Brewers Trade Rumors: The Braves are looking for a Catcher!

We will see this on a daily basis...somebody needs a catcher, a reliever, an outfielder, and Jonathon Lucroy, Will Smith, Jeremy Jeffress, Tyler Thornburg, maybe even Ryan Braun will get mentioned. The Brewers are sellers, and they have some good merchandise, so we need to get used to it.

The Braves wouldn't seem a logical place for Luc, but...

1. They need to make a splash with the fans. The city of Atlanta is very angry with them for abandoning downtown for their theme-park new site, and the team needs to do things to get them excited for next year.

2. They do have a stated need at catcher, as pointed out in Charlie Wilmoth's article.

3. They have prospects that would interest the Brewers.

On the downside, there is no certainty that they would be able to sign Lucroy to a long term deal, especially if Luc is set on testing the market. And, again, as mentioned in the article, the Braves aren't likely to be a contender for a few years. That isn't a concern of the Brewers, of course, but it would certainly be a concern of the Braves.

I see some logic in the Braves' possible interest in Luc. They have a good, young staff, and a veteran catcher would be a smart addition. If they have duplication in their prospects, they might be willing to move some. The Brewers would likely be interested in catching and pitching coming back, but if the Braves are worried about signing Luc then sending back a catching prospect(s) could be a sticking point.

I'm still very interested in what Boston would trade. They seem all in this year, as they are performing well enough, they can afford it, and getting the team to the play-offs in Big Papi's final year would be really, really beneficial to the team. Dave Dombrowski has shown time and again that he is willing to trade prospects for the now, and they still have depth despite acquiring Drew Pomeranz for Anderson Espinoza.

And of course, no matter what the two sides say, the Rangers and Brewers will be linked until Lucroy becomes a Ranger or goes to another team. A rental of Lucroy would net the team acquiring him a very good draft pick in 2018 if they were unable to extend him, or deal him at next year's deadline. This probably won't even be the last rumor about Luc today, so don't use up all of your opinions on this one.

Well, OK, use 'em up...you can always re-use them.