1:49pm: Assuming Lucroy qualifies for super two status following the 2012 season the deal guarantees him $13MM, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. If he doesn't qualify, he'll earn at least $11MM.
11:39am: The Brewers have signed Jonathan Lucroy to a five-year contract extension with an option for a sixth year, the team announced. The deal is worth more than $11MM, though the exact total depends on whether or not he reaches Super Two status. Milwaukee's backstop is represented by Sports One Athlete Management.
Lucroy is about to start his third season in the Major Leagues. A four-year extension would cover the 25-year-old's final pre-arbitration season and three of his arbitration seasons, assuming the deal starts this year and that Lucroy obtains super two status following the 2012 season. A five-year deal that kicks in immediately would cover his final pre-arbitration season and all four of his arbitration seasons.
Lucroy posted a .265/.313/.391 line in 468 plate appearances last year, preventing 28% of stolen base attempts against him. However, the 2007 third round selection frames and blocks pitches well, according to The Fielding Bible Volume III.
Recent extensions have generally placed the value of a starting catcher's first three arbitration years in the $7-10MM range, as MLBTR's Extension Tracker shows. Lucroy's five-year deal falls right within that range despite his relative inexperience.
Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports first reported that the two sides were near an agreement. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported the agreement (on Twitter) while Rosenthal added details (all Twitter links).
Mark Polishuk and Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Glad to see the Brewers extend Lucroy. He is a solid catcher! He has come up with big timely hits last season. Quality catchers are hard to come by.
It’s not quite as lucroytive as one might expect, though I’d certainly have a hard time turning down 11MM guaranteed.
Well one less contract to worry about. Solid player. Glad they know where the team is at $$$$$$ wise with another player. Probably helps Doug Melvin plan ahead.
2 million and change a year? Not bad for a starting catcher. If he has any kind of offensive progression this contract is going to look amazing.
And it gives us financial stability for the coming years when contracts like Braun, Weeks, Hart, etc. start getting bigger.
Last week I asked if the crew extends Luc or Ax first, and you all said Ax.
I like this a lot. A solid catcher already. His power numbers should get better, and he should keep improving behind the plate (pitch selection, etc.)
not a bad deal for the crew. he’s just about an average offensice catcher right now with streaks that make him look amazing. He’s a great defensive catcher who will stop most anything thrown his way… if he can just up his caught stealing percentage he could be a solid player in the next few years.
Spot on analysis. He needs to swing with more authority; he had a lot of hand-jam blooper singles later in the year. Plus, I wonder how much his broken finger affected his CS percentage early in the year.
It was way more important to lock down Lucroy before Axford, especially for the amount we did it for. As great has Axford is and how much he definitely wants to stay here, he’s going to cost a lil’ more than that with the stats that he has to show. I’m sure he’ll take a home town discount. Expect us to sign Ax in the offseason to 5 yrs – $29 million