Jonathan Lucroy vetoes trade to Indians

Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy has used his no-trade clause to veto an agreed-upon trade to the Indians, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports that Lucroy asked Cleveland to remove his club option for next season, which the Indians refused.

Lucroy is owed $5.25 million on his club option next season, but would be paid more as a free agent on the open market. Both clubs have moved on from the scenario and are not going to try to re-work a deal, according to multiple reports.

Cleveland had agreed to acquire Lucroy for a prospect package of Francisco Mejia, Shawn Armstrong, Yu-Cheng Chang and Greg Allen last night, pending Lucroy’s approval. It is unclear if Lucroy asked for a contract extension or financial compensation from Cleveland before vetoing the deal.

The Indians made a major move earlier this morning, acquiring Andrew Miller from the Yankees for Clint Frazier, Justus Sheffield, Ben Heller and J.P. Feyereisen. Cleveland may have known about Lucroy’s decision when they acquired Miller, leading to a more aggressive pursuit of the lefty.

Milwaukee will still likely try to trade Lucroy before Monday’s deadline, and could turn back to the Mets, Rangers and other clubs that Lucroy does not have no-trade power over. It is unclear if the Indians will search for another catcher in the next two days, as the available alternatives (Kurt Suzuki and Derek Norris) do not match Lucroy’s impact.