Entertainment Sports The Toronto Blue Jays Are Paying One of Their Former Stars $38 Million to Not to Play for the Team The MLB star will be paid the large sum over the next two years while he looks to find another team to sign him By Joelle Goldstein Joelle Goldstein Twitter Joelle Goldstein is a TV Staff Editor for PEOPLE Digital. She has been with the brand for five years, beginning her time as a digital news writer, where she covered everything from entertainment news to crime stories and royal tours. Since then, she has worked as a writer-reporter on the Human Interest team and an associate editor on the TV team. In her current role, Joelle oversees all things TV and enjoys being able to say she has to watch The Kardashians, Dancing with the Stars and America's Got Talent for "work". Prior to joining PEOPLE, Joelle was employed at The Hollywood Reporter. She graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Television-Radio (and an appearance in the NCAA Women's Volleyball Final Four!) People Editorial Guidelines Published on December 20, 2018 09:12 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Troy Tulowitzki was paid to play and now he’s earning cash to be a free agent. Last week, the five-time All-Star shortstop was released from the Toronto Blue Jays, MLB reported. Because of his initial contract, Tulowitzki’s former team will be responsible for paying him the $38 million dollars owed over the course of two years. Meanwhile, the two-time Gold Glove winner, 34, will now be available to sign with any MLB team of his choosing for a minimum deal of $555,000, according to MLB. Back in 2015, Tulowitzki was signed to the Toronto Blue Jays after playing eight seasons with the Colorado Rockies. At that time, the MLB star was in his fifth season of a 10-year deal that paid him $157.75 million, MLB reported. Troy Tulowitzki. Tim Tebow Talks About His Plans to Return to Baseball After Injury: ‘Comebacks Are Pretty Awesome’ Though he became an asset to the Blue Jays in three short years, Tulowitzki’s career temporarily came to a halt in 2017 after he developed bone spurs in his heels. Tulowitzki eventually underwent surgery to remove the spurs and was forced to sit out for the entire 2018 season in the aftermath of his procedure. Luckily, the MLB star made his long-awaited return to the diamond on Tuesday in Long Beach, California — just seven days after his release, Yahoo! Sports reported. At the self-held workout, which featured looks by several teams including the New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, and Baltimore Orioles, Yahoo Sports’ Tim Brown and MLB Columnist Jeff Passan explained that a comeback for Tulowitzki in 2019 looked promising. “The guy I saw today is healthy and ready to play…” Brown wrote on Twitter. “What @TBrownYahoo saw from Troy Tulowitzki today dovetails with what a number in attendance told me: He looks fit, he’s moving very well and if he’s anything like he was today, he’s going to be able to help a contender. And for the minimum salary at that,” added Passan. “I think I needed to get myself right, mentally and physically,” Tulowitzki told Yahoo! Sports. “I took a year off to get myself right. I’m looking forward to playing the game I love.” RELATED VIDEO: Tim Tebow actively pursuing baseball career With some of the California teams watching his workout and because of his roots, fans are speculating that the All-Star shortstop will return to his home state and play for the Angels or Giants. Others believe that Tulowitzki, who has exclusively played shortstop in the MLB, will change his position to second base. According to the MLB, Tulowitzki has already expressed interest in a possible switch. But only time will tell how long Tulowitzki — who holds a .290 career batting average, 224 total home runs, and 779 total RBIs — will be a free agent for before he’s scooped up by another MLB team.