Another day, another trade rumor in the MLB as the trade deadline barrels down.
Today, the Milwaukee Brewers were rumored to be in talks with the Cleveland Indians regarding catcher Jonathan Lucroy.
After Cleveland’s starting catcher Yan Gomes went down with a shoulder injury that will likely keep him out an extended period of time, the Indians have been looking for a replacement. The Indians have also been without star outfielder Michael Brantley. With Brantley out of the middle of the order, the Indians offense has taken a hit.
Seemingly, the Indians could benefit from Lucroy at the catcher position and in the middle of the order. The Indians’ front office expressed confidence in using backup catchers Chris Gimenez and Roberto Perez until Gomes was healthy enough to return, but that may be changing.
But a healthy Gomes is not necessarily a good option offensively for a contending Indians team. His hitting line is nothing to write home about this season (.165/.198/.313), all the while Lucroy has been one of the best offensive catchers in baseball (.305/.363/.494).
In terms of a return, the Indians have five prospects in the top 100 in all of baseball and many of their lower-level prospects have performed well.
Some of those lower level prospects include the Indians #13 overall prospect, third baseman Yandy Diaz, hitting for an average of .326 and an OPS of .872 at the Triple-A level, and the Indians #7 prospect Mike Clevinger, who has posted a 2.78 ERA at the Triple-A level.
The Indians have also been rumored to be in the market for relievers as the deadline approaches, so don’t be surprised if Will Smith or Jeremy Jeffress are involved in the ongoing talks and rumors. It would make sense for the Brewers to package Smith with Lucroy in order to get an even better return.
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All stats and rankings courtesy of mlb.com.