With Major League Baseball's trade deadline looming on August 1, there are some big names who could be on the trading block, including Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy.
On Wednesday, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney that the Brewers and Cleveland Indians are "in talks" for the two-time All-Star.
Continue for updates.
Indians' Needs Make Lucroy a Prime Target
Wednesday, July 20
Olney noted that the Indians might be interested in the 30-year-old Lucroy after outfielder Michael Brantley had a setback in his recovery from a shoulder injury that's kept him out since May 14, per MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.
Brantley has appeared in just 11 games this year after hitting 35 home runs combined over the past two seasons.
But the Indians are in desperate need of help at the catcher position, as Yan Gomes—who was batting only .165 this season—dislocated his right shoulder, forcing the team to recall Roberto Perez from Triple-A.
While Cleveland entered Wednesday with a 55-38 record and a seven-game lead over the Detroit Tigers for first place in the American League Central, it has gotten nothing from the catcher position:
| Player | Games | Average | Home Runs | RBI | WAR |
| Yan Gomes | 71 | .165 | 8 | 32 | -0.8 |
| Roberto Perez | 5 | .000 | 0 | 1 | 0.2 |
| Chris Gimenez | 36 | .202 | 2 | 6 | -0.9 |
Source: Baseball-Reference.com
Lucroy would provide a huge boost there, as he's batted .305 with a .362 on-base percentage along with 12 home runs and 45 RBI in 85 games this season.
The average ranks third in the majors among catchers, while his runs batted in are second-most behind Wilson Ramos of the Washington Nationals, per MLB.com. His WAR of 2.3 is also third on the Brewers behind only Ryan Braun and Junior Guerra.
However, Lucroy revealed to Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post that the possibility the team will deal him has been in the back of his mind: "We’re all human, and we all have things going on that distract us and get in our heads sometimes. And whenever you’re dealing with trade talk and chatter like that, it’s a distraction."
As the Brewers sit at 39-52 for fourth place in the National League Central and 16.5 games behind the first-place Chicago Cubs, it's clear they can't win even with Lucroy excelling in the field.
So dealing him could present Milwaukee with an opportunity to acquire some young, valuable talent to build around in the future.
Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
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