5:08pm: The Rockies have designated Iannetta and selected Nunez, per a team announcement.
8:07am: The Rockies are preparing to make a change behind the dish, according to MLB.com’s Thomas Harding. Veteran catcher Chris Iannetta will be removed from the MLB roster — by what immediate mechanism isn’t yet clear — in favor of youngster Dom Nunez, whose contract will be selected.
The 36-year-old Iannetta has struggled with the bat since returning to the Rockies after six seasons away. He’s slashing .222/.311/.417 in 164 plate appearances this year, which translates to a meager 69 wRC+, and his strikeout rate has shot up to a career-worst 32.9%. Iannetta is also grading poorly in the pitch-framing department, an area where he has at times excelled.
It seems rather unlikely that a contender will see fit to claim Iannetta, who is owed the remainder of his $4MM salary along with a $750K buyout on a 2020 club option. (That option includes a vesting provision that is well out of reach and therefore not a factor.) That said, the veteran backstop is sure to draw interest from clubs in need of depth. It’s conceivable he could sign right onto a big-league roster if there’s a club that prefers him to its existing reserve catcher. Otherwise, he’ll likely be looking at minor-league deals.
Iannetta had already yielded the bulk of the action behind the dish to Tony Wolters, who’ll presumably continue to function as a regular. Now, the reserve job will go to Nunez, a former sixth-rounder. Nunez has found another offensive gear this season at Triple-A. Through 257 plate appearances, the 24-year-old is slashing .244/.362/.559 with a career-high 17 home runs. Even in the offensively charged PCL, that’s good for a 114 wRC+.
I remember the days when Dom Nunez was a top prospect. feels like so long ago.
The Rangers could use Iannetta. He’s an offensive upgrade over both Mathis and Treviño.
Yup!
Well it’s great that the Rockies have identified and tried to solve their biggest problem of back up catcher. We can just continue with the current bullpen. It’s obviously not a big deal that they give up 5 runs every game.
There’s no fixing this bullpen. Just gotta wait for these bloated contracts to expire and reassess in a year or two. It seems to take the Rockies a very long time to identify bad investments. At least they finally recognized Ianetta as one of them.
Agreed…they also let DJ and Otto go….signed Desmond ….time for a new GM
As many will no doubt point out, they did not LET DJ and Otto do anything. They were free agents and chose to take their big payday, which they had certainly earned.
Otto maybe but DJ and Murphy had basically the same contract. Whether it was the fact of DJ asking too much at the start and having to settle or no interest in coming back to Colorado remains speculation.
Bridich chose not to offer either player a new contract…that’s letting them go…Rockies also have bottom 5-6 in league farm system ranking which reflects poor draft choices…unfortunately McGee, Davis, and Shaw are all back nest season anchoring our bull pen ..ugh…..
Otto is from Brooklyn and wanted to play in NY. DJ said in an interview he wanted to prove he could win a batting title outside of Coors when they offered the chance to start everyday at multiple positions, took the opportunity. Believe he also stated Derek Jeter being on of his favorites growing up. We can’t compete with that. Both chose to move on. The Rockies assumed McMahon, Rodgers, or Hampson could be that everyday guy. Murphy was always going to play first. Nothing to do with DJ.
Shaw was good when he played for Cleveland. Not He was very reliable and dependable as a setup man for the closer. I am not sure what happened in Colorado (other than the mile high elevation) and the fact that he now has all that money in his pocket.
I’ll never understand why so many catchers are such poor hitters. Two of them were mentioned by posters on this thread Iannetta and Mathis. Both of these guys played for the Angels and they were painful to watch.
I get that they can call a game etc., but why not work to be one a better hitter? Of all positions you would expect to be able to
hit, it would be a catcher. These guys know how to identify pitches.
Guess you’ve never played above little league.
Iannetta was never much of a hitter. Apparently he has become a defensive liability as well. Pitching remains a big problem. The bullpen is loaded with overpaid underachievers. Bettis is a good man but is also a disaster on the mound. We need to clean house among the relievers. I know there are many fat contracts ( which matches the fat pitches they throw up to the plate). Starters are often mediocre but have excellent potential. The management, coaching and front office staff needs more accountability. They can be replaced too. New faces often mean a fresh approach. And I congratulate LeMahieux. I hope he wins the A.L. batting title in New York.
Seems he knew how to frame pitches before and then forgot how it was done. Such a poor memory, he deserves to be cut.
Framing goes down as a catcher ages, not because of forgetfulness but because of physical reasons as expected from being a catcher.
Glad he is gone
As for pitching
Marquez and Gray
Make the rest go away
Time to bring in a GM from the outside.
If you have been a Rockies fan for a long time, you should know there isn’t going to be a GM from the outside. The Monforts are loyal to a fault. Look at how long Dan O’Dowd lasted as GM even though he failed year in and year out. Does he get fired? No, he resigns and is replaced by his long time assistant Bridich.
Unfortunately, you’re correct….
Why are you glad he is gone? Clubhouse leaders are hard to come by. Not like they were going to pick up his option anyway for next year.