Jonathan Lucroy Explains Veto Of Indians Trade
There’s been a great deal written about the reasons behind Jonathan Lucroy‘s decision to invoke his no-trade clause in order to veto a trade to the Indians, and Lucroy himself has elected to set the record straight, as told to ESPN.com’s Robert Sanchez. The entire explanation is well worth a look for any fan, but Cleveland fans feeling jilted by Lucroy will especially want to take a look to read his own take.
When first informed by Brewers GM David Stearns that he’d been traded, Lucroy said he wasn’t informed which team had struck a deal to acquire him, as medical information needed to be examined before anything could be finalized. He assumed, however, that he’d been dealt to a club that didn’t appear on his no-trade list, as he wasn’t asked about waiving the clause at the time. When Lucroy’s agent, Doug Rogalski, learned it was Cleveland who had the agreement, he called Lucroy to inform him. As Lucroy says…
“I was surprised, but I wanted to keep an open mind. Great team. Competitive team. There’s a real chance to win. Doug called Chris Antonetti, the Indians’ president. There was one thing we wanted to know: What was my future with the Indians? We knew Cleveland already had a good catcher, Yan Gomes, who’s injured right now. He’s getting paid more than me, and he’s younger than me. We knew they’d probably want him catching almost every day next year. Heck, if I were the general manager in Cleveland, I’d want Gomes catching every day.
We were right. Antonetti told Doug that the Indians couldn’t make any promises on me catching next season. There was no way they’d drop the team option, either, because I’m pretty inexpensive in 2017. I don’t blame them. I would have been mostly at first base and designated hitter.”
Lucroy stresses that the decision was not because of any negative feelings he harbors toward the city of Cleveland, Indians fans or the Indians organization. He, in fact, was sure to state that he actually respects the organization even more now due to Antonetti’s honesty: “He could have lied to my agent and said I’d play catcher every day next season. … He told the truth. I’m thankful for that.”
Lucroy calls the decision to reject the trade purely economic, believing that teams wouldn’t place as high of a value on him as a free agent if it had been more than a calendar year since he’d regularly been catching games. He also expressed a basic love for the position of catcher — his regular spot on the diamond since he was 12 years old — and spoke about the difficulty he had when thinking of not manning the spot on a near-daily basis in 2017. Lucroy goes on to discuss the uneasiness of waiting to find out if he’d be traded, the impact that the talks had on his wife and young daughter, the emotion he felt in his final at-bat as a member of the Brewers and the relief he felt not only from being traded to a contending club but one that is close to his offseason home in Louisiana. “I know I had nothing to do with the Rangers getting to where they are now, but I want to have a lot to do with finishing the job,” he closes.
Again, readers are strongly encouraged to check out Lucroy’s full statements, as they provide a behind-the-curtain look at the thoughts, emotion and stress that fans and the media alike will often take for granted when discussing trades.
Minor MLB Transactions: 8/6/16
Here are today’s minor moves from around the league.
- The Brewers have announced the release of right-hander Ariel Pena, who was the last remaining piece in the organization from its 2012 trade with the Angels that sent Zack Greinke to Los Angeles. Milwaukee also received infielder Jean Segura and righty Johnny Hellweg in that deal. Pena threw 29 innings with the Brewers and logged a 5.59 ERA, 8.38 K/9 and 4.97 BB/9. The 27-year-old has struggled mightily at the Triple-A level in 2016, having recorded an 8.36 ERA and 7.65 BB/9 in 37 2/3 frames.
- The Braves announced last night that they would selected the contract of righty Roberto Hernandez, who will start tonight against the Cardinals. (They cleared a roster space earlier today when they shipped reliever Hunter Cervenka to the Marlins.) The pitcher formerly known as Fausto Carmona has pitched for two Triple-A teams this year, combining for a 4.60 ERA, 6.2 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9. He hasn’t yet appeared in the big leagues in 2016, but he appeared in all of the previous ten seasons, pitching to a career 4.58 ERA, 5.5 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 and 56.5% ground ball rate.
- The Pirates are expected to select the contract of Curtis Partch, MLB.com’s Adam Berry notes (Twitter links). Partch will take the roster spot of fellow hard-throwing righty Arquimedes Caminero, who was traded to the Mariners today. It’s possible Partch’s stay in the big leagues could be short, however, since the team intends to move starter Jeff Locke to the bullpen and will require an extra starter later this week. Partch has a 2.05 ERA, 9.9 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 for Triple-A Indianapolis this season. He also made one appearance with the Pirates, allowing three runs without retiring a batter.
