Need a catcher? Three trade possibilities for Brewers’ Jonathan Lucroy

9:09 AM ET

One of the more interesting names on the rumor mill is Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy. In fact, he might be the best player available; among position players believed potentially available, only Carlos Gonzalez of the Colorado Rockies has a higher WAR.

Lucroy is hitting .305/.362/.494, is known for his pitch-framing skills and has obviously bounced back from last season’s injury issues. He’s also attractive because of his team-friendly contract, which pays him just $4 million this season and $5.25 million in 2017. You’d be acquiring an All-Star catcher for the price of a mediocre middle reliever.

Jonathan Lucroy’s ability to hit and low price tag make him an attractive target for contending teams needing an upgrade at catcher. Tom Lynn/Getty Images

One concern that I’ve heard is that teams don’t like to bring in catchers midseason, since he’d have to learn a new pitching staff. With Lucroy, that seems like less of an issue, given his intelligence. Still, there hasn’t been a World Series champ this century who acquired a starting catcher during the season (the 2010 San Francisco Giants called up rookie Buster Posey in late May, although he’d at least worked with the staff in spring training) and the last World Series winner that didn’t have a clear-cut No. 1 catcher would have been the New York Yankees in 1999, when Jorge Posada and Joe Girardi shared catching duties in the postseason.

So bringing in Lucroy would be an unusual move, and given his ability and salary, he’ll cost a highly regarded prospect or …

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