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How much longer will Jonathan Lucroy be in Milwaukee?
According to a report in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Tuesday, Brewers starting catcher Jonathan Lucroy stated that he “[doesn’t] see us winning in the foreseeable future,” and thinks it would be best for him and the team if he was traded. Lucroy has posted a .282/.340/.430 slash line in his career, good for a 110 wRC+ and 16.2 fWAR over six seasons. In 2014 (his last full, healthy season), Lucroy slashed .301/.373/.465 with a whopping 53 doubles and impressive 66:71 BB:K ratio, finishing fourth in the NL MVP voting that season. In addition to his excellent numbers, Lucroy is controllable through 2017 for a total of $9.25 million, which includes his $4 million salary for 2016 and a $5.25 million team option for 2017. All of this makes Lucroy an incredibly valuable trade asset who could net the Brewers a fair return to help the current rebuilding strategy. However, trading Lucroy would be an obvious disappointment to the fans and likely in the clubhouse. Additionally, the Brewers would be left with a catching core headed by Martin Maldonado, who is by all means a decent defensive catcher but lacks potency on offense. After Maldonado, the Brewers have a trio of catchers acquired late in 2015 who will likely contend to fill in as the backup, but none of the three are very desirable as major leaguers.
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