Tulowitzki: I wanted to be a Yankee

TAMPA — Troy Tulowitzki had teams other than the Yankees contact him when the Blue Jays set him free in December, but they wasted their time contacting the veteran shortstop.

“There was def initely a lot of teams interested, but the Yankees were on the top of the list,’’ Tulowitzki said Wednesday at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

Having lost shortstop Didi Gregorius at least until June and likely longer due to Tommy John surgery on his right ( t hrowing) e l bow, t he Yankees had a need at short and weren’t prepared to spend what Manny Machado was looking for

They could have signed Freddy Galvis or Adeiny He ch av arri a, each of whom offers versatility that Tulowitzki doesn’t, but chose Tulowitzki after putting him through a rigorous workout in his native California. Galvis inked a two-year deal with the Blue Jay sand Hechavarri a signed a minor league contract with the Mets.

The Yankees signed Tulowitzki to a one-year deal for the major league minimum $555,000. The Blue Jays are paying Tulowitzki $19.445 million of the $20 million he will make this year. The Blue Jays are on.the hook for $14 million next year and will have to spit out a $4 million buyout in 2021.

A longtime fan of Derek Jeter, Tulowitzki, who will wear No. 12 after wearing No. 2 with Colorado and Toronto, had plenty of time to study the Yankees last year when he missed the entire season due to surgery on each heel to remove bone spurs.

“I know this is a pretty good ball club. I didn’t play last year so I watched, and they played good baseball,’’ said the 34-year-old, who hasn’t played in a big-league game since July 28, 2017.

Tulowitzki understood Gregorius would eventually return after getting hurt making a throw in last year’s ALDS against the Red Sox. But until then, the 12-year veteran insisted he won’t be wondering when Gregorius will resurface and take back the shortstop job.

“I am not worried about that. I will do whatever I can to help the team win,’’ said Tulowitzki, a career .290 hitter with a .856 OPS.

He is a f ive-time AllStar, but hasn’t played in more than 143 games since 2011.

“Didi is a great player who has come a long way since I played against him in Arizona,” Tulowitzki said.

Even though the financial commitment is light, the Yankees believe Tu low itz ki is sound enough to help.

“We signed a healthy player, that’s the reason we brought him in here. We did due diligence so we knew he was coming in a really good place,” Aaron Boone said. “The question now for him will be the ability to bounce back and endure the rigors of being a regular, but he looks really good moving around in the field and where he is at with his swing.’’