Injury Notes: Asdrubal, Norris, Tulowitzki
The non-waiver trade deadline is less than 24 hours away, and there are a handful of injuries from today’s games that could potentially impact the manner in which teams approach the trade market. A quick look at the day’s notable injury news…
- Asdrubal Cabrera left today’s game with a strained left patellar tendon, and Newsday’s Marc Carig tweets that Mets manager Terry Collins is “very concerned” about Cabrera, though Collins has yet to check in with GM Sandy Alderson about the course of action in the event that Cabrera requires a trip to the disabled list. The Mets lost one insurance policy at shortstop when Jose Reyes was placed on the disabled list yesterday. ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin writes that the injury is the same as the one suffered by Cabrera in Spring Training, when he returned in less than two weeks, but Collins points out that Cabrera didn’t have to be carried off the field when he was injured in Spring Training. In today’s instance, Cabrera was unable to put any pressure on his leg. The team could potentially just look for short-term stopgaps depending on the severity of Cabrera’s injury, and the fact that former Met Ruben Tejada is presently in DFA limbo at least merits a mention. You can check out their internal options at Roster Resource.
- Dodgers right-hander Bud Norris exited Sunday’s start against the D-backs after facing just two hitters due to muscle tightness in his back, the team announced. The severity of Norris’ injury remains unclear, but with the Dodgers already aggressively seeking rotation upgrades, another physical issue for one of their rotation members is a troubling development. The Dodgers figure to give further updates on Norris after the game.
- Troy Tulowitzki has a “small little chip fracture” in his right thumb, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons told reporters, including Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet (Twitter link). Tulowitzki is hopeful that he can avoid the disabled list, but Nicholson-Smith tweets that he’ll first need to demonstrate that he can grip a bat and throw. He was not able to grip a bat today, Nicholson-Smith notes.
Rangers, Brewers Discussing Jonathan Lucroy; Joey Gallo “Likely” Involved
Jonathan Lucroy stunned fans and many in the industry when he exercised his no-trade clause and vetoed a trade from the Brewers to the Indians. There are varying reports on the reasons behind Lucroy’s decision (which are examined in further detail here), but suffice it to say, talks between the two sides appear to be dead. Lucroy, of course, still can be traded to a number of other clubs, as his no-trade clause reportedly consists of the Indians, Tigers, Twins, Angels, Athletics, Padres, Mariners and Nationals. It should be noted that, as was the case yesterday, Lucroy has been held out of the Brewers’ lineup to eliminate the risk of an injury that would torpedo his value.
With Lucroy back on the market, we’ll run down all of the Sunday rumors pertaining to him in this post…
- Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star Telegram tweets that the Rangers and Brewers are discussing Lucroy and a reliever, with Gallo indeed likely involved in the talks. However, he notes that nothing is imminent between the two sides at this time.
- MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan reports that slugging third base prospect Joey Gallo is “likely” involved in talks between the Rangers and the Brewers (Twitter link).
Earlier Updates
- MLB.com’s Jon Morosi tweets that one scenario being discussed has one of Yohander Mendez or Luis Ortiz going to the Brewers (obviously, among other pieces).
- FanRag’s Jon Heyman tweets that the Mets are out on Lucroy, but the Rangers and “others” are still in the mix.
- ESPN’s Jayson Stark tweets that the Brewers and Mets are no longer discussing Lucroy — an indicator that the Rangers could becoming an increasingly likely landing spot.
- Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram characterizes talks between the Brewers and Rangers as “serious.” (Twitter link)
- Mets officials are focused on trying to get a trade for Lucroy or Jay Bruce completed by tomorrow’s 4pm ET non-waiver deadline, writes ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin. They’re back in the mix alongside the Rangers as well, it seems.
- The Rangers are “strongly in the mix” for Lucroy, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Grant, meanwhile, tweets that the Rangers are having “productive” trade conversations, which he presumes pertain to Lucroy.
- The Dodgers expressed interest in Lucroy recently, per FanRag’s Jon Heyman (on Twitter), but the talks were part of a larger deal that would have involved more teams. FOX’s Ken Rosenthal agrees with Heyman, tweeting that the Dodgers were likely to spin him elsewhere if the deal had been worked out. In addition to Lucroy, Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes is drawing interest from other clubs, tweets Yahoo’s Jeff Passan, so there could be a wide array of moving parts. Speculatively, Barnes could be a near-MLB-ready fit to head back to the Brewers in a potential three-team deal.
