Brewers Trade Rumors: Rangers “Strongly in Mix” For Lucroy + Starter/Reliever; Joey Gallo likely centerpiece

Jonathan Lucroy was traded to the Indians last night, but this morning news came across that he had exercised his right to veto the deal as Cleveland was one of the eight teams on his no trade list. The Indians were reportedly unwilling to guarantee the starting catcher job in 2017 and were subsequently not willing to void Lucroy’s team option for next season, so Luc decided against putting himself and his family in that situation.

That doesn’t mean Lucroy won’t be traded, however. According to recent reports, there is still interest in Lucroy’s services.

According to Jeff Passan, the Brewers are asking for Travis d’Arnaud, Brandon Nimmo, and another MLB-ready player in exchange for Lucroy, a deal that could perhaps push their rebuilding timeline forward a bit.

The Mets have also reportedly put their talks for Jay Bruce on hold, which could perhaps suggest that they’ve turned their focus on completing a Lucroy deal. That’s my own speculation, however.

The Rangers have been linked to Lucroy on and off for what seems like an eternity now so it’s not surprising to hear that they’ve perhaps thrown their names back into the ring. They could build a package around young players such as Joey Gallo or Jurickson Profar and also have some premium pitching prospects in their minor league system.

UPDATE:

UPDATE 2:

UPDATE 3:

The addition of Jeffress to the deal would most certainly make this into a blockbuster.

UPDATE 4:

Luis Ortiz is a 20 year old right hander and the Rangers’ first round pick from 2014. According to MLB Pipeline, he throws a plus 92-97 MPH fastball, plus low-80s slider, and an average changeup to go with above-average command. According to their scouts he has the potential to be a number two or three starter. He’s posted a 3.48 ERA and 62:13 K/BB ratio in 67.1 innings between high-A and AA this year.

Yohander Mendez is a 21 year old former international signee and left handed pitcher. He throws a 90-94 MPH fastball along with an average curveball and plus changeup and also sports above-average command. Mendez also has the ceiling of a number two or three starter according to MLB Pipeline. In 84.2 innings pitched this year across the high-A, AA, and AAA levels, Mendez owns a 2.66 ERA and 98:28 K/BB ratio.

UPDATE 5:

Evan Grant suggests that the Rangers may be turning their focus to adding a starting pitcher in a potential Lucroy blockbuster, and he names these three possibilities:

T.R. Sullivan adds another potential centerpiece for a deal:

Gallo is hitting .246/.381/.557 with 19 home runs in 299 plate appearances with AAA Round Rock this season and has one hit (a home run) in 15 big league plate appearances for Texas. He offers 80 grade power and a 70 grade arm according to MLB Pipeline and has experience at third base, first base, and in the corner outfield spots. His ceiling is that of a potential All-Star.

UPDATE 6:

Another potential spin on the deal from Jeff Wilson:

UPDATE 7:

Another sign that a deal might be built around Joey Gallo coming back to Milwaukee: