MLB Trade Rumors: No Lucroy Deal for Tigers

As MLB Trade Rumors dominate the headlines on the morning of baseball’s trade deadline, the Detroit Tigers are now reportedly out of the running for catcher Jonathan Lucroy.

When the Milwaukee Brewers reportedly agreed to send catcher Jonathan Lucroy to Cleveland, it ended any chance of the Detroit Tigers acquiring perhaps the game’s best offensive and all-around backstop.

However, Lucroy had Cleveland on his no-trade list and vetoed the deal.

This left the door slightly open for the Tigers to make a move, if only in the sense that the catcher hadn’t been traded.

On Sunday, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick tweeted about the likelihood of the Tigers making a move for Lucroy. The writer tweeted, “#Tigers have lingered on the fringes with Lucroy and there’s a small chance they jump back in now. But they’re focused more on pitching.”

However, now it seems that the team will not be making a move for the All-Star catcher. Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported in a tweet that, per his sources, the team is “not on Lucroy.” Rosenthal tweeted, “Sources: #Tigers not on Lucroy. Will not give up pitching to get a catcher. Also doubtful to land SP. Not willing to trade off MLB roster.”

ESPN’s Katie Strang later confirmed that Detroit is “now out on Lucroy.” The writer tweeted, “Can confirm that Tigers are now out on Lucroy as @Ken_Rosenthal reported. Priority is starting pitching. DET also on his no-trade list.”

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The Brewers catcher certainly would have been an interesting addition to an already potent Detroit offense. in 95 games this season, Lucroy is hitting .299 with 50 RBI, 48 runs scored, 17 doubles, 13 home runs, five stolen bases and three triples.

With Justin Upton turning things around and J.D. Martinez returning from the disabled list at some point, Lucroy would have taken the offense to another level.

However, Detroit has received much better production from the team’s incumbent catching duo as of late. Jarrod Saltalamacchia continues to provide an offensive presence off the bench with 10 home runs and 31 RBI in just 60 games. The veteran has also continued to hit home runs in the clutch.

Additionally, starter James McCann is turning things around after a slow start. While he’s still hitting just .204 with a .254 on-base percentage on the season, the second year backstop has been on a tear as of late. Over his last 17 plate appearances, the 26-year-old has collected eight RBI, three home runs, three runs scored and two walks.

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While he likely isn’t going to sustain that torrid pace throughout the rest of the second half, if McCann can produce more consistently on offense, it will do wonders for the bottom half of the Detroit lineup.

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