Rockies processing Tulo's departure

CHICAGO -- Nolan Arenado remembers the best advice he ever received from Troy Tulowitzki.

During a bus ride at the end of June, Tulowitzki talked about one of his biggest takeaways from 10 years of experience. Recalls Arenado: "He said, 'I've been to All-Star Games, I've done those things, but the only thing you want to do is win. All those things get old compared to winning. Winning never gets old.'

"That's something that's always stuck with me. He's given me a lot of advice, don't get me wrong, but that's something I've thought about a lot."

And it's something he'll continue to think about after Tulowitzki was traded to the Blue Jays, along with reliever LaTroy Hawkins, for Jose Reyes and three prospects.

It was a quiet day in the clubhouse on Tuesday afternoon as the team held a meeting prior to taking the field for the night game against the Cubs. Most sat at their lockers or watched TV in silence while they waited to warm up, eventually returning to their normal pregame routine.

Many were nearly as surprised as Tulowitzki was when he found out about the trade on Monday night.

"Obviously shocked, just like everyone else," said second baseman DJ LeMahieu. "You know, disappointed; still in shock, really. It's tough to put my mind around it right now.

"We all thought someone might get dealt, but a deal like that, I don't think anyone thought that was planned out. I think everyone was definitely shocked."

Added outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, who played with Tulowitzki for seven years: "Whenever you build a relationship like we have, it makes it even harder. We both know this is a business. But it seems like it was yesterday when we signed that deal in 2010, thinking about our future, thinking we were going to have some good years building this team around us. Things went a different way, and it's always sad to see the face of this franchise leave this organization."

Tulowitzki didn't find out about the trade until he was removed in the ninth inning of Monday night's loss to the Cubs. Many players knew that some sort of deal was going down, they noted on Tuesday, but many didn't find out the full details until later.

"When you have a season like this, there's always speculation, but to see it actually happen," said outfielder Corey Dickerson, "it's kind of tough on some of the guys, because you've got pretty close relationships."

Many believe Tulowitzki will excel in Toronto, where he enters a playoff push.

"He's the best shortstop in baseball, and any team would want to have him," LeMahieu said. "For him to be back in the playoff race, I think he's going to play a lot better than he's played this year -- even though he's played great. But I think he's going to take his game to another level being in a playoff race."