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★★★
Jonathan Lucroy is having a rough 2015, but before the season, he had just put on an excellent three-year stretch in which he batted .297/.359/.472 while playing incredible defense behind the plate. You would think the Brewers would have been all about locking up their cornerstone player for longer, but the opposite was true this past winter: Lucroy approached the Brewers with an extension plan that would have kept him in Milwaukee for most of the rest of his career, if not all of it, and they turned him down.
Now, we don’t know the details, such as what it was that Lucroy asked for in dollars, though, his reference to the rest of his career suggests this was at least a five-year deal, be it with options, all guaranteed or what have you. The Brewers reluctance to make this deal happen is somewhat understood: Lucroy is still under contract for 2016 at just $4 million, with a $5.25 million option for 2017. Those seasons likely would have been part of Lucroy’s offer to the Brewers, with an extension kicking in afterward, but the Brewers apparently would rather wait for the years they already have to go by before committing to more.
Now, Lucroy is in the midst of his worst season, but he has begun to bounce back since June began, at least. The Brewers are probably pretty happy with themselves that they held off on rushing into a new deal, though, at least until they can find out if Lucroy can get back to being one of the top backstops in the game before his current contract runs out. He’s certainly talented enough to do so, but baseball is a rude game, and nothing is guaranteed. What we do know is that Milwaukee still wants him around, because he seems to be one of the only established players they haven’t made available this trade deadline.
- Does the second wild card ruin the trade deadline? Grant Brisbee looked back at its three years of existence to see how teams on the bubble acted in July.
- The Royals optioned Yordano Ventura to Triple-A so he can get back on track, but then Jason Vargas went down with an elbow injury that same day. Whether the Royals bring Ventura back or use this as an excuse to trade for another starter is unknown at this point.
- Speaking of trades for starters, who needs Cole Hamels or Johnny Cueto the most?
- Nathan Karns hit the first home run by an American League pitcher since 2011, and it was also Karns’ first career hit.
- Barry Bonds is officially off the hook with the United States’ government, which will make the BBWAA’s insistence in not voting him into the MLB Hall of Fame that much more ridiculous.
- The Mets almost traded Jacob deGrom to the Red Sox for backup catcher Kelly Shoppach in 2012, which serves as a reminder that general managers don’t make their trade decisions by themselves -- if not for Sandy Alderson’s minor league officials, deGrom would be in Boston.
- The Reds may have overplayed their hand with Johnny Cueto, and that’s a problem considering the short- and long-term future of the franchise very well might depend on what they get back for their trade pieces this month.
- Michael Cuddyer’s knee has the Mets looking even more intently at the trade market, and talks with the A’s have gotten to the point that Billy Beane is naming who he wants back for Ben Zobrist.
- Brad Ausmus’ bullpen management is not great! He wouldn’t change what he’s doing, though.
- Tim Lincecum has a degenerative hip condition, in both hips, and with his delivery, that’s no small thing.
- The Mariners haven’t fired Jack Z, but they are still on the prowl for candidates to take over as GM. The Cubs’ Jason McLeod, who was also with Jed Hoyer in San Diego and Boston and with Theo Epstein in Boston, as well, appears to be the first of those potential replacements.
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