The White Sox are signing free-agent catcher Jonathan Lucroy to a minor league contract, pending a physical, Robert Murray of Fansided reports.
Now 34 years old, Lucroy was one of baseball’s finest all-around backstops during his heyday with the Brewers and Rangers from 2010-16. But Lucroy’s production, both behind the plate and as a hitter, has since deteriorated. Dating back to 2017, the two-time All-Star has batted .253/.319/.348 with 10 home runs in a combined 935 plate appearances with the Rangers, Rockies, Athletics, Angels and Cubs, and his once-elite pitch-framing skills have also eroded. While Lucroy did spend time with the Red Sox and Phillies last season, he didn’t pick up a plate appearance with either team.
Lucroy will now try for a backup role with the White Sox, who have an outstanding starter in Yasmani Grandal. He and James McCann were Chicago’s top two options in 2020, but the latter departed in free agency for a four-year, $40MM contract with the Mets. McCann’s exit left the White Sox with Grandal and Zack Collins as their No. 1 and 2 catchers. Fellow backstops Seby Zavala and Yermin Mercedes are also on the team’s 40-man roster.
Dumpster div…oh wait
Can’t stay away from those Cubs leftovers can they
Solid sign. Good insurance. Fine teacher. All around good feeling going into spring training.
Are you joking? The cubs are finished. This white sox team is loaded on young talent, wily vets, and cash. White sox fans have to be thrilled
This is the year of Nick Madrigal—been waiting for him.
Like Eloy Jimenez?
Speaking of leftovers, how did Jose Quintana work out for y’all?
Hey Cubs where winner s why not everyone in the league want there guys but on the cheap
Good depth signing
Good depth signing? I’m sure you mean ‘great’ depth signing!!
Even in his deteriorating state, he clearly should be a defensive upgrade from Zac Collins and Grandal. I bet he is capable of catching throws from the outfielders.
No one on the top level is bad just not as good as some
I like and appreciate your self awareness here.
I like the move for the sox tho, doesnt hurt to have a guy like him in camp. I normally dont rule out comebacks from formerly proven guys but I am quite confident he is done contributing offensively. A good vet presence tho in spring training and the minors
JTR can basically blame this guy for his market..
Talk about a rapid flameout.
But we’re all told.
Well that name is a blast from the recent past. It’s like Devon Travis: he played just a little while ago, but it feels archaic now to think about him.
Lol just be nice to be young
I see coaches and managers getting canned and I’m like damn I had their rookie card bruhhhhh
Lol…I dont think that word means what you believe it means. You have to be pretty young for him not to seem fairly recent m. It’s all good.
What
Minor league deal sounds fine. Still would’ve loved another lefty outfielder/DH
Career has never been the same since Holy Saint Marisneck took two steps inside and crossed the baseline to “avoid” him and knocked him silly.
Not that it was great before the head injury he clearly caused himself by staying inside the base path the entire time.
50 doubles one season i think.
That was 2019. He was already a shell of his former self.
In 2012, he was hitting .345 when he reached under a bed for a sock and had a suitcase fall and fracture his hand. Technically that is the injury that he never recovered from.
Sad what’s happened to his career
Is it? Children with leukemia make me sad. A dude making millions and having a lengthy career playing a game does not.
@tom brunanskys black sock
Nicely put.
@tom burnanskys black sox — Sure, but you do understand statements in context, don’t you?
@Oddvark – Nicely put
34? I thought this guy was around 45.
He’s done.
*pending a physical
I still want Collins as the backup and I don’t think this will affect anything on that front.
Agree – I wish they would just knock it off and give Collins a chance.
Agree with the both of you.
I’d like to find out at some point how good (or bad) Collins is. I think at the very least he can be a good hitter, but we’ll never know if he’s playing only one game a week. It’s hard to get any rhythm when he’s rotting on the bench 80% of the time.
Yeah it’s BS. He should have at least DH’d at the end of last year with how awful EE was. He should be able to get some at-bats if he catches, DH, and plays some 1B this coming season.
If Collins was great he would play. Funny how it’s always the guys that kinda suck that rot on the bench.
