Headlines

  • Phillies To Sign J.T. Realmuto
  • Indians, Cesar Hernandez Agree To New Deal
  • Nationals Sign Brad Hand
  • Mets Have Made Offer To Trevor Bauer
  • Astros Re-Sign Michael Brantley
  • Latest On Universal DH, Expanded Playoffs
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Indians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2020-21 Top 50 MLB Free Agents With Predictions
    • 2020-21 MLB Free Agent Tracker
    • 2020-21 MLB Free Agent List
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2021
    • 2021 MLB Arbitration Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • Last 100 Comments
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Red Sox Designate Jonathan Lucroy, Call Up Chris Mazza

By Steve Adams | July 29, 2020 at 11:14am CDT

3:03pm: Lucroy has been designated for assignment.

11:14am: The Red Sox will remove catcher Jonathan Lucroy from their roster today and call up right-hander Chris Mazza from their alternate training site in Pawtucket, Chad Jennings and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic report (via Twitter). The exact nature of the move isn’t clear. It’s possible that Lucroy will simply be designated for assignment, though it’s also conceivable that he could be shipped to another club with a need for catching depth.

Lucroy, 34, cracked Boston’s Opening Day roster as a third catcher behind Christian Vazquez and Kevin Plawecki, but he’s yet to tally a plate appearance with the Sox. He split the 2019 season between the Angels and Cubs, hitting at a combined .232/.305/.355 rate in 101 games and 328 plate appearances.

More than three full years have passed since Lucroy enjoyed his last above-average season at the plate, but for a time, he was considered to be among the game’s elite backstops. From 2012-16, Lucroy batted .291/.353/.465 (120 OPS+) while drawing elite framing marks and registering a solid 27.5 percent caught-stealing rate. Those days, however, have long since passed. Over his previous three seasons, Lucroy has combined for a .248/.315/.350 output as his defensive ratings have tumbled considerably.

In his place, the Sox will add the 30-year-old Mazza — an offseason waiver claim out of the Mets organization who has just 16 1/3 MLB innings under his belt. While Mazza doesn’t have much big league experience, he turned in a 3.67 ERA with 7.3 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9 in 76 Triple-A frames last year — particularly solid marks given the offensive explosion there. Mazza has an overall ERA of 3.72 or better at every individual minor league level and has a composite 3.21 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9. He’s regularly posted excellent ground-ball mark as well, thanks to a heavy sinker that has one of the lowest spin rates in MLB (which, in the case of sinkers, is a good thing).

Share 0 Retweet 1 Send via email0

Boston Red Sox Chris Mazza Jonathan Lucroy Transactions

Marlins To Sign Logan Forsythe
Main
Orioles Trade Hector Velazquez To Astros
36 comments
newest oldest

Comments

  1. DarkSide830

    6 months ago

    welcome to Miami

    Like
    Reply
  2. Al Hirschen

    6 months ago

    Next stop Miami or New York Mets

    Like
    Reply
    • yankees500

      6 months ago

      This does make me wonder why the Mets signed Maxwell. Without mentioning the baggage he brings to the organization, it seems like there are many more quality options that are ready to play

      Like
      Reply
      • Marc_from_Brooklyn

        6 months ago

        The Mets may be looking for depth to replace Nido or Rivera as the third catcher in the alternate training site should they try and fail to pass Nido or Rivera through waivers (or in the case of Rivera, he rejects an outright) when rosters contract. Maxwell would just serve as insurance in case one catcher is lost and one of the remaining two subsequently gets hurt.. Better catchers would probably not settle for a minor league contract with only a chance of sniffing the major league rosters. I think this needs to be a common strategy these days with all the roster churning: have a backup options in the minors in case you lose a player you can’t freely demote. I don’t know the long term answer for this. The union likes the ability of their members to catch on another major league team, which is particularly important with respect to pay for some and salary for all despite the disruption a move causes.

        1 Like
        Reply
      • DarkSide830

        6 months ago

        Maxwell was stellar in Mexico last year, so he could push for the taxi squad spot.

        Like
        Reply
      • agentx

        6 months ago

        Well put, Marc_from_Brooklyn.

        Lucroy and others considered better quality options than Maxwell are probably maneuvering toward a spot in the Giants’ currently underwhelming mix without Posey (and/or Bart) or somewhere else with readily available major-league ABs.

