Brewers trade rumors: Club ‘closing in’ on Jonathan Lucroy trade

UPDATE — Milwaukee is “closing in” on a trade featuring Jonathan Lucroy, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Jeff Passan.

The Mets and Rangers are out, with the Indians emerging as the “distinct favorites,” according to Passan.

If the Indians are close to acquiring Lucroy, the veteran catcher hasn’t been asked to waive his no-trade clause, Passan adds. Cleveland is one of the teams on Lucroy’s no-trade list.

ORIGINAL — Cleveland, New York and a third mystery team appear to be among the finalists to trade for Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy, according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.

While Lucroy’s contract includes a no-trade clause, the mystery team isn’t on Lucroy’s no-trade list, Heyman notes. Cleveland is among the teams on Lucroy’s no-trade list, but a friend of Lucroy told Heyman he wants to play for a contending team, which likely keeps the Indians involved.

The Indians have been without Yan Gomes, who was placed on the disabled list with a separated shoulder earlier in July. Cleveland has expressed interest in adding a veteran catcher since Gomes went down, and Lucroy is the most productive catcher known to be available.

Although the Indians have a significant need for catching help with Gomes sidelined, the Mets reportedly increased their offer for Lucroy on Saturday. New York’s offer featured three players, including Travis d’Arnaud and Brandon Nimmo.

Texas appears to be out on Lucroy after not making any progress in talks with the Brewers on Saturday afternoon.

Since Lucroy is drawing a notable amount of interest and the Brewers are 16.0 games out of first place in the National League Central, Milwaukee will likely move their starting catcher in advance of the deadline.

Lucroy, 30, has a team option for 2017 and is having a productive season. Over 94 games, Lucroy is batting .300/.360/.484 with 13 home runs and 50 RBIs.

Milwaukee kept Lucroy out of its starting lineup Saturday in preparation for potential trade.