Jonathan Lucroy, Angels Reportedly Agree to 1-Year, $3.3 Million Contract

Veteran catcher Jonathan Lucroy has agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports. 

Passan also reported that Lucroy completed his physical and can earn more than $4 million with performance bonuses.

A nine-year veteran, the 32-year-old Lucroy slashed .241/.291/.325 and had four home runs and 51 RBI in 126 games for the Oakland Athletics last season. Those figures were a bit off his career .277/.337/.421 mark, so perhaps a change in scenery to a more hitter-friendly park will boost his offensive totals.

As Passan noted, the Angels have been active buyers during the hot stove season: Starting pitchers Matt Harvey and Trevor Cahill and slugging first baseman Justin Bour have each inked one-year deals.

That trio plus Lucroy are all coming off down seasons. Harvey had a 4.94 ERA, and Bour hit just .227. Cahill had a great first half of the year but pitched to a 5.14 ERA in his last eight games and 4.55 mark after a month-long disabled list stint in June and July.

Angels general manager Billy Eppler is clearly looking for players coming off disappointing campaigns who have experienced greater success in past years, hoping that they return close to their previous forms.

In Lucroy's case, he's just two years removed from hitting 24 home runs, knocking in 81 runners and slashing .292/.355/.500. Baseball Prospectus also ranked him as the league's seventh-best pitch framer during 2016.

However, Lucroy's pitch framing has fallen hard to No. 106 in 2018, and he's struggled at the dish.

Still, these moves are smart deals. Eppler isn't making any long-term commitments, and if he catches lightning in a bottle with a few of these veterans, then the Angels can compete for a wild-card berth.

They'll always be competitive with superstar Mike Trout in the mix, but with a better team around him, L.A. can take the next step in 2019.