New Texas Rangers catcher Jonathan Lucroy confirmed Friday his decision to veto a potential trade to the Cleveland Indians before the deadline was due to lingering uncertainty about the 2017 season.
Lucroy, who eventually got dealt to the Rangers from the Milwaukee Brewers after opting against joining the Indians, provided details of the decision to Robert Sanchez of ESPN.com. He stated his desire to remain behind the plate was a crucial factor discussed with his agent, Doug Rogalski:
We were right. [Indians president Chris] Antonetti told Doug that the Indians couldn’t make any promises on me catching next season. There was no way they’d drop the team option, either, because I’m pretty inexpensive in 2017. I don’t blame them. I would have been mostly at first base and designated hitter. In the end, that was the deal killer. Doug called me. He said, ‘You’re not going there.’
Lucroy carries a lot of value because he’s a catcher. His current numbers—a .296 batting average with 14 home runs—are among the best at the offensively starved position. They wouldn’t be worth nearly as much if he’s forced to play first base and designated hitter.
The Indians couldn’t make any guarantees due to the presence of Yan Gomes, though. He was enduring a forgettable 2016 campaign with a brutal .198 on-base percentage before landing on the disabled list with a shoulder injury. That said, he had 33 homers over the previous two seasons.
As Lucroy mentioned, the only possible solution was Cleveland agreeing ahead of time to decline the club option in his contract for 2017. But between the package it was giving up in the trade and the reasonable $5.25 million price tag, per Spotrac, that didn’t make sense for the organization.
So the 30-year-old backstop had little option but to utilize his veto powers in order to best preserve his long-term earning potential.
Still, Lucroy told ESPN.com he understood the negative reaction to the decision: “Cleveland fans don’t like that part, but it’s nothing against them. It wasn’t personal.”
It was an unfortunate turn of events for the Indians. They were on the verge of acquiring one of the league’s most talented catchers. Instead, they’re stuck with the triumvirate of Gomes, Chris Gimenez and Roberto Perez, which has produced an awful .165/.215/.280 triple-slash line this season.
Lucroy is heading toward what’s likely to be his final chance at a lucrative contract after next season, however. Sometimes a player needs to remain a bit selfish and put his own interests ahead of everything else, and that was the case here.
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