- Heyman also reports that the Cubs were in the mix as one of the aforementioned “mystery teams” on Lucroy, but talks never got especially far, as Chicago felt that the Brewers were factoring an “in-division” tax into talks (Twitter link).
- ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick tweets that the Tigers have lingered on the fringes of the Lucroy market and have a slight chance of jumping back into the fray, but they’re more focused on starting pitching upgrades at this time. Additionally, it should be noted that Detroit is one of the other seven clubs on Lucroy’s no-trade list, so similar issues could arise if the Brewers engage the Tigers in serious talks.
- The Mets are holding internal meetings to discuss whether they should jump back into the Lucroy mix, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. That could mean changing their offer, coming up with a new package entirely or simply deciding to step away altogether. There are at least some indications that the latter of those options is the likeliest, as Sherman’s colleague Mike Puma hears that the Mets are out on Lucroy. Passan tweets that in addition to Travis d’Arnaud and outfield prospect Brandon Nimmo, the Brewers asked the Mets to include another MLB-ready player.
- Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes that he believes the Rangers would prefer the Brewers to add a reliever to the deal if talks regarding Lucroy are to become serious. For the time being, the Rangers’ primary focus remains on adding an impact starting pitcher to the rotation, though the club figures to remain involved in Lucroy talks to at least some extent based on previous interest.
Orioles, Mariners Discussing Wade Miley
JULY 31: The Orioles and Mariners are currently in talks regarding Miley, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
JULY 30: The Orioles are “taking a hard look” at Wade Miley, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. Baltimore has been in the market for a left-handed starter for more than a month, and Miley would function as something of a buy-low candidate for GM Dan Duquette if a trade is ultimately reached.
Seattle acquired the 29-year-old Miley in an offseason trade that sent right-handed reliever Carson Smith to the Red Sox, but the southpaw hasn’t performed up to expectations in spite of the move to a larger, more pitcher-friendly setting. Miley entered the day with a 5.23 ERA, 6.3 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and a 45.9 percent ground-ball rate. A massive uptick in his homer-to-flyball rate has been the root of Miley’s ERA spike, though it should be noted that he dominated the Cubs today, holding Chicago to just one run on one hit and a walk with nine strikeouts in seven innings to drop his ERA to 4.98. Miley, in fact, has quietly begun to right the ship after his early woes, as he’s now logged a 3.80 ERA with a 33-to-15 K/BB ratio across his past 47 1/3 innings of work (eight starts).
Adding Miley does come with modest financial risk, as he’s owed $2.1MM through season’s end plus a guaranteed $8.75MM in 2017 and at least a $500k buyout of a $12MM option for the 2018 season. Of course, if he’s able to sustain his recent run of solid results, then that price would be a relative bargain for a 30-year-old innings eater.
The Orioles have received virtually no production out of the third, fourth and fifth spots in their entirely right-handed rotation this season, so the pursuit of an arm to help support Chris Tillman, Kevin Gausman and the club’s slugging lineup and strong bullpen certainly makes sense. Miley has reportedly emerged as a semi-likely candidate to be moved, as the Mariners have been open to dealing underperforming veterans in order to swap them out for younger options with the hopes of remaining afloat in the American League playoff picture.
Diamondbacks Receiving Lots Of Interest In Miller, Corbin
While Diamondbacks general manager Dave Stewart emphasizes that his organization has in no way given up on struggling righty Shelby Miller, he also tells Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that he has received “a ton” of trade interest in the 25-year-old. Arizona isn’t shopping Miller, Piecoro writes, and the D-backs aren’t willing to part with him for pennies on the dollar just months after acquiring him in exchange for the sky-high price of Ender Inciarte, Dansby Swanson and Aaron Blair. Similarly, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that many clubs have called expressing interest in left-hander Patrick Corbin, but the D-backs aren’t inclined to move him, either.
