Lucroy is French for foolish: While We’re Waiting…

Mornin’ y’all. And apologies as we interrupt your normal Tuesday WWW read from Andrew Schnitkey after missing the Monday WWW read from Scott Sargent. As you may have noticed, things are a bit different this week. So, y’all have to wait a week on sport insights, music talk, pop culture nuances, and #ActualSportswriting.

Such happens when we switch back to our purely independent format while the Cleveland Indians are off acquiring the best MLB reliever in Andrew Miller from the New York Yankees, and the Tribe thinks they acquire top-hitting catcher Jonathan Lucroy. So, I hope this Tuesday finds you in the highest of spirits with the wind forever at your back, but I have to type these happenings out to clear my mind.

Who is this Guy(er)?

Oh yeah, the Indians also acquired outfielder Brandon Guyer from the Tampa Bay Rays at the deadline for Nathan Lukes and right-handed pitcher Jhonleider Salinas. Neither player was considered a top prospect in the system, but they were still players with tools. Guyer spent some time on the DL this season with a strained left hamstring, but has played decent in a limited role for the Rays as he has an OPS+ above average each year (102, 116, 107) with a career slash line of .255/.341/.396.

Guyer is basically known to this point in his career for three things.

• One, he was the other guy traded to the Rays when they acquired Chris Archer from the Chicago Cubs (via the Indians).
• Two, he hit a home run in his first MLB at bat off then Baltimore Oriole rookie Zach Britton.
• Three, the 30 year old can take a pitch. Not in a “watching a bad pitch be a ball” sort of way. No, he can take one in the ribs, buttocks, thigh, arm, or anywhere else an inside pitch might travel. After leading the AL in 2015 by being hit by 24 pitches in just 385 plate appearances, he has taken it to new levels in 2016 as he leads MLB with 23 HBP in a mere 249 PA.

The important portion of the scouting report for the Indians is that Guyer is a right-handed bat who hits left-handed pitching well. With Abraham Almonte ineligible for the postseason play,¹ the Indians were short on the right-handed side of their platoons. In 2016, Guyer has hit .344/.488/.594 (192 sOPS+) against LHP. His 2015 numbers might be more realistic as they were still a solid .271/.387/.457 (136 sOPS+) against southpaws.

So, the Indians made one big move (Miller) and one small move (Guyer). Here’s hoping they can make a couple small moves during the waiver season (as they did last year) and that it will be enough to win the AL.

Good bye, Juan Uribe. We will miss you

To add both Guyer and Miller to the Indians roster, the team had to make some moves. One of those moves was DFA-ing² Juan Uribe. The 37-year-old third baseman had seen his defense slip late and his bat never warmed up. The move makes sense in a statistical format.

However, Uribe’s passion for the game, mentoring of Jose Ramirez, and general Uribe-ness is something that we all should cherish having been able to witness, if only for a little while.

Miller Yankee Windfall

The price was steep. Truly steep. The Indians best prosect and red-headed wunderkind outfielder Clint Frazier, a top-five prospect in left-handed starting pitcher Justus Sheffield, and two relievers with enough potential to reach and stick in MLB in right-handed Ben Heller and right-handed J.P. Feyereisen. It was the type of package expected to be needed to obtain Miller. It was also the reason I did not want the Indians to make the plunge as the expected future contributions for those players vastly exceeds the next two-and-a-half year output from Miller.

The trade, however, makes the Indians better for those two-and-a-half years. There are not many 6-foot-7-inch, dominant left-handed relievers who destroy both right and left handed batters. Add in that — unlike some other dominant Yankee relievers traded — there are no known off-field reasons to root against Miller, and there were even many Yankee reporters indicating they will miss his presense in the clubhouse. So while there are not many relievers who change the entire dynamic of a bullpen in one fell swoop. Miller does.

Yes, it was painful to watch Frazier cut his hair and will be painful to watch these prospects we rooted put on the pinstripes, but there is no reason to worry about the future when the present is blindingly bright. There’s only one thing left to do…

I guess I'm in the right place. Is there a #PartyAtNapolis? pic.twitter.com/EVCdSTEx4S

— Andrew Miller (@a_miller48) August 1, 2016

Lucroy Kerfuffle

In case you missed it while you were getting ready for church on Sunday morning and were out fishing on Monday, the Indians were rather busy as the trade deadline approached. There were leaks that the Indians and Brewers reached an agreement on Lucroy. Then, there were leaks that the Indians and Yankees reached an agreement on Miller. Only a few minutes later, the team was officially announcing the Miller deal, but time ticked on as any official statement on Lucroy stalled. Later, it was reported that Lucroy had utilized his right to reject a trade to Cleveland (one of the eight teams on his no-trade list).

Why did he reject the Tribe?

Well, there are several reasons that have been pieced together through reports. Bob Nightengale reported that Lucroy believed he would be the backup catcher, while also playing 1B/DH in 2017 when Yan Gomes returned to health. Ken Rosenthal reported the Indians did not tell Lucroy but would simply not guarantee him anything. Jeff Passan reported Lucroy demanded the 2017 team option be ripped up to make him a free agent as a condition to accept the trade. The Indians, having agreed to assets for a year and a half of Lucroy, declined. So, Lucroy vetoed the deal.

