By Jordan Long
The Colorado Rockies have been aggressive before the trade deadline at 2 p.m. MST today. They made a deal to improve the bullpen adding Pat Neshek last Wednesday. On Sunday they acquired catcher Jonathan Lucroy from the Texas Rangers for a player to be named later. According to ESPN, Rockies Manager Bud Black said, “His track record is pretty good. The guy’s an All-Star. He’s had success in the major leagues both offensively and defensively, so we should feel good about this one. To get this type of player, it’s going to pick everybody up.”
The Rockies figured the only way to make the playoffs was to upgrade the catcher position. Tony Wolters and Ryan Hanigan were the only catchers on the team. Wolters is in his second year in the Majors and hasn’t been to the postseason. Hanigan has appeared in 7 playoff games in his 10 years.
On the other hand, Lucroy is not only a veteran at the Major League level but played in 13 playoff games, 10 with the Brewers and 3 with the Texas Rangers. Lucroy will now be the everyday catcher for the last 56 games. He doesn’t hit with power with a total of 4 home runs and a batting average of .242. His offensive numbers weren’t the reason the Rockies wanted him.
Lucroy’s defense will help Colorado win one of the two Wild Card spots and maybe the Wild Card “play in” game. He can throw runners out trying to steal. Those throws could be the difference in the ball game. Colorado is also hoping his veteran presence will help the team’s rookie pitchers.
This is a reasonable trade for the Colorado Rockies. They didn’t give up a whole lot for Lucroy and he will be a free agent at the end of the year. If the Rockies make the postseason and win a few games, they may want to sign him to an extension. If they fail to win a playoff game, the Rockies might let Lucroy test free agency. On paper, this makes the Rockies a more dangerous team in the postseason.
What do you think of the Colorado Rockies trading for Jonathan Lucroy?
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