The Milwaukee Brewers are in a rebuilding period, which is no secret considering they hired the 30-year-old David Stearns to take over as general manager. Reports have since surfaced they're open to trading anyone, and catcher Jonathan Lucroy is one of their most attractive assets.
The latest rumors find the Brewers are discussing Lucroy with other MLB clubs. The 29-year-old is coming off a poor campaign, largely due to injuries, but the slugger is under contract for just $4 million in 2016 and has a $5.25 million team option for 2017 (or a $25,000 buyout).
Lucroy, despite his uncharacteristic performance last year, has been among the best hitting catchers in the MLB since the 2012 season, which gives other teams a reason to believe. His best campaign came in 2014 when he finished with a league-leading 53 doubles and an OPS of .837. He finished fourth in the NL MVP voting as well.
"The Brewers remain involved in ongoing trade conversations about catcher Jonathan Lucroy, sources say," FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported over the weekend. "Makes sense -- they might be better off trading Lucroy before Opening Day than waiting until the July 31 nonwaiver deadline or next offseason, when he will be only a year away from agency."
"Milwaukee has already been in talks for Lucroy, the rare veteran catcher, and the Brewers might extract more value for him if they wait for him to show recovery from an injury-plagued season -- and wait for a major contender to suffer a significant injury to a front-line catcher," writes ESPN's Buster Olney.
"Lucroy is a player the Brewers could deal for young players," adds Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. "A leader and a guy who brings a great attitude to the field every day, Lucroy could be a real get for a contending team such as the Rangers or Nationals, who could benefit from his offense as well as someone who could handle the pitching staff."
The Rangers previously expressed interest in Lucroy, according to rumors earlier in the offseason, but the acquisition cost was not to their liking. As for the Nats, they've yet to come up in reports, but they'd be an interesting destination for Lucroy. Washington has the assets to acquire the veteran and he'd provide another source of power in the lineup. However, the Nationals have catcher Wilson Ramos under contract for one more year, as he's in his final year of arbitration eligibility.
He would likely have to be traded to make room for Lucroy.
While a trade before 2016 is possible, it's been noted the Brewers do not want to sell low on Lucroy. His contract gives them an advantage in the negotiations, but since he's coming off a bad season he's probably going to have to replenish his value as a power hitter before Milwaukee can realistically start aiming high in trade talks.
If he's not in another uniform before Opening Day, then expect him to be moved before the July 31 non-waiver deadline.
