Rangers acquire Jonathan Lucroy, Jeremy Jeffress from Rangers

The Rangers have acquired catcher Jonathan Lucroy and reliever Jeremy Jeffress from the Brewers for prospects Lewis Brinson, Luis Ortiz and a player to be named later, as first reported by Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com.

The aggressive strike is the second move of the day for the Rangers, who acquired Carlos Beltran from the Yankees earlier in the afternoon in a 3-player haul that was headlined by right-hander Dillon Tate.

Lucroy cannot block a deal to Texas, which is an important note considering he blocked an agreed-upon deal to Cleveland earlier in the week. He will immediately become Texas’ starting catcher, replacing Robinson Chirinos.

Lucroy was an All-Star this year, and will provide an immediate boost for a Rangers’ team that has been looking for catching help for months.

Texas was known to be in the market for relief pitching and discussed new Giant Will Smith with Milwaukee before prioritizing Jeffress and striking a deal for him. Jeffress has posted a 2.22 ERA in 47 games with Milwaukee this season while saving 27 games.

Brinson, 22, is the 2nd-best prospect in the Rangers’ system according to MLB.com, as well as the 21st-best prospect in all of baseball. The outfielder was taken as a 1st-round pick in the 2012 draft, and is known as a five-tool player with the potential to stick in center field.

Ortiz, 20, is the 3rd-best prospect in Texas’ system and ranks as the 63rd-best minor-leaguer in all of baseball, per MLB.com. The 6-foot-3, 230 lb. right-hander was a first-rounder in 2014 and has been working at Double-A.