: Jonathan Gray, the No. 3 overall pick in last year's draft, and Eddie Butler, who blew away scouts at the Futures Game with a power sinker that topped out at 98 mph. Shelby Miller especially would fit that slot, with Lance Lynn a less-desirable option; the Cardinals, sources said, would not entertain a deal that includes rookie Michael Wacha. St. Louis likely would need to include either lefty flamethrower Kevin Siegrist or closer Trevor Rosenthal, and perhaps one more piece, depending on how hard a bargain Colorado plans on driving.

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