        Like
        Reply
    • Cegmyster

      6 months ago

      No Mets will wait for Realmuto in the off-season

      Like
      Reply
  3. HawaiiPhil2020

    6 months ago

    i wonder if Lucroy scenario reminds the phillies of the Realmuto situation at all

    I recall how good i thought Lucroy was at 30 & 31… oh how the mighty have fallen in 3 years

    2 Like
    Reply
    • Jeff Zanghi

      6 months ago

      That’s a really good point… I think Realmuto is a better offensive player overall… And actually has a better track record (or at least a more consistent one) but I do tend to agree with your broader point and think that signing Realmuto to a big extension could really backfire on whatever organization does so.

      Like
      Reply
    • mikemcsaudi

      6 months ago

      Great point. I’m not signing Realmuto to any long term deal. It’s not like he is babe Ruth either. He is a25 hr/ 85rbi guy. Sure, the best amongst catchers, but I’d rather spend that on a stud shortstop or first baseman.

      Like
      Reply
      • Cegmyster

        6 months ago

        But Realmuto is arguably the best defensive catcher in the game. 25 homers /85rbi are excellent for a catcher also. Any team in the league would want his production offensively and defensively. A no-brainer to sign him long-term. 5 years with a club option sounds about right

        1 Like
        Reply
        • Joeypower

          6 months ago

          Need to watch other than your home club.

          Like
          Reply
    • Marc_from_Brooklyn

      6 months ago

      I’m waiting for the Trackman analytics to be able to identify exactly what has changed in a hitter like Lucroy. Bat speed? Pitch selection? Swing? I assume that this is being used internally, as it is with pitchers, but it isn’t talked about much and mostly in terms of results–exit velocity, fly ball/ground rate, pull rate, good pitches taken, bad pitches swung at, etc.–rather than process.

      Like
      Reply
    • DarkSide830

      6 months ago

      i dont think their skillsets match up though. Realmuto’s athleticism and durability is the main reason why a big deal for him could work out well. Lucroy’s athleticism was never on that level.

      1 Like
      Reply
    • Briffle

      6 months ago

      I made a similar argument in another article about Realmuto getting a big payday. I wouldn’t give him a contract more than three years, maybe four with the last being a club option, just because of the position he plays and how many innings he’s caught. It’s almost like a ticking time bomb with a catcher for when the offense drops off.

      Lucroy from 12-16 (ages 26-30) was just as good offensively, maybe even better, as Realmuto is right now. OPS+ of 132, 116, 131, 96, and 123 in 641 games before he fell off at age 31.

      Realmuto has played 688 games with an OPS+ of 109 and he’s 29.

      Whether or not he falls off remains to be seen, but, given the history of catchers, he’ll probably start falling off in the next two seasons or so unless he changes position.

      Another good example is Jason Kendall, if you care to look up his stats, he fell off as his age 30 season.

      1 Like
      Reply
  4. pasha2k

    6 months ago

    Desperation move since the RS bullpen will be blown out in a month.

    Like
    Reply
  5. Cegmyster

    6 months ago

    Yes, Lucroy is definitely Miami Marlin bound

    Like
    Reply
  6. dgk71

    6 months ago

    Not sure about Roberto Perez’s injury. The Indians maybe looking for depth as well.

    Like
    Reply
    • Polish Hammer

      6 months ago

      No thanks. If he didn’t want to go there as a World Series contender I really hope they don’t consider him now.

      Like
      Reply
      • Eatdust666

        6 months ago

        He didn’t want to go there because the Indians were not going to promise him the starting catcher job in 2017 had they actually traded for him, no joke.

        Like
        Reply
        • Michael Chaney

          6 months ago

          That’s what Lucroy claimed at the time, but that never really made sense to me. The Indians wouldn’t have traded as much as they were going to just to have him play first and DH. Even when his bat was All-Star level, it didn’t play there well enough to give up that much for.

          I think the more likely scenario would have been him starting around 60% of the time behind the plate, and the other 40% or so he’d play first or DH while Gomes would have caught. (Also worth mentioning is that this was 2016 and not 2017, but that’s not the point.)

          Like
          Reply
        • CKinSTL

          6 months ago

          @Eatdust I don’t blame Lucroy for blocking the trade and ultimately it was his right to do so. He thought he had some leverage and tried to exploit it and get to FA one year earlier. You can see why he was going for it.. his career went off the rails in 2017. Had he gone into FA after the 2016 season, he likely would have signed a big money deal.