If the Diamondbacks do ultimately move Miller, the key player coming back in the package would have to be Major League ready, according to Stewart, who recognizes that it’d be “difficult” to find the value they’d hope to receive in light of Miller’s 2016 troubles. “We know what he is,” said Stewart. “We know what we have. We believe he is the guy that we traded for. I don’t know that we’re going to be better off trying to go out there and find a guy to do what we think he’s already capable of doing.” Piecoro reports that the Marlins have had talks with the D-backs about Miller, and right-handed pitching prospect Luis Castillo‘s name was a part of those talks. However, the Class-A flamethrower was included in Friday morning’s Andrew Cashner trade, so the two sides would have to find another piece to replace him if talks were to be revisited.
At just 25 years of age and just a season removed from a 3.02 ERA with the Braves, it’s natural that Miller is drawing interest as a buy-low candidate. Selling low an asset whom they acquired when his stock was at an all-time high seems like an unlikely route for the D-backs, though. While detractors will point to the fact that Miller has looked entirely ordinary (or worse) after a superhuman run in April and May of last season (4.90 ERA dating back to June 1 of last year), Miller has long been a coveted arm and has had success in both St. Louis and Atlanta prior to his Arizona implosion.
A similar line of of thinking could be applied to Corbin. While they’re not in identical situations, Corbin has endured his own struggles this season. The 27-year-old looked like an emerging force in the Diamondbacks’ rotation in 2013 but missed the 2014 season and a portion of the 2015 campaign due to Tommy John surgery. Corbin was sharp in his return to the bigs last season but has allowed the most earned runs in the National League this year en route to a 5.31 ERA. With two years of control remaining beyond the 2016 season, it’s tough to see the D-backs moving Corbin with his value at its lowest point since his operation.
In other D-backs news, Sherman also reports that Daniel Hudson, whom the D-backs were reportedly on the brink of trading on Friday before the deal fell through, isn’t likely to simply be given away (Twitter link). The Diamondbacks still view Hudson, who carried a minuscule 1.55 ERA as recently as June 21 but has been torched since (23 earned runs on 28 hits in eight innings), as a talented reliever who has gone through a bad stretch. Hudson has been plagued by a .610 BABIP over that incredibly poor run, so there’s some element of poor luck in play. He’s also yielded a stunning 48 percent line-drive rate over that slump, though, suggesting that he’s offering opposing batters far too many pitches to square up.
Indians Designate Joey Butler For Assignment
The Indians announced today that they have designated outfielder Joey Butler for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Andrew Miller.
The 30-year-old Butler has a bit of MLB experience but hasn’t played in the Majors with the Indians this season, instead spending the 2016 campaign at Triple-A Columbus, where he’s slashed a disappointing .238/.306/.360 with eight homers in 381 trips to the plate. Butler spent the 2015 season with the Rays organization and hit .276/.326/.416 with eight homers in 276 PAs. This season’s poor results notwithstanding, Butler has a nice track record in Triple-A over the course of his professional career. In 2187 PAs at that level, Butler is a .294/.383/.459 hitter.
Marlins Place Colin Rea On DL With Elbow Sprain
Right-hander Colin Rea, acquired by the Marlins alongside Andrew Cashner in Friday’s seven-player trade with the Padres, left his Marlins debut last night in the fourth inning with soreness in his right elbow, as MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro tweeted at the time. The injury was ominous even last night, and it hasn’t gotten any better, as the Marlins have placed Rea on the 15-day DL, and MLB.com’s Jon Morosi has tweeted that he’ll undergo an MRI tomorrow.
[Related: Updated Miami Marlins Depth Chart]
If the injury proves to be relatively minor and requires only a minimal DL stay, the Marlins can probably patch things together in the short-term. If it’s a longer-term injury, however, the Marlins could be forced into trying to scrounge up one more starter to round out the rotation before Monday’s non-waiver deadline (or, perhaps, via trade waivers in August). That’s not great news for a Marlins club that has depleted what was already a thin farm system in trades to acquire Rea, Andrew Cashner and Fernando Rodney from the Padres. Reporters have already begun to speculate on possible alternatives for the Marlins, with USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweeting that Jon Niese would make a good low-cost (in terms of prospects) rental, and FanRag’s Jon Heyman suggesting Ivan Nova (Twitter link).