- The Red Sox have requested release waivers on lefty Tommy Layne, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald tweets. Boston designated Layne for assignment this week to make room for Fernando Abad after Layne posted a 3.77 ERA, 7.9 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in 28 2/3 innings while struggling against lefties.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Rangers, Brewers, Braun, Braves, Sale, Mariners
Well-regarded prospects Lewis Brinson and Luis Ortiz headlined the package the Brewers received from the Rangers on Monday in exchange for catcher Jonathan Lucroy and reliever Jeremy Jeffress. Not to be forgotten, Texas also agreed to include a player to be named later, and FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (video link) characterizes that player as “a significant piece” who could be along the lines of Brinson and Ortiz – both of whom rank among Baseball America‘s 75 best prospects. The reason Milwaukee didn’t land the player Monday is because the two teams ran out of time before they could agree on whom it would be, leaving the Brewers to eventually choose one from a list the Rangers provided them.
More from Rosenthal in the aftermath of the non-waiver trade deadline:
- While the Braves checked in on Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun before acquiring Matt Kemp from the Padres, Braun’s limited no-trade clause helped prevent talks from going anywhere. There are only six places the Brewers can trade Braun without his permission, and Atlanta isn’t one of them.
- The White Sox certainly aren’t a lock to deal left-handed ace Chris Sale during the offseason, but there will unsurprisingly be plenty of suitors if they shop him. Non-contenders are likelier to enter the mix for the 27-year-old, and teams will generally be more open to including major league players and 2016 draft picks in their offers.
- The Mariners’ failed attempt to acquire shortstop Zack Cozart from Cincinnati isn’t a sign that they’ve given up on soon-to-be 23-year-old Ketel Marte, who has slashed just .273/.299/.358 in 300 plate appearances this season. Rather, acquiring the well-rounded Cozart and his one and a half years of team control would’ve enabled Marte to receive further seasoning in the minors. Notably, judging by their respective performances in Seattle this year, both southpaw James Paxton and catcher Mike Zunino have seemingly benefited from extra time at Triple-A Tacoma.
Brewers Claim Ben Rowen From Blue Jays
The Blue Jays announced that right-hander Ben Rowen, who was designated for assignment by Toronto following Monday’s acquisitions of Francisco Liriano and Scott Feldman, has been claimed off waivers by the Brewers. He’ll head to Triple-A, according to an announcement from the Brewers.
Rowen, 27, has spent the entire season with Toronto’s Triple-A affiliate and posted a very strong 2.47 ERA with 6.3 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9 in 47 1/3 innings of relief. Rowen’s submarine arm slot makes it exceptionally difficult to elevate the ball against him, as evidenced by the mere eight home runs he’s surrendered in 374 innings at the minor league level (0.2 HR/9). He’s generated ground-balls at a 64.9 percent rate this season at the Triple-A level and boasts a strong 1.85 ERA in his minor league career.
Brewers Promote Orlando Arcia
The Brewers are promoting top prospect Orlando Arcia prior to today’s game, the team announced overnight. Rays outfielder Oswaldo Arcia — Orlando’s older brother — first suggested as much by welcoming his younger brother to the Majors on Instagram.
[Related: Updated Milwaukee Brewers Depth Chart]
Arcia, 21, will take over as the Brewers’ shortstop, as MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy writes, thereby pushing Jonathan Villar over to third base. Arcia ranked seventh, 13th, 14th and 16th on the respective midseason rankings of the game’s top overall prospects from Baseball Prospectus, MLB.com, Baseball America and ESPN. Arcia draws huge amounts of praise for his defense at shortstop, his speed and his hit tool, giving him the potential to be a top-of-the-order hitter with Gold Glove caliber defense at a premium position if all pans out. He hasn’t exactly forced his way onto the roster with outstanding play at the Triple-A level like many top-tier prospects do, as he’s batted a modest .267/.320/.403 in a very hitter-friendly environment (the Pacific Coast League’s Colorado Springs). He’s extremely young to already have spent several months in Triple-A, though, and his perhaps underwhelming 2016 results clearly didn’t cause him to slip down prospect rankings much.
“The thinking is it’s time to get him started,” manager Craig Counsell tells McCalvy. “We’ve still got [58] games left, a good chunk of the season left, where we’re hopeful that it gives him good experience going into next year. I think it’s a little shot in the arm for us, a little boost for us, as well.”
If he’s in the Majors for good, Arcia will accrue 62 days of big league service in 2016 and fall well shy of Super Two status down the line. He currently projects to be controllable through the 2022 season and wouldn’t be eligible for arbitration until the completion of the 2019 campaign.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Rangers Acquire Jonathan Lucroy, Jeremy Jeffress
The first-place Rangers are all-in, acquiring All-Star catcher Jonathan Lucroy and reliever Jeremy Jeffress from the Brewers for outfielder Lewis Brinson, pitcher Luis Ortiz, and a player to be named later. Rangers slugger Joey Gallo had previously appeared to be part of the deal, but it turns out he was not included.
