In the time of these words being written, Jonathan Lucroy is still a Milwaukee Brewers player. The agreed upon trade with the Cleveland Indians was vetoed by Lucroy, refusing to waive his no-trade clause.
There are 21 teams he can’t block a trade to, among them the New York Mets and Texas Rangers, both showing interest in Lucroy. The 30-year old catcher wanted the Indians to remove his 2017 team option (worth $5.25 million) and allow him to hit free agency at the end of this season, which they refused to do. They also didn’t promise Lucroy a guaranteed spot at catcher, instead suggesting he’ll be used at catcher, first base and designated hitter. Perhaps giving him an extension beyond 2017 would have worked.
The deal would have sent four minor league players to the Brewers: Catcher Francisco Mejia, shortstop Yu-Cheng Chang, outfielder Greg Allen and right-hander Shawn Armstrong. That’s a pretty strong indication that the Indians had every intention of playing Lucroy on a daily basis (maybe not at catcher), otherwise they wouldn’t have been giving up so much talent for him. But being on the shortlist (8 teams) he could block a trade to, the deal fell, and is currently dead.
Right now, if there is anything going on between Milwaukee and another team, it’s likely between the Mets, who have also shown interest in Jay Bruce of the Cincinnati Reds, and the Rangers, who probably want a reliever too, a role they’ve said a number of times is of higher priority to them. Despite Lucroy saying that he wants to play for a contender, he seems to like it in Milwaukee, not actually doing everything he possibly can to put himself in a winning situation.
Into his 7th season with the Brewers, Lucroy made the All-Star for the second time in his career. He’s batting .300 with a .844 OPS, hitting 13 home runs and has 50 RBIs. Some teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs showed interest earlier this month, but right now, it seems like his price is keeping only two teams in the chase after him, and maybe his refusal today buries any chance of him being traded this season.