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Colorado Rockies: the 2017 Winter Meetings wish list

By Ryan Ladika

CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 18: Wade Davis #71 of the Chicago Cubs pitches in the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game four of the National League Championship Series at Wrigley Field on October 18, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 18: Wade Davis #71 of the Chicago Cubs pitches in the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game four of the National League Championship Series at Wrigley Field on October 18, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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Jonathan Lucroy of the Colorado Rockies
PHOENIX, AZ – SEPTEMBER 12: Catcher Jonathan Lucroy #21 of the Colorado Rockies walks off the field during the MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on September 12, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Priority Two: Catcher

The Rockies made a shrewd move at the trade deadline last season, acquiring a slumping Jonathan Lucroy from the Texas Rangers.

Lucroy made an immediate and significant impact for the Rockies behind the plate. Before the trade, Lucroy hit .242/.297/.338 in 77 games with the Rangers. After the change of scenery, Lucroy hit .310/.429/.437 in 46 games with the Rockies.

Not only did Lucroy give the Rockies an offensive boost behind the plate for the Rockies, he provided the intangibles as well, bringing past postseason experience to a very young team and providing a veteran presence behind the plate for a rotation led by 26-year-old Jon Gray and two rookies.

Re-signing Lucroy would be a good move by the Rockies, and he already expressed possible interest in returning to Denver next season.

He now has experience catching the Rockies pitchers, and it would also give Colorado’s young catchers, Tony Wolters and Tom Murphy, someone to learn from.

Another option could be to bring in former Tigers and Cubs catcher Alex Avila. The Rockies were rumored to be in on Avila around the 2017 trade deadline, but the Tigers eventually dealt him to the Chicago Cubs.

Avila didn’t perform as well in Chicago after the trade, hitting just .239 after starting off the year hitting .274 with Detroit. Like Lucroy, though, a change of scenery to baseball’s best hitter’s park could be lucrative.

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