[Related: Updated Texas Rangers and Milwaukee Brewers Depth Charts]
Lucroy, 30, provides the Rangers with a massive upgrade behind the plate over incumbents Robinson Chirinos and Bobby Wilson. Drafted out of the University of Louisiana in the third round in 2007, Lucroy spent his entire seven-year career with the Brewers. He made the All-Star team in 2014 and again this year, with a .299/.359/.482 line in 376 plate appearances in 2016. By measure of wins above replacement, the Rangers are getting the third-best catcher in baseball. After the 2011 season, when Lucroy had less than two years of Major League service, the Brewers signed him to a five-year, $11MM contract extension with a $5.25MM club option for 2017. That contract has turned out to be an incredible bargain for the Brewers. The Indians reached an agreement to acquire Lucroy on Saturday, but the catcher exercised his no-trade clause after Cleveland was reportedly unwilling to eliminate his bargain-priced club option. After that trade fell through, the Mets also made a play for Lucroy. The Rangers ultimately won the bidding, and have added both Lucroy and Carlos Beltran to their offense today.
The Rangers also acquired Jeffress, a 28-year-old right-handed reliever with 27 saves on the season. Jeffress was drafted by the Brewers in the first round in 2006 and went to the Royals in the December 2010 Zack Greinke blockbuster. After struggling with that organization, the Blue Jays acquired Jeffress for cash considerations in November 2012. By April of 2013, he was removed from the Jays’ 40-man roster. After another stint on and off the Jays’ roster, Jeffress became a free agent and signed a minor league deal with the Brewers in April 2014. He joined the big league team in July of that year, and that’s when his career began to blossom. Armed with a fastball that averages over 95 miles per hour, Jeffress ascended to the Brewers’ closer job this year and has posted a 2.22 ERA in 44 2/3 innings. He’s controllable through 2019 for the Rangers. While the Rangers’ bullpen has struggled overall this year, Jeffress, Sam Dyson, Tony Barnette, Jake Diekman, and Matt Bush are a formidable unit.
In Brinson, the Brewers added a 22-year-old minor league outfielder universally regarded among the top 30 prospects in the game. He’s hitting just .237/.280/.431 at Double-A this year, battling a shoulder strain. Still, according to ESPN’s Keith Law, “Brinson is an elite defensive center fielder who doesn’t have to hit much to have value in the majors and who has All-Star potential if he hits enough to get to his plus-plus power.” The Rangers also added Ortiz, generally regarded as a top 60 prospect. The 20-year-old righty currently has a 4.08 ERA in Double-A, and Law says he “shows an above-average fastball, plus changeup, and above-average control already.”
Brewers GM David Stearns has had an active trading season as he looks to rebuild his team. Stearns has shipped out Aaron Hill, Will Smith, Lucroy, and Jeffress since the beginning of July.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, T.R. Sullivan and Jon Morosi of MLB.com, and Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News broke the story. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Giants Acquire Will Smith
The Giants acquired left-handed reliever Will Smith from the Brewers, tweets Yahoo’s Jeff Passan. The Brewers will receive minor league pitcher Phil Bickford and catcher Andrew Susac, tweets Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. The trade is now official, according to the Brewers.
Smith, 27, has a 3.68 ERA, 9.0 K/9, 3.7 BB/9, 1.23 HR/9, and a 33.3% groundball rate in 22 innings for the Brewers this year. He dealt with a torn LCL in his knee in March, making his season debut on June 2nd after rehabbing the injury. Notably, the southpaw is exhibiting nearly a two-tick decline in his average fastball as against his prior numbers, and that remains a concern. The knee is an obvious question mark in that regard, though certainly it’s possible that Smith will just need to continue building back full body strength after the injury.
Health is always an important factor, but never more than when making an investment in a player that goes into the future. While San Francisco won’t be promising any future salary to Smith, they were buying into his control rights and paid to do so. He is under team control through 2019 as an arbitration eligible player. That contract status also conveys some real upside, especially if Smith can get back to his former trajectory. He was particularly tough in 2015, with a 2.70 ERA and 12.9 K/9.
The first-place Giants have received a middling 3.76 ERA from their relievers, and paid a trade deadline premium to acquire the controllable Smith. Drafted in the seventh round by the Angels in 2008, Smith was dealt to the Royals in the 2010 Alberto Callaspo trade. Later, after the 2013 campaign, the Brewers acquired him for Nori Aoki.
Now, Milwaukee has cashed in on the southpaw — in addition to moving late-inning righty Jeremy Jeffress in a separate trade. The haul seems to be rather promising, and swaps out the valuable-but-risky seasons remaining on Smith’s control rights for many more years of control on two solid young assets.
