Cleveland Indians Seeking Trade for Jonathan Lucroy
After losing catcher Yan Gomes to injury, the Cleveland Indians are reportedly in talks with the Milwaukee Brewers about a trade for Jonathan Lucroy.
Jonathan Lucroy has been the subject of trade rumors for the better part of three seasons, as he’s been linked to countless teams across the league. The 30-year-old is now being linked to the Cleveland Indians, as the team is reportedly looking to add a bat after Michael Brantley suffered a setback in his rehab.
Buster Olney of ESPN reported that the Indians are discussing a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports added that the Indians’ top priority at the deadline is adding relievers.
Still hearing that #Indians above all want to upgrade bullpen. Gomes might be back, signed through ’19. Perez-Gimenez combo sufficient at C.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 21, 2016
While a trade for Lucroy would take a big package, the Indians have the prospects – specifically in the outfield – to get a deal done. Adding Lucroy, who is slashing .305/.362/.492 with 12 homers and 48 RBI, would instantly give the Indians one of the top lineups in the American League.
It’s not as if the team is in need of an instant upgrade in their lineup, however, as they rank sixth in the league with 472 runs scored. Cleveland also has a capable defensive duo of Chris Gimenez and Roberto Perez behind the plate until Yan Gomes returns.
Gimenez is hitting near .200 and, at the time of writing this, Perez has yet to pick up a hit in 23 at-bats this season – though, interestingly enough, he’s walked eight times. Gomes, who has struggled mightily with a .165/.198/.313 slash line this season, was placed on the disabled list earlier this week with a shoulder injury and will miss four to eight weeks.
Lucroy would likely slot into the fifth hole in the lineup, where the team doesn’t currently have a consistent run producer.
While the Indians don’t have a horrible situation at catcher due to Gomes’ bounceback potential, adding Lucroy to the team would be a major boost as they look to hold off the Kansas City Royals in the AL Central.
It’s worth noting that Gomes is under contract until 2019, so the Indians would have a decision to make regarding their backstops in the offseason.
As Rosenthal noted, the Indians could use another reliever to bolster their depth in front of closer Cody Allen. The Indians bullpen isn’t bad by any means, but the Brewers have a three-headed monster at the back of theirs that looks ripe for the picking.
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The trio of Jeremy Jeffress, Will Smith and Tyler Thornburg has been strangely dominant this season for the lowly Brew Crew – which, naturally, means a trade is in order.
The Tribe will likely target Smith, a 27-year-old southpaw that has been so dominant this season that most have forgotten that he tore his lateral collateral ligament while taking off his shoe.
In order for Cleveland to acquire Lucroy and Smith, they’ll need to give up one of their three touted outfield prospects. With Tyler Naquin dominating in his debut season, it’s easy to see the Brewers asking for him in a trade, but that would be unlikely given the injury to Brantley.
Instead, the Indians could offer up either Bradley Zimmer or Clint Frazier, two guys who are so linked that they’re #22 and 23 in MLB.com’s prospect rankings, and number one and two in the Indians system at Double-A.
The Brewers could also ask for Brady Aiken, which would be quite the haul for Milwaukee. Despite his injury concerns, he still has front line potential. Throwing in another mid-tier prospect like Yandy Diaz would likely give the Brewers enough incentive to go forward with this deal.
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The end of the constant Lucroy trade rumors may finally be coming, and the Indians could be the perfect spot for Lucroy to wind up.