The Brewers were left to deal Lucroy on Monday – at a discount – to the Texas Rangers. No, Lucroy did not get that 2017 team option ripped up as he did not have a no-trade clause for Texas (nor would they have done so anyway).

Here is Lucroy in his own words.

Mostly it’s family, and the other half of that is your future in this game, your career. There are a lot of things to take in, and whenever those things don’t line up, decisions have to be made that might be tough. That’s the way it’s got to be, because in my eyes, we have to look out for our best interests.

I’m looking for long-term, not short-term gain. Short-term gain is great, but long-term is more important for me and my family’s happiness, and that’s what we’re going to go with, no matter what.

Does he have a point?

Well, there are dots that can be connected. Mike Napoli is an impending free agent, who will likely command a greater salary than the Indians will pay on the open market. Therefore, unless Michael Brantley needs to transition to 1B/DH to protect his shoulder, then there is a hole for a plus-hitter on the Indians roster at those positions. And, Gomes did win the 2014 Silver Slugger Award from the catcher position. In addition, all three of the Indians current catchers are better framing, blocking, and throwing than Lucroy as the Tribe relies on the starting rotation excellence, which does put more pressure on having a good catcher.

However, we are talking about an All-Star catcher batting .299/.359/.482 (122 OPS+) being afraid of the worst hitter of 2016 in MLB (30 OPS+) taking his starting position in 2017. And, if it somehow happened, then no MLB team would remember he can play catcher after just a year. Ummm…no.

Let’s be honest.³ Lucroy is bummed that the MLB system has him vastly underpaid for what he provides to his ballclub. His $5.25 million team-option is about the biggest no-brainer pickup out there. In addition, he is having an outstanding year and would make a windfall should he hit unrestricted free agency. So, Lucroy decided to use the leverage that he had on his no-trade clause. He probably figured that either the Tribe would buckle or the Brewers would flip him to another World Series contender not on his no-trade list.

Who did Lucroy hurt?

Cleveland Indians: The Indians are a better team in 2016 and 2017 with Lucroy on the roster locked in at a reasonable salary.

Milwaukee Brewers: Despite the standing ovation Lucroy received Sunday from his perceived desire to stay (though again, there are still good odds he is flipped somewhere else), the Brewers had assessed all of their trade options and determined the Indians packaged headlined by Francisco Mejia was the best.

San Diego Padres and Derek Norris: Any Norris deal would not happen until teams knew Lucroy was off the market. So, while a Norris trade could have happened on Sunday, any thought was scuttled when Lucroy vetoed his deal as Jon Heyman reported. Norris remains in San Diego.

Jonathan Lucroy: Perhaps Lucroy didn’t hurt his future contract. But, even if not, he is now a labeled mercenary. While many or even most players are mercenaries, the perception is not at the forefront for most.

But, despite anyone claiming him not to be a villain, Lucroy now is Jack Parkman to Cleveland. A great hitting All-Star catcher that was briefly obtained (close enough), only to leave while giving shade to the entire team.

So over the last few months, Lucroy has essentially asked to be traded, said he wasn’t a big city guy, and now won’t go to Cleveland?

— David Cameron (@OneDaveCameron) July 31, 2016

Top 10 reasons Jonathan Lucroy vetoed the trade to the Cleveland Indians

• Overbid on the Showcase Showdown as a Price is Right contestant. He still blames Drew Carey for selling up the package.
• Already booked the second week of October for his timeshare in Cabo.
• After losing fan-favorite contest on the 2010 Triple-A Nashville Sounds to Brendan Katin, he does not believe he deserves to play for a winner.
• Florida native is still fuming about The Return.
• Confused by AL rules where hitter’s hit and pitcher’s pitch.
• If Jonathan Manziel couldn’t make it in Cleveland, then how could Jonathan Lucroy?
• Going through MLB mid-life crisis now that he hit 30. Also dyed his hair, bought a Ferrari, and wants mess around with a younger franchise rather than the 115 year old Cleveland Indians.
• Huge—just huge—Golden State Warriors fan for an entire two years now.
• Refuses to reside in a city that is capable of holding a peaceful Republican National Convention.
• He had already written his introductory speech for joining the Texas Rangers and did not want it to go to waste. “Y’all can go to hell, I’m going to Texas.”

Note: none of these are confirmed reasons or even true, but they might be.

What do the Cleveland Indians think about Lucroy’s decision?

A whole mess of “no comments” alongside a great quote from Chris Gimenez. My favorite part is “We’ll be laughing at him.”

Gimenez, who would've lost playing time or had job at risk had trade gone through, on Lucroy rejecting deal to CLE: pic.twitter.com/VgUIvq0ULm

— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) July 31, 2016

Who is the AL favorite now?

Well, the Texas Rangers did acquire Lucroy, Carlos Beltran, and Jeremy Jeffress at the trade deadline to shore up the weakest spots in their lineup and their bullpen. The Rangers do have Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish at the top of their rotation. They do have a six game lead over the Houston Astros in the AL West.

The rest of their rotation is still hurting. With Danny Salazar undergoing a MRI for the Indians, rotation health might wind up being the determining factor in the American League.

But, there is no doubt seeing Andrew Miller face off against Jonathan Lucroy in a playoff series is something every single fan on the Northcoast wants to see.

1. Due to his PED suspension. [↩]
2. Designating for assignment. [↩]
3. note: my opinion here [↩]