Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy vetoed a potential trade to the Cleveland Indians, per MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy and Curt Hogg, but that may not stop the Brewers from dealing the two-time All-Star.
Continue for updates.
Rangers, Brewers Working on Deal
Sunday, July 31
Today’s Knuckleball’s Jon Heyman reported on Sunday that the Texas Rangers are looking at acquiring Lucroy.
The Dallas Morning News‘ Evan Grant reported that the Rangers are hoping to get pitching help from Milwaukee as part of the Lucroy trade. Grant added that he believes the Rangers would prioritize a top-end starting pitcher over Lucroy if push came to shove. Heyman later reported that a relief pitcher could also be part of the package sent to Texas.
TR Sullivan of MLB.com added that third baseman Joey Gallo is “likely involved” in the Rangers’ talks with the Brewers.
Mets Drop Out of Pursuit for Lucroy
Sunday, July 31
According to Newsday‘s Marc Carig, the New York Mets were hoping to be in the Lucroy sweepstakes as well, but ESPN’s Jayson Stark reported they’re out of the running.
Lucroy Has Emerged as Desired Target Before Deadline
Unlike Cleveland, Texas and New York wouldn’t have to clear any more hurdles in the event either agreed to a deal with the Brewers. Lucroy’s no-trade clause only applies to eight teams, and the Rangers and Mets aren’t on the list, per ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick.
The appeal of Lucroy is clear. He has a .300/.360/.484 slash line along with 13 home runs and 50 RBI in 94 games this year. According to FanGraphs, only Buster Posey (19.3) has a higher WAR than Lucroy (13.4) among qualified catchers since 2013.
The 30-year-old also has a team-friendly $5.25 million club option for 2017, per Spotrac, so he’s not just a half-season rental.
The Brewers could hold onto Lucroy for the rest of this year and then look to move him either in the offseason or at the 2017 deadline. However, his value is unlikely to be any higher than it is now, so Milwaukee’s best move is flipping him ahead of Monday’s non-waiver deadline.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com