Rockies Trade Chris Iannetta to Angels for Tyler Chatwood

The Rockies traded catcher Chris Iannetta to the Angels for right-handed starting pitcher Tyler Chatwood.  LA gets the backstop they’ve been seeking in Iannetta, and Chatwood gives the Rockies a young starter who entered last season as one of the game’s top prospects.

Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto had several goals entering the offseason, two of which were to add a catcher and boost the team’s dismal on base percentage.  According the Dipoto, the Angels “checked two boxes” by making the trade for Iannetta.

Dipoto likes what Iannetta can do behind the plate, noting he’s “a solid defender”.  But, more importantly, Dipoto was intrigued at the rate Iannetta has been able to get on base throughout his career.  The GM noted that “it’s not often you can get a catcher” who can get on base as often as Iannetta.

Iannetta, 28, has spent the last six seasons in Colorado.  Over that span, Iannetta has maintained an impressive OBP of .357 to go with his OPS of .788.  Last season, Iannetta hit at a clip of .238/.370/.414 with 14 home runs, 55 RBI’s and 70 walks in his 112 games played.

In return for Iannetta, the Angels surrendered one of their top young arms, Tyler Chatwood.  Entering the 2011 season, Chatwood was considered a top 100 prospect by Baseball America.  The 21-year-old maintained an ERA of 2.84 over his 155 1/3 innings pitched between Single, Double and Triple-A in 2010.

Chatwood made his debut for the Angels last season, finishing the year with a 4.75 ERA and 1.669 WHIP over his 25 starts and 142 innings.

Colorado likes what they see in Chatwood, as general manager Dan O’Dowd described him as a young “power arm”.  O’Dowd told reporters that the Rockies are not concerned over Chatwood’s numbers in 2011 because he was a 21-year-old pitching at the major league level.  O’Dowd feels that Chatwood adds to the Rockies “good, young arms and pitching depth”.

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