          Like
          Reply
        • Polish Hammer

          6 months ago

          Exactly, and between ABs at catcher DH and 1B he would’ve gotten a full season of ABs. He tried to set himself up for a big payday moving forward and he has bombed since then. Great trades can sometimes be the that don’t get consummated.

          Like
          Reply
      • Cegmyster

        6 months ago

        Wait somebody actually wants or wanted to go to Cleveland? I find that hard to believe

        Like
        Reply
        • usafaaron

          6 months ago

          You’re inability to read and comprehend things is beyond staggering. But then again, with the idiotic things you say on here, it doesn’t surprise me.

          Like
          Reply
      • hockeyjohn

        6 months ago

        Lucroy does not have the defensive skills to be of use for the Cleveland Indians.

        Like
        Reply
        • jahuhh

          6 months ago

          Would you think he had the defensive skills had he still been known as one of the best pitch framers? Remember, he played with a herniated disk in his neck for the last 3 years and had surgery over the last off-season.

          Like
          Reply
  7. whyhayzee

    6 months ago

    Why not have Lucroy squat on the mound and fire throws towards home plate? It can’t be worse than what’s been out there so far on the mound.

    1 Like
    Reply
  8. WillieWildkat

    6 months ago

    That’s gotta some kinda special bad to be “removed” from a roster. Was this done by a couple of bouncers?

    Like
    Reply
  9. timpa

    6 months ago

    Should be a cautionary tale for JT Realmuto

    Catchers don’t age well.

    1 Like
    Reply
  10. Marc_from_Brooklyn

    6 months ago

    The mention of Mazza’s low spin rate on sinkers in the same article as Plawecki reminds me of a discussion of high spin rates a few years ago in 2017, probably on a Mets pre-game show or during a game. Seth Lugo was touted as having one of the highest curve ball spin rates on the game. On the other hand, the highest spin fate on fastballs was Plawecki, in his two-inning, four run outing against the Nats. I assume that he threw straight-as-an-arrow sinkers, though I guess they could have been four-seamers with a release point and/or finger pressure that made them spin a lot and go straight.

    Like
    Reply
  11. toastyroasty

    6 months ago

    How could this guy have fallen off so quickly? Just 3 years ago he was considered an elite player. Now he probably can’t even get a minor league deal with the Marlins.

    Like
    Reply
    • Polish Hammer

      6 months ago

      The Marlins are a minor league deal, AAAA…

      Like
      Reply
    • jahuhh

      6 months ago

      The man played with a herniated disk in his neck for 3 years. There’s an article out about it.

      Like
      Reply
      • Gary

        6 months ago

        Yes some other guy mentioned that earlier. Interesting.

        Like
        Reply
  12. Gary

    6 months ago

    This is probably at Lucroys request. Vasquez of course is the starter and the backup guy has started off very well. All catching innings are seized up right now.

    Like
    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.
Log in Register

ad: 300x250_1_MLB

    Top Stories

    Phillies To Sign J.T. Realmuto

    Indians, Cesar Hernandez Agree To New Deal

    Nationals Sign Brad Hand

    Mets Have Made Offer To Trevor Bauer

    Astros Re-Sign Michael Brantley

    Latest On Universal DH, Expanded Playoffs

    Yankees Trade Adam Ottavino To Red Sox

    Yankees Acquire Jameson Taillon

    Astros Sign Jason Castro

    Red Sox To Sign Garrett Richards

    Recent

    Latest On The Issue Of A Delayed Spring Training

    Twins GM Thad Levine Discusses Offseason

    Brewers Among Teams Showing Interest In Justin Turner

    Tigers To Sign Derek Holland

    Phillies Sign Ivan Nova To Minors Contract

    Braves Sign Ehire Adrianza To Minors Contract

    MLBTR Chat Transcript

    Phillies To Sign J.T. Realmuto

    Twins, Brewers Have Talked With Marcus Semien

    Indians, Cesar Hernandez Agree To New Deal

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Trevor Bauer Rumors
    • Kris Bryant Rumors
    • J.T. Realmuto Rumors
    • Marcell Ozuna Rumors
    • Masahiro Tanaka Rumors
    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Go Ad-Free
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • 2020-21 Top 50 MLB Free Agents With Predictions
    • 2020-21 MLB Free Agent Tracker
    • 2020-21 MLB Free Agent List
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2021
    • 2021 MLB Arbitration Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Indians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    ad: 160x600_MLB

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • Feeds by Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    hide arrowsFOX Sports Engage Network scroll to top
    Close

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version