CONFIRMED: Rockies acquire two-time All-Star catcher Jonathan Lucroy

The Colorado Rockies have completed a trade to acquire Jonathan Lucroy from the Texas Rangers, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports confirmed the deal.

The Rockies reportedly will send back a player to be named later, likely someone from the most recent draft.

Just a few days after they upgraded their bullpen by acquiring elite right-handed reliever Pat Neshek, the Rockies addressed the other side of the battery, where they had been getting almost no offensive production from Tony Wolters and Ryan Hanigan.

Lucroy is a career .280 hitter and a two-time all-star but has been experiencing a down year in 2017, the final season of a six-year $15.5 million contract.

He had set a career high in home runs in 2016 with 24 and led the league in doubles in 2014 with 53, showing more pop than you can usually find at the catcher position. He also posted a 131 OPS+ that season, coming in fourth place in MVP voting.

So far in 2017, Lucroy has hit just .240/.293/.339 with four home runs.

He’s been known as a solid-to-above-average defensive catcher who knows how to handle a pitching staff and calls a good game. There is debate over his framing skills, but Lucroy brings the veteran presence that the club likes in Hanigan with much more offensive potential.

He’s also known — for those who care about such things — to be a good clubhouse guy, a great communicator, an overall smart baseball player – and there is no arguing that his beard game is on point.

Both Lucroy and Neshek, as free agents at the end of the season, represent win-now moves and show GM Jeff Bridich has confidence they can make a splash in the postseason this year.