There is a massive organizational rebuild underway in Milwaukee and star catcher Jonathan Lucroy figures to be traded away for prospects at some point. But he is coming off a disappointing, injury-plagued 2015 and the Brewers might wait until well into the 2016 campaign to move the 29-year-old backstop.
Either way, it sounds like Lucroy has his bags packed. He spoke candidly Tuesday with Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ...“I’m not going to sit here and say we’re going to compete for the playoffs this year,” Lucroy said in a telephone interview Tuesday afternoon while running errands back home in Lafayette, La. “If I did that, you’d call me a liar. I’d lose credibility and respect.
“I want to win and I don’t see us winning in the foreseeable future. I want to go to a World Series. That’s what all players want. Rebuilding is not a lot of fun for any veteran guy.”
With that in mind, Lucroy thinks it would be best for all concerned if the Brewers do what they’ve done with many veteran players since last July — trade him. He has been the subject of trade speculation since the end of the 2015 season, when new general manager David Stearns was charged with taking over the team’s rebuilding process.
Lucroy finished fourth in the National League MVP balloting in 2014 after batting .301/.373/.465 with a league-leading 53 doubles in 153 games. And he’s due just $4 million this year with a bargain $5.25 million club option for 2017. There will be plenty of suitors once the Brewers decide they’re comfortable moving him.
