Colorado Rockies: Wondering why Jonathan Lucroy still isn’t signed

March has arrived and Spring Training is in full swing. However, there are still many free agents who remain unsigned. One of those free agents is former Colorado Rockies catcher Jonathan Lucroy. It’s been a quiet offseason for him as he has yet to land with another team.

Lucroy, 31, will be entering his ninth MLB season once he gets signed. Before he was traded to the Rockies, he played for the Milwaukee Brewers and Texas Rangers. After he was traded last season from the Rangers to Colorado, Lucroy made an impact on the Rockies that ultimately helped their playoff push. Having 13 RBI, 44 hits, and a batting average of .310 to end the regular season, Lucroy also helped out during the National League Wild Card game, going 2-for-3 with two doubles and an RBI.

He did finish the season strong with the Rockies, which makes questions arise about why he hasn’t landed with another team. Personally, I would like to blame it on the free agent market, though with Lucroy I’m not sure how precise that is. He did struggle in the first half of the season before coming to Colorado but he is also a catcher who was projected to sign a two-year, $24 million contract this offseason. That’s a steep price with next year’s free agent class looming.

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Lucroy is a two-time All-Star and was in the running for MVP back in 2014. He has the credibility and experience to be the full-time starting catcher for a team. Perhaps the way the market has been with other players who should have been signed a long time ago is to blame. Lucroy is a credible catcher to have and many teams should be forming a line to sign him. But price and long-term commitment may be frightening them off.

Final Thoughts

Price and commitment could be what led the Rockies to signing Chris Iannetta over Lucroy. With the youth the Rockies have in the catcher position (Tony Wolters and Tom Murphy), there was really no reason to offer Lucroy a contract.

That should mean a lot of doors are still open for Lucroy. There are many teams that need an experienced older catcher until the young prospects are ready. Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports believes Houston might be a spot to Lucroy to land. Ironically, in the March 1 article, Heyman also said Houston might be a home for Mark Reynolds and Carlos Gonzalez as well. Go figure.

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Whether it’s Houston or another team, I have no doubt that Lucroy will be signed before the start of the regular season.