The Cubs are looking to add a few missing pieces to their roster as the club continues to heat up, going 7-1 since the All-Star break. While everyone knows the Cubs are still hunting pitching, a veteran back-up catcher is still on their radar as well.
As soon as the Cubs released Miguel Montero, the Tiger’s Alex Avila quickly became linked to the Cubs due to the obvious fit. And while Avila is having an excellent season in Detroit, the two ball clubs have yet to agree on the actually details of the deal.
So it wasn’t too surprising when news broke last night that the Cubs, while also talking to the Rangers about Yu Darvish, have also discusses the possibility of adding veteran catcher Jonathan Lucroy.
Source confirms the #Cubs have talked to the #Rangers about catcher Jonathan Lucroy
— Sean Sears (@sean_sears6) July 22, 2017
I originally saw a post from MLB Trade Rumors saying that the Cubs could possibly have an interest in the 31-year-old backstop. And after firing off a few texts, I received confirmation that the Cubs were engaged in early discussion on Lucroy and the Rangers asking price.
The veteran catcher is having a down season, slashing a mediocre .244/.293/346 with 4 home runs and 26 RBI’s, but he has thrown out 13 out 29 runners this season. While some may wonder what makes Lucroy attractive to the Cubs, it could be his career .340 OBP. Or that he is a player who has experience playing in the NL Central and could be a big help in the Cubs attempt to take back the division from Lucroy’s former team, the Milwaukee Brewers.
Buster Olney says #Cubs are still hunting for pitching and are likely to add a veteran catcher this deadline
— Sean Sears (@sean_sears6) July 23, 2017
The Lucroy news could just be a ploy by the Cubs front office to make Detroit re-think their asking price, or it could be that the Cubs really do like Lucroy. For what it’s worth, they were interested in him at one point last season.
While it is not entirely clear how serious the Cubs are in acquiring either Jonathan Lucroy or Alex Avila, Buster Olney believes the Cubs will add another veteran backstop to their roster, and the two are the best options on the market right now. Expect one of them to be playing in Chicago by sometime next week.