While the injury to Rea, who was in the midst of an excellent debut (3 1/3 innings, one hit, no walks, four strikeouts), is an unquestionable stroke of bad luck for the Marlins, the misfortune goes both ways. Right-hander Chris Paddack, who went to San Diego from Miami in exchange for Rodney, has been diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament and is likely to require Tommy John surgery, per Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune (on Twitter). Paddack has been nothing short of sensational this year and has rapidly elevated his prospect status, but he now stands to lose a full year of development. Given the late stage of the season in which he has incurred the injury, Paddack could conceivably miss nearly all of the 2017 season as he recovers from the injury.
Padres Pushing To Move Derek Norris; Brewers, Rangers, Astros Have Interest
12:34pm: Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports tweets that in addition to the Brewers, the Rangers and Astros are also showing interest in Norris. Of course, the Norris fit only makes sense for the Brewers if Lucroy is moved to another club, and he has since exercised his no-trade clause and squashed a would-be deal to the Indians.
1:01am: The Padres are still pushing to move Derek Norris by Monday afternoon’s non-waiver trade deadline, tweets Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Bleacher Report’s Scott Miller tweets that the Brewers are among the teams currently speaking to San Diego about Norris.
Milwaukee’s connection to Norris is somewhat of a surprise at first, but there’s plenty of logic to the match. First and foremost, if the Brewers’ reported agreement to trade Jonathan Lucroy to the Indians is ultimately finalized (Lucroy must first agree to waive his no-trade protection), Milaukee will be left with a significant hole behind the plate and very few options. Martin Maldonado could see an increase in playing time, but as a career .217/.291/.341 hitter in 934 plate appearances, he’s not well-suited for an everyday role. Looking down the pipeline a bit, the Brewers have Josmil Pinto and Manny Pina, each with some MLB experience under his belt, at the Triple-A level. and each is hitting well. However, Colorado Springs is an exceptionally hitter-friendly environment, and Pinto comes with noted defensive issues.
Beyond the lack of a long-term option on the brink of MLB readiness, the Brewers could simply look to opportunistically acquire Norris while his value is down. The 27-year-old was a well above-average contributor relative to his catching peers from 2013-15, but his bat has taken a huge step back in 2016, as he’s hitting just .193/.253/.360 on the year. Norris got off to a dreadful start and looked to have righted the ship in May and June, but his bat has gone dormant once again as of late. That, however, only figures to drive down the price, especially considering the fact that San Diego has top prospect Austin Hedges doing his best Mike Piazza impression in Triple-A El Paso (.352/.395/.684 with 17 homers in 210 plate appearances). The Padres would seem to be highly motivated to move Norris, who is earning a reasonable $2.925MM this season and controllable for another two years via the arbitration process.
One would have to imagine that the asking price on Norris has dropped considerably since Opening Day, and if that’s the case the Brewers could look to buy low in the hopes that a change of scenery and a relocation to the first hitter-friendly park of his career can get him back on track. Norris has, after all, spent his entire big league career in the offense-suppressing confines of O.Co Coliseum and Petco Park. But, even if Norris doesn’t ultimately rediscover the form that saw him bat .256/.333/.405 from 2013-15, he could provide a serviceable stopgap behind the plate while the Brewers trot out an inexperienced pitching staff in the midst of their rebuild.
Trade Rumors: CarGo, Beltran, Pirates, Angels, Tigers, Athletics
The Rockies aren’t planning on moving Carlos Gonzalez or Charlie Blackmon, reports FanRag’s Jon Heyman. While CarGo is a perennial trade candidate, the Rockies’ excellent play since the All-Star break has the team back at .500 and within a stone’s throw of a Wild Card playoff berth. Whether the Rockies will actually remain in the hunt remains to be seen, especially as other clubs in the race move to fortify their rosters, but Colorado has looked impressive as of late and could always extract value in trades of Gonzalez and/or Blackmon in the offseason if the club falls shy this season and wishes to add more pitching to its minor league ranks over the winter.
