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Chris Iannetta Reportedly Signs 2-Year Contract with Colorado Rockies
December 8, 2017
Veteran catcher Chris Iannetta reportedly agreed to a deal with the Colorado Rockies on Friday.
Per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Iannetta's contract is for two years.
Iannetta, 34, will be playing for his fourth team in as many years. He had a solid 2017 campaign for the Arizona Diamondbacks, hitting .254 with 17 home runs, 43 RBI and 38 runs in 89 contests, as he spent much of the first half playing behind Jeff Mathis.
It was a solid power resurgence for Iannetta, whose 17 dingers were as many as he had the previous two seasons combined for the Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Mariners.
That total was also the most homers he managed since he hit 18 with the Colorado Rockies in 2008, while his RBI total was the most he knocked in since 2014. He also set a career high in slugging percentage (.511), and his OPS (.865) was the second-highest mark of his career.
The Rockies will certainly be hoping for an encore of that performance. Iannetta isn't an elite defensive catcher, so if he doesn't deliver solid power numbers, his value takes a pretty big hit. If he can provide consistent pop, however, he'll be a bargain addition.
The Rockies needed to address the catcher position this offseason.
Colorado's catchers collectively posted a .249/.342/.332 slash line in 2017, so even if Iannetta regresses to his career OPS of .754 next season, he will be a huge upgrade for a team that has high expectations coming off its first playoff appearance since 2009.