Rockies acquire catcher Jonathan Lucroy from Rangers

The Colorado Rockies made a move that signals they are trying to win now.

The Colorado Rockies have announced they are going for it in 2017, nabbing two-time All-Star catcher Jonathan Lucroy before the trading deadline from the Texas Rangers.

The Rangers came into today in fourth place in the AL West, 18 games behind the first place Astros. It’s clear the on-field product wasn’t working, and Texas has decided to sell.

Ken Rosenthal of MLB Network was the first to report the news:

The Rangers have had quite the day. Team legend Ivan Rodriguez was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Odd that the Rangers traded a catcher on the same day. Minutes after Pudge was inducted, Adrian Beltre recorded his 3,000th career hit. He is the first Dominican born player to do so and the only player that was a member of the Rangers.

Texas may not be done as Yu Darvish is available for trade. Darvish would come in as a rental but is an ace caliber starting pitcher.

The Rockies have had a subpar catching unit all season. A bunch of no-name players have manned the position so far including Ryan Hanigan, Tony Wolters and Dustin Garneau. The Rockies have the fewest home runs from the catcher position, so Colorado will hope Lucroy will provide a spark while a change of scenery may help him as well. Lucroy is batting just .242 with four home runs on the season.

Next: MLB Trade Deadline: 5 trades Rockies should make

The Rockies currently sit at 60-45 but are 13.5 games out of first behind the red hot Los Angeles Dodgers. The Rockies will essentially have to settle for the one-game wild card playoff since they are so far behind the Dodgers. Colorado does hold a six-game lead in the wild card standings at the moment.