Some more trade rumors from around the league with the non-waiver deadline just over 24 hours away…
- The Yankees are listening to offers on right fielder/designated hitter Carlos Beltran, tweets ESPN’s Buster Olney. However, executives from other clubs tell Olney that they consider the asking price on Beltran to be “beyond their reach.” As a free agent at season’s end, Beltran represents a logical trade candidate for the Yankees, who are walking a tightrope and trying to balance a desire to remain competitive in 2016 with a desire to build their farm system for the long haul. The Yankees have already traded both Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller, but they’ve also added righties Tyler Clippard and Adam Warren in an effort to keep the bullpen fairly stable. Beltran is hitting .301/.342/.538 with 21 homers on the season and is earning $15MM in the final season of a three-year, $45MM contract. He’s still owed about $5.34MM of that sum, and while his defense may cause some NL clubs to shy away, American League teams that can give him some occasional time at DH undoubtedly would be intrigued by adding the 39-year-old’s still-productive bat to their lineups.
- Pirates GM Neal Huntington said after yesterday’s trade of Mark Melancon that he’s still looking to add talent before the non-waiver deadline (Twitter link via MLB.com’s Adam Berry). Berry noted that the Bucs scouted the Rays and Yankees last night in a matchup of Drew Smyly vs. Nathan Eovaldi. Meanwhile, the Post-Gazette’s Bill Brink tweets that the Pirates asked the Braves about Julio Teheran but were told the right-hander isn’t moving.
- The Angels have received the most trade interest in right-hander Cam Bedrosian, tweets MLB Network’s Peter Gammons. However, Gammons implies that a Bedrosian trade isn’t likely, suggesting that the Halos view him as a future closer. The 24-year-old is in the midst of an incredible season, having pitched to a 0.92 ERA with a 48-to-11 K/BB ratio and a 50.5 percent ground-ball rate. He’s controllable through the 2021 season, so it’s understandable that the Angels would strongly prefer to hang onto him. Then again, elite relief arms are commanding strong results, and while Bedrosian doesn’t have the track record that Ken Giles brought into the offseason, it’s possible that the Halos could get some meaningful pitching talent to add to their system if they did market him.
- ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick tweets that the Tigers have been checking in on fourth/fifth starter types, including Jeremy Hellickson of the Phillies, Wade Miley of the Mariners, Edinson Volquez of the Royals, Hector Santiago of the Angels and Erasmo Ramirez of the Rays. Detroit is looking to bolster its rotation and doesn’t seem keen on dealing away any potential long-term options in the rotation, as Crasnick’s colleague Jayson Stark tweets that clubs who have spoken to the Tigers say they’ve repeatedly turned away offers including Daniel Norris and Matt Boyd. (Notably, Stark mentioned the refusal to include Boyd and Norris in connection to some speculation on Jonathan Lucroy, but Detroit’s reluctance to part with either left-hander is worth mentioning all the same.)
- MLB Network’s Peter Gammons reported earlier this week that the Dodgers have asked the Athletics about a package including both Rich Hill and Josh Reddick, and now Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Blue Jays have done the same. Toronto did acquire Melvin Upton Jr. earlier this week, potentially lessening the need for an outfield upgrade. But, Reddick would help to balance out a very right-handed lineup, and adding Hill to the mix would give the team a top-tier arm (if he can get healthy) to replace Aaron Sanchez if he is ultimately moved to the bullpen.
- The Indians held some interest in Athletics lefty Marc Rzepczynski as of last night, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). Of course, Slusser’s report was prior to the Indians’ blockbuster acquisition of Andrew Miller, so it’s not entirely certain that they’ll be in the market for another lefty. However, they’ve regularly trotted out an entirely right-handed relief corps this season, so adding a more situational lefty like Rzepczynski to complement Miller, who dominates everyone and needn’t be limited to specialized matchups, makes some sense.
Wade Davis Placed On Disabled List
JULY 31: The Royals announced that Davis has been placed back on the 15-day disabled list with a flexor strain in his right arm. The move is retroactive to July 27, and no timeline has been issued on Davis’ recovery. Lefty Matt Strahm is coming up from Double-A to take his roster spot.
[Related: Updated Kansas City Royals Depth Chart]
JULY 30: Royals closer Wade Davis is flying back to Kansas City to undergo an MRI on his right elbow, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan tweets that the MRI is to examine Davis’ forearm, though regardless of the specific portion of the arm that is being checked out, the test is still an ominous bit of news out of Kansas City. Casey Jones first tweeted that Davis was flying back to K.C. for an examination.
