Mets Reportedly offer D’Arnaud to Brewers for Lucroy

According to a report from Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News, the Mets are one teams that are currently in talks with the Milwaukee Brewers for catcher Jonathan Lucroy. Ackert reports that Milwaukee turned down a straight trade of catcher Travis D’Arnaud in exchange for Lucroy, and that the Brewers are asking for a “blue-chip prospect” in addition to any package including D’Arnaud.

She added that the Brewers are also weighing offers from the Indians and Rangers, but that no deal appeared to be imminent.

In addition to their interest in Lucroy, Acker notes that the Mets have expressed interest in the bullpen duo of Will Smith and Jeremy Jeffress, and that the Red Sox are also looking at the two relievers.

After today’s game, Lucroy is hitting .301/.362/.491 with 13 home runs through 359 plate appearances. Mets’ catching has hit a collective .218/.299/.308 this season and ranks 24th in the league with a 70 wRC+.

D’Arnaud, 27, was a long-time top prospect but is now in his final season of pre-arbitration. He has struggled with injuries during his time in the big leagues but has had a productive bat from behind the plate with a .245/.311/.407 slash (103 wRC+) and 28 home runs across 240 career games. He’s not regarded as the greatest defender behind the plate, though, having thrown out 22% of baserunners during his career, though he does have above-average framing marks per Baseball Prospectus.

The Mets have some interesting prospects in their system, including top prospect 1B Dom Smith who is finally showing some legitimate power while hitting .289/.349/.456 with 12 home runs through 93 games in AA at age 21. Shortstops Amed Rosario and Gavin Cecchini and outfielders Brandon Nimmo and Desmond Lindsay round out New York’s top five according to MLB Pipeline.

Statistics courtesy of Fangraphs