K lol.
I would love to know what Collins has done to make you think he ‘kinda sucks.” It must be based on his terrible stats at the MLB level after being jerked around and managed terribly the last 2 years?
His lowest wRC+ at any level in the minors was 128, and that was at a notoriously terrible stop for non=elite hitters in the Sox system (Birmingham). In his only shot at AAA, he slashed .282/.403/.548 with a ~17% walk rate in 367 plate appearances. The guy is a LHH catcher that routinely OPS’s over .800 with power and a walk rate over 15%. He absolutely deserves a legitimate opportunity, and if the Sox aren’t going to give it to him, he deserves to be moved somewhere that will.
FWIW, when they called him back up in September and gave him consistent at bats instead of jerking him around like they did in June/July, he slashed .233/.343/.417. Not earth shattering by any means, but not anywhere near as terrible as his overall stats suggest.
You have no way of knowing that. he’s had 120 ABs over like 2 seasons and had hit and gotten on base in the minors quite well. And before you say, “Well the White Sox know more than we do.” Do they? They let EE hit all season and traded a gold glove caliber CF prospect who was a Golden Spikes finalist for two years in college for one year of Nomar Mazara. Let him be the DH and get 400 ABs.
Collins will get his chance this year. The problem is the Sox have so many guys who seem destined for a 1B/DH role that it seems he has to stick at C to really be in the team’s long-term plans. Here’s hoping that working with Grandal regularly can seriously improve his defense.
Even with no reps he always had good at-bats last year. He knows the zone to an extent that you can’t teach.
I agree that Collins will be the backup catcher on Opening Day. But it’s good to have some competition in Spring Training. And more depth in case of injuries is always a good idea.
I think they have found out enough about Collins. His bat may come around, but he is a lousy catcher.
If they want to keep him on the roster as third catcher/DH platoon, fine by me, but this signing was needed.
Well, maybe not THIS signing, but they need protection in case and when they find out Mercedes and Collins are not catchers.
Have you actually watched him catch in games? I have, and I don’t understand why people think he’s so bad. Aside from being green, he’s fine.
Yes. I have. Quite a few, because I have MiLB gamepass.
He can’t block consistently. He can’t frame very well. His footwork is bad.
And he’s not green. He’s been catching since college. That’s why the reviews on his catching from people with far more knowledge of these things have been questioning his ability to stick behind the plate.
Below replacement level at this point. They cannot possibly think he’ll actually play a real role.
It’s a minor league deal so it’s fairly obvious it’s not in the plans to have him be an MLB player.
Realistically, he’s probably their 5th option, behind Grandal, Collins, Mercedes, and Zavala. But he will play a role in training Mercedes and Zavala. There’s also an outside shot that he comes into camp in great shape and becomes a 3rd option at C, but yeah, injuries aside, this seems to be more of a coach/mentor role than a legit shot at the majors.
Can’t believe that Jonathan Lucroy once hit 53 doubles in a season (2014). His next best total is the 25 he hit in the season prior. I compare it to the Brady Anderson or Davey Johnson HR seasons a lifetime ago. Lucroy was selected to 2 all star teams and actually had a pretty good career going until he ran aground some time in 2017. The Red Sox in 2020 saw fit to have Lucroy catch the final 2 innings of the July 24 game while they were up 13-2. I’d like to believe that, unless he’s totally in the can, the White Sox will see fit to give him more time. Who are his combatants: the DH-type Zack Collins and maybe Seby Zavala. In my mind Jon Lucroy should be up for that battle. And, if not, he has nothing to hang his head about!
That truly is insane that he was ever that good of a hitter.
He made $58k last year. It’s been a rough one even for the eternal greats.
I always think back to when Lucroy vetoed being traded to Cleveland in 2016. His career fell off a cliff after that. Not sure if Cleveland dodged a bullet or if it was karma of some sort.
Sometimes the best deals are the deals you don’t make…he saved them!
Dude also has horrible agents. He turned down hefty an extension from the Brewers along with a potential 3 year deal from the Rockies that would have almost doubled his career earnings. Dumb and greedy.