Davis, 30, has seen his name pop up frequently in trade rumors over the past week as the Royals have reportedly begun to consider selling veteran pieces prior to Monday’s non-waiver trade deadline. The uncertainty around his elbow now, however, would seem to all but eliminate the already minimal chances of Davis being moved. Even if the MRI yields positive results, it’d be difficult for a club to meet Kansas City’s exceptionally high asking price just a day or two after the MRI.
Reports over the past week have suggested that the Royals sought names like Lucas Giolito from the Nationals in trade talks or hoped to package Ian Kennedy and the remaining $62.5MM on his contract with Davis in trade talks. That would indicate a daunting asking price even if Davis were healthy and in top form on the mound, but now it looks that neither of those is the case. While Davis has a terrific 1.60 ERA and 21 saves on the season, he’s averaging just 8.6 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 after averaging 12.1 K/0 and 2.8 BB/9 from 2014-15 with Kansas City. His velocity, while still a strong 94.9 mph, is down a full mile per hour from last season as well.
Davis spent two weeks on the disabled list with a forearm strain earlier this month, making the news of an MRI all the more troubling for the Royals. The two-time All-Star, who has a 1.09 ERA in 173 regular season innings out of the Royals’ bullpen since 2014, is earning $8MM this year and has a $10MM club option for the 2017 season.
Jonathan Lucroy Exercises No-Trade Clause, Vetoes Deal To Indians
11:25am: Hoynes reports that the Indians weren’t planning on cutting Lucroy’s playing time in 2017. Hoynes’ source indicated to him that the club wouldn’t have been willing to part with the level of talent it had agreed to without having every intention of allowing Lucroy to start behind the plate (links to Twitter).
10:35am: Brewers GM David Stearns tells reporters that Lucroy talks with the Indians are “totally dead” (Twitter link via MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy), while Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweets that the Indians are no longer negotiating with Lucroy.
10:29am: Yahoo’s Jeff Passan reports (via Twitter) that Lucroy asked the Indians to void his 2017 club option in order to hit the open market at the end of the season in order to approve the deal (Twitter link). Understandably, Cleveland was in no way willing to meet that request, as the option is a significant factor in Lucroy’s value to the club. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, meanwhile reports that the Indians weren’t promising Lucroy that he’d be their starting catcher in 2017, which gave him pause in approving the deal. Cleveland planned to rotate Lucroy between catcher, first base and DH in 2017.
10:15am: ESPN’s Buster Olney tweets that the efforts to convince Lucroy to approve the trade will continue, so the book on the proposed trade may not be fully closed just yet. Lucroy, it should be noted, is on one of the most team-friendly contracts in Major League Baseball, and teams will often utilize financial incentives to convince players to waive no-trade clauses. An extension or at least a restructuring of his 2017 salary ($5.25MM) could make sense, though that’s simply speculation on my behalf.
9:58am: Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that Jonathan Lucroy has exercised his no-trade clause and vetoed a trade that would have sent him to the Indians in exchange for four prospects (Twitter link).
It was reported last night that the Brewers and Indians had agreed to a trade sending Lucroy to Cleveland in exchange for four minor leaguers: catcher Francisco Mejia, shortstop Yu-Cheng Chang, outfielder Greg Allen and right-hander Shawn Armstrong. However, despite repeated statements about his desire to play for a contending club, Lucroy has chosen not to play for the Indians, who were one of the eight teams to which he could veto a trade under his contract’s limited no-trade provision.
Of course, the fact that Lucroy didn’t approve this trade doesn’t ensure that he’ll be remaining with Milwaukee. There are 21 teams to which Lucroy cannot block a deal, and two of those clubs — the Rangers and Mets — have both been linked to him frequently within the past week. For the time being, however, Lucroy will remain with the only organization he’s ever known, as GM David Stearns and his staff determine the next-best course of action.
If Cleveland still wants to acquire another catcher, there’s not shortage of available options. Division-rival Kurt Suzuki of the Twins figures to be available and is in the midst of a strong offensive season, while the Padres’ Derek Norris is also widely known to be available. Neither represents the upgrade that Lucroy would have to the Cleveland roster, but considering the dearth of production from incumbent options Yan Gomes (who is now injured), Chris Gimenez and Roberto Perez, a catching acquisition still seems like it would be prudent for the Indians, who are in clear go-for-it mode after acquiring Andrew Miller this morning.