Red Sox Rumors: 2-Time All-Star Jonathan Lucroy Agrees to Minor League Contract
The Boston Red Sox and catcher Jonathan Lucroy came to terms on a minor league contract Tuesday, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman.
The 33-year-old has spent 10 seasons in the big leagues with the Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers, Colorado Rockies, Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Angels and Chicago Cubs. He was named an All-Star in 2014 and 2016.
Last season, Lucroy split 104 games between the Angels and Cubs, hitting .232 with eight home runs and 36 RBI.
While Lucroy's numbers have been down significantly over the past few seasons, he was once among the best offensive catchers in baseball.
His best season came in 2016 when he hit .292 with 24 home runs and 81 RBI in 142 games split between the Brewers and Rangers. From 2011-16, Lucroy averaged a .287/.347/.453 slash line with 14 homers and 65 RBI per season.
Lucroy was also once among MLB's best defensive catchers with a total Defensive Runs Saved of 80 behind the plate from 2010-16, per Baseball Reference. Over the past three seasons, however, his DRS is -40, including -14 last season.
Boston doesn't necessarily need him to reach his pre-2017 levels, but it would take competent offensive production from him in a backup role.
Starting catcher Christian Vazquez is coming off a career season in which he hit .276 with 23 home runs and 72 RBI. He was backed up by Sandy Leon, who is a quality defense catcher, but hit under .200 in both 2018 and 2019.
Leon has since signed with the Cleveland Indians, which leaves Kevin Plawecki penciled in as Vazquez's backup.
Plawecki hit .222 with three homers and 17 RBI with the Indians last season, and he owns a .218 batting average with 17 home runs and 92 RBI in 296 MLB games, which puts him on par with Leon.
Given Plawecki's light-hitting nature, Lucroy stands a decent chance at landing a spot on Boston's 26-man roster to start the 2020 season, provided he comes through with a halfway decent performance in spring training.
Even if Lucroy flops, signing him to a minor league deal is a no-risk move for the Red Sox, considering the lack of high-quality catchers that are readily available.
