Indians reportedly close to acquiring Lucroy

CLEVELAND — The Indians have been searching for a way to punch the gas with an American League Central title in their sights. Cleveland appears to be on the cusp of doing just that with the additions of standout catcher Jonathan Lucroy to join reliever Andrew Miller, who was acquired from the Yankees on Sunday.

According to multiple reports on Saturday night, the Indians have reached an agreement with the Brewers to acquire Lucroy, a two-time All-Star, as part of a multi-prospect package. Lucroy has a clause in his contract that allows him to block a trade to eight clubs, and the Indians are one of them, which means this deal would need his approval before being completed. MLB Network’s Ken Rosenthal reported that the Indians would be sending four players to the Brewers in the proposed deal. Neither club has confirmed the agreement.

The Indians then completed a deal with the Yankees to acquire Miller, an elite left-handed closer. In exchange for Miller, the Indians parted ways with Clint Frazier and Justus Sheffield, the No. 1 and No. 5 prospects on Cleveland’s Top 30 list and right-handers Ben Heller and J.P. Feyereisen. Miller, who has 1.39 ERA with 77 strikeouts in 44 1/3 innings, is signed through 2018 and is set to earn $9 million in each of the next two seasons.

Three prospects reportedly heading to the Brewers in the Lucroy deal are catcher Francisco Mejia — ranked sixth on MLBPipeline.com’s list of the Tribe’s Top 30 prospects — shortstop Yu-Cheng Chang (No. 12) and outfielder Greg Allen (No. 22). Mejia and …

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