The Toronto Blue Jays and Colorado Rockies shocked the baseball world late Monday night with one of the most surprising deals in recent memory.

Toronto added more offense to its already potent lineup by acquiring superstar Troy Tulowitzki and reliever LaTroy Hawkins from Colorado for veteran shortstop Jose Reyes and a trio of minor-league prospects.

Blue Jays land Tulowitzki in blockbuster trade with Rockies

Tulowitzki says he was 'blindsided' by trade to Blue Jays

Blue Jays Reaction

The acquisition of Tulowitzki follows a recent pattern by Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos: Get the best player available at any position and sort out your strengths and weaknesses later. From a run-producing standpoint, it's a strategy that's been extremely effective.

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Rockies Reaction

Since their inception more than two decades ago, the Rockies have yet to discover the formula for effective pitching in Denver, where the unforgiving altitude has frustrated each and every one of the club's efforts to develop a front-line ace. Perhaps Jeff Hoffman or Miguel Castro can reverse this trend.

3 things to know about the Tulowitzki trade: Hoffman, Castro offer new hope for Rockies

Projected Blue Jays Lineup

More Reaction

Blue Jays teammates saddened by Reyes trade: 'We lose a guy that brought a lot of energy'

LaTroy Hawkins 'excited' to begin tenure with Blue Jays

VIDEO: Tulowitzki, traded for Reyes, foreshadowed future run-in with 1st MLB hit

Blue Jays GM on Tulowitzki deal: 'We're getting the best shortstop in baseball'

Further Reading

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports has the inside story on the shocking trade of Tulowitzki, who was reportedly assured by owner Dick Monfort that if the Rockies were to trade him, they were going to ask for his blessing first. That never happened:

The stunned silence of players early Tuesday morning, when word of the trade came down, spoke to the disappointment of losing Tulowitzki. As the Rockies stashed him in Weiss’ office to keep him from addressing a deal that early Tuesday remained unconfirmed by either team, the truth of Tulowitzki’s exit filtered into the clubhouse and left the players even more gobsmacked, according to sources.

In Colorado, Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post says the Tulowitzki trade had to happen for the Rockies to rebuild:

The trade captures the reality that is the Rockies: It doesn't matter who you have hitting. Heck, you could have a perennial slugging shortstop, but if you can't pitch, you can't win in Colorado. It's a shame to see Tulo go, but it's a necessary move. The Rockies, with the best-hitting shortstop of his generation, were still the Rockies. First-year general manager Jeff Bridich had to do something to start a massive rebuild and get rid of Tulo's salary.

Dave Cameron at FanGraphs says that even though the Blue Jays need pitching, they found a way to improve their roster just as effectively as they would have by acquiring an arm:

There are no diminishing returns to scoring more runs; there is no point on offense to where the marginal value of a run scored is worth less than preventing a run from being allowed on defense. All that matters is the differential between runs scored and allowed, and you don’t get any extra credit for being above average at both as opposed to dominating in one and surviving at the other.

ESPN's Dave Schoenfield wonders whether Reyes still has enough trade value left in his legs to get the Rockies something worthwhile in return:

His range and arm are shaky enough that I'm not sure a contender would be all that interested in him -- including the Mets (who would likely not want the contract anyway). Who else could use him? If not the Mets, maybe the Angels would consider him as a DH or second baseman. Would the Yankees want him for second base? Reyes last played 43 games there in 2004, and I don't see a first-place team wanting to take on a crucial position shift in the middle of a pennant race.