Chris Gimenez Comments on Jonathan Lucroy Rejecting Trade to Indians

Cleveland Indians catcher Chris Gimenez doesn't hold any ill will toward Jonathan Lucroy, but that won't stop Gimenez and his teammates from using the two-time All-Star to motivate them in the stretch run.

The Indians had a deal worked out to acquire Lucroy from the Milwaukee Brewers, but he exercised his no-trade clause and vetoed the agreement. Gimenez was disappointed Cleveland couldn't land the talented backstop, per Cleveland.com's Zack Meisel:

"

Even though he plays my position, he's definitely an upgrade. It'd be ridiculous to say that he wasn't. He definitely could've helped. At the same time, we feel pretty strongly about the guys we have here, too. Unfortunately, he chose not to be a part of it.

Hopefully, we can win the World Series and we'll be laughing at him.

"

Lucroy, who eventually landed with the Texas Rangers, wasn't the final piece of the puzzle for the Indians, but he unquestionably would have addressed their biggest issue. According to FanGraphs, Cleveland's catchers have accumulated a league-worst minus-1.1 WAR. Yan Gomes' shoulder injury further exacerbates the problem.

Sports Illustrated's Joe Sheehan tweeted about what could've been:

Even without Lucroy, the Indians still have the highest World Series odds (16.7 percent) of any American League team, per Baseball Prospectus. Trading for Andrew Miller also gives Cleveland an elite reliever to complement Cody Allen in the late innings of close games.

If the baseball gods have any sense of humor, the Rangers and Indians will meet at some point in the postseason.