Any chance he’s friend or family with Trevor Bauer or even Rachel Luba?
You think Boras is better? Ask Jake Arrieta. He lost over 50 million thanks to Scott. Turned down the Cubs offer of 6 years and over 125 million to end up taking 75 million from the Phillies. Scott thought the market would go 175.
Bauer is a head case- not an act. I believe his agent will do better than 75 million for him. What woman isn’t cold and calculating when taking a mans money. LMFAO.
Lucroy is Bauer’s brother in law. I hear that matters somehow.
Teams make veteran pickups like this all the time and fans fool themselves into thinking they mean something. He’s a Spring training body…Mets did this with Matt Adams. He’ll be lucky if he actually plays 6 innings for them, he’s clearly done.
No benefit to adding lucrative. Guys been done for years now.
He might make a good player-coach/mentor for spring training but that’s it.
Another outstanding move by the South Siders. Don’t stop now boys!
Thats a very good pick up. Just never know what a player like him might have left. He can show a lot of catchers in the league a thing or two.
Like what?
If he’s healthy he might be able to go behind the dish five times a month and play a little first base if needed. The team is full of mashers. The lineup is strong enough to cover a weak bat. What do you expect a backup catcher for minimum salary to hit? Collins will be up by June and remember there are 13 bench players so they still might have a spot for Lucroy to occupy.
Nice backup option on a milb deal. Mercedes is a DH (maybe Collins too) and Zavala hasn’t done enough. Too bad Sox couldn’t pick up Mazara on a deal like this. Surely someone will give him a ML deal though.
Or maybe he’ll be back too on a MiLB
deal
I mean there’s depth and then there’s this. Really don’t see the point nor am I convinced that this is a worthwhile signing. But I suppose it’s a minimal investment so whatever.
So… this is ‘all in’ to win a Championship? and yeah.. I get other moves were made,but for a team supposedly all in, signings like Rodon and Lucroy should not be occurring, even if it does not cost a lot to sign them. If you in it to win it, you are going for top notch talent to get there, especially in FA where you are not giving up the young studs for them, just cash. If you fail, you fail, but at least you made the effort.. Trying to be cute and signing guys like Eaton, Rodon and Lucroy hoping they are going to surprise everyone is not a good strategy.
Wot?
nrd, are you saying the Sox ownership is CHEAP? Say it isnt so! There’s always a chance Rodon wins the Cy Young and Eaton MVP. Ignore the past, 2021 is a new season where everybody the Sox sign is a winner!
More fuel to hate the Sox.
It’s someone who can put on gear and at least look somewhat competent as a catcher.
This was the one position I have no issue going cheap on, and if it saves money for another signing, so be it.
But I don’t think any other signings are coming.
Great experienced player for minimal cost. Wish Cardinals would have obtained.
Molina. All the experience they need at C.
smart signing. he probably won’t make the team, but he can go to spring training and teach collins and mercedes how to play catcher so yaz doesn’t have to.
Zack Collins turns 26 tomorrow. “He’s going to be a catcher… We feel he’s going to be a middle-of-the-order impact bat. Solid catch-and-throw guy. There’s no question to anyone in that room that he can catch.”
..
I don’t mind it as a depth signing, even though 34 is a bit old for a C. Still, maybe he can mentor Collins, Zavala, and Mercedes. At least it’s a minor league deal rather than yet another major league deal for a well-past-their-prime slugger.
This isn’t a mentor job….Lucroy thinks he has a little left in the tank and he felt CWS offer to compete for the back up spot was his best chance. I’m sure he has a cut date or out clause that gets his release if something better comes up.
With a 26-man roster and having a super-versatile utility player in Leury Garcia who can play 6 positions, the White Sox will almost certainly carry 3 catchers during the course of the upcoming 162-game schedule. This leaves room for both Zack Collins and a veteran like Jonathan Lucroy on the active roster as backups behind starter Yasmani Grandal. Even if Lucroy can’t regain his mojo the White Sox will likely carry 3 catchers, particularly if they plan on using two of them like Collins and Yermin Mercedes as primary DH options until Andrew Vaughn is deemed ready for prime time PA’s.