Bickford, 21, was drafted 18th overall by the Giants last year and is currently working at High-A. In their midseason prospect rankings, Baseball America had Bickford 50th overall, while MLB.com ranked him 65th. BA says Bickford’s fastball is known for its movement, and he throws a plus slider. The jury is out on whether he’ll wind up a reliever. Bickford had been drafted tenth overall by the Blue Jays in 2013, but did not sign.
Susac, 26, could take over as the Brewers’ starting catcher if Jonathan Lucroy is traded today. Since being drafted in the second round in 2011, Susac has been blocked by Buster Posey. He did get some Major League experience in 2014 and ’15, but has spent all of this year at Triple-A. He’s hitting .273/.343/.455 in 239 plate appearances at that level.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Mets Out On Lucroy; Rangers Still In Pursuit
Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy scuttled a trade to the Indians yesterday, but he’s still in play in advance of today’s trade deadline. Milwaukee has their Triple-A catcher Manny Pina up with the big league team in San Diego to prepare for a Lucroy trade, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Haudricourt further notes that Lucroy remained in Milwaukee last night, and will fly to San Diego in time for tonight’s game in the event he’s not traded. The latest:
- The Rangers are deep in talks on Lucroy, per Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (Twitter links). Gallo would indeed be the centerpiece, he adds.
- The Mets are now out on Lucroy, Buster Olney of ESPN.com tweets.
- With the Rangers adding Carlos Beltran, Gallo is now more available to go in a deal for Lucroy, Haudricourt tweets.
Earlier Updates
- Meanwhile, the Mets are still working on a Lucroy deal, Marc Carig of Newsday tweets.
- Even if the trade for Jay Bruce goes through, it wouldn’t take the Mets out of the race for Lucroy, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney tweets. Milwaukee is seeking infielder Dilson Herrera in a deal, per Rosenthal (via Twitter). A package would also still include catcher Travis d’Arnaud, as has long been rumored. Perhaps that ask is what leads Jon Heyman of Fan Rag to tweet that New York’s interest is “on life support” at this time, though.
- It seems that Joey Gallo is on the table for Lucroy, as we’ve heard suggested before, but only if there’s an arm included in the deal as well, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (via Twitter). It’s not clear exactly what pitcher that might be, but certainly there are several relievers that could make sense, as Grant explains. The Brewers could be looking into whether a preferable deal is available involving only the backstop, Haudricourt suggests on Twitter.
- Texas and Milwaukee haven’t chatted since last night, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. He suggests it is possible that other teams could get involved, with the Astros named as a speculative possibility, though he goes on to note via Twitter that the Tigers aren’t among them. Of course, it’s also possible that the Rangers and Brewers know each others’ positions, with Milwaukee now just circling back to other organizations before making a call.
- The Rangers “keep plugging away on Lucroy,” tweets ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick. Crasnick, however, believes the Brewers may need to lower their expectations to get a deal done today. From Milwaukee’s perspective, though, that isn’t going to happen, per a Haudricourt tweet. The team would rather hold Lucroy for offseason trade market than sell him short of his value now, per the report. A lively game of chicken certainly seems to be set up for these teams today.
Relief Pitching Deadline Day Rumors
The market for relievers is always moving on deadline day, as teams look to add pen pieces that will bolster their depth down the stretch. Fernando Abad is off the board, having been traded to the Red Sox today. We’ll keep tabs on the remaining relievers here:
- The Orioles and Marlins are shopping for a low-end left-handed reliever, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Sherman feels the Braves’ Hunter Cervenka could be one such candidate, while ESPN’s Jayson Stark names Cervenka as a last-minute target for the Fish.
- Sherman also notes that the Rangers are among the teams looking at Braves righty Jim Johnson. The Braves have kicked around Johnson as well, tweets Marc Carig of Newsday, but nothing appears close.
- While they are also pursuing larger targets, the Giants have perused the second tier of the relief market, per ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick (Twitter link). While the top targets have perhaps mostly already been traded, San Francisco has scouted the Brewers‘ strong group of relievers as well as increasingly valuable Rockies southpaw Boone Logan — though last we heard he may not be traded. Jeanmar Gomez of the Phillies is another name the Giants have checked, though he too isn’t sure to be dealt. And even as the Giants talk with the Rays on starter Matt Moore, the club has also watched right-handed swingman Erasmo Ramirez, per Crasnick.
- The Astros are kicking around some left-handed reliever options, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports (Twitter links). That’s arguably the team’s biggest area of need. Some of the names mentioned include Logan and Jake McGee of the Rockies and the Brewers‘ Will Smith — all of whom are at or near the remaining market for relief southpaws. It’s not immediately clear whether any are real options at this stage, as Crasnick notes that nothing has “materialized” to this point.
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.