4:50pm: Lucroy would earn a $1.5MM base salary were he to crack the Major League roster, Rob Bradford of WEEI reports (via Twitter).
February 19, 1:30pm: The Red Sox have formally announced the deal. They’re now up to 67 players in Major League camp.
February 18: The Red Sox have a minor-league deal in place with free agent backstop Jonathan Lucroy. Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com (via Twitter) first reported it was coming close; Jon Heyman of MLB Network added on Twitter that a minors pact had been completed.
At 33 years of age, Lucroy is no longer the multi-dimensional performer he once was. One of the game’s best all-around backstops from 2012 through 2016, the vet has since settled into a journeyman existence.
Over the past three seasons, Lucroy carries a cumulative .248/.315/.350 batting line over 1,263 plate appearances. He’s still tough to strike out but just doesn’t make the kind of contact he once did. That’s reflected in declines in his power numbers, batting average and on-base percentage.
Lucroy’s once-vaunted skills behind the dish have also diminished. Although he was at one point the face of the pitch-framing awakening and a highly regarded smotherer of errant pitches, Lucroy has in recent years consistently graded in the negative in both areas (by measure of Baseball Prospectus).
If that’s all a bit negative, it’s because Lucroy set such a high standard earlier in his career. He promises to represent worthwhile catching depth for the Red Sox and could perhaps even challenge for a roster spot if there’s an injury or the team considers a third catcher behind Christian Vazquez and Kevin Plawecki.
good get as a backup
Meh
I’d rather have Holt even though he can’t catch.
I would rather have Holt! Henry and Bloom are running this team into mediocrity and 4th place. Another guy signed who is done with a capital D.
Nothing like more Bloom and his Rube Goldberg Dumpster Diving!
Do you honestly think Bloom preferred Pillar over Brockstar? The only reason that our super utility and 4th outfielder wasn’t signed is because he’s a LH batter.
Pillar is better defensively and has more power
Holt wanted too much money for an oft-injured, over 30 non-regular.. I still assume that Pillar was signed to take over in center after JBJ is traded.
Take a pill. The Sox will have a better record than last year if Sale is healthy. The reaction to the necessary Betts trade and dumping Price, who isn’t worth close to 30 mil a year, is infantile.
Once JBJ is traded, the need for Holt increases.
Nooooooooo the Brockstar was worth every pennie!!!!!!!!
Agree 100 percent. Holt did a great job when healthy, he is the wrong side of 30 and with Pillar and other utility infielders it is definitely time to move on.
A voice of reason?! what are you doing here?!
Agree 100%. Pillar will man RF until Verdugo is healthy then shift to 4th OF for a bit then to CF when JBJ is sent out at the deadline in a cost cutting move.
If Holt was costing a lot, I’d agree. We don’t know yet the amount, do we? To put it simply, Holt was worth more on and off the field per many Sox fans. No disrespect meant but Peraza can hit back to back game winning home runs to start the season, something Holt could never have done and it wouldn’t matter. Holt already proved his value in 18 when it mattered. If this isn’t only about age, why bring back a Moreland? I love him but my point is the team has made a mistake not re-inking Holt.
relax…u inflate Holts ability and contributions over the long run.. often injury prone .. weak defense .. good stretches of hitting in clutch… star in 2018 !!
Holt’s defense has not been as good in recent years and he is injuried way too often. Yes, he is great in the community and lockeroom, but the contributions need to be on the field. He has been great especially the last couple of years! MLB teams need to access future performance and not necessarily pay for what a player did in the past.
YESGEO – Agree 100 percent
Just watched 2004 ALCS and loved seeing Pedro and Derek Lowe, but I was and am glad Mets signed Pedro 4 years 52 million instead of Red Sox, same with Lowe to Atlanta years 36 million. Had Schilling not been hurt much of 2005 I think they would have repeated instead ALDS loss to White Sox. Teams must know when to move on from players.
That was the best managing job in the history of BB. We didn’t have an SP with an ERA of less than 4.15, and our closer had a 5.91. And we somehow won 95 games.
And if that easy grounder doesn’t go thru Graffanino’s legs, we’d have been going back to Boston tied 1-1.
Agree 100%
I do not think Wakefield, Clement, Arroyo, and Wells were a strong enough rotation, without Schilling at the top of the rotation, to win 2005 World Series, but you never know.
That was a quick decline for Lucroy. He was pretty much what Realmuto is right now (with a little less power). From superstar to league average for a couple years, and now a minors deal. Wow!
Forreal lucroy was amazing for the brewers declined that trade to the Indians and fell off with the rangers
Off the clear? Playing hurt? Playing injured? It really was a rapid decline!
I agree. Solid pick up, as a back-up.
backup catcher to the backup’s backup
Who will have the better career numbers Avila, Lucroy, or Weiters? All three were maybe elite for a few seconds.
I am upset they let the Brockstar get away!
Milb deal?
Details of the prospective agreement aren’t yet known. Details of the prospective agreement aren’t yet known. Details of the prospective agreement aren’t yet known. Details of the prospective agreement aren’t yet known. Details of the prospective agreement aren’t yet known.
I wonder if the details of the prospective agreement are known?
Not yet.
What about now??
I was asking other peoples opinion. I wasn’t asking for the for sure answer
Use parenthesis. They are your friend.
We haven’t seen much of him, but his bat ate us up a few times back in his prime. Haven’t seen him much so I hope he has something left in the tank!
Where does he play? They already got Plawecki to be backup.
Both guys kind of suck so now there’s a chance for an exhilarating battle of who sucks less!
Good point. Bloom hoping to catch lightning in a bottle and then flip the spicy one for a prospect?
I keep thinking one of these cheap catchers will end end end up on the Pirates but it doesn’t seem likely at this point.
Dumpster diving Theo!
But it’s the Red Sox
Theo who
I’m really hoping you know that Theo is no longer with Boston, because if not, whooooosh
Dan Duquette was the first dumpster diver.
Dan Duquette put on Dumpster Diving clinics. The Original.
I’d take him as a backup over plawecki all day… I don’t know if plawecki just happens to be a defensive superstar, but he can’t hit or get on base. Vasquez is really good one year and terrible the next. He’s due for his terrible season this year, so depth will be key for Boston at this position
Excellent maneuvering by the brain trust. This team will surprise people. May not win 90 but will be good.
i mean sure, if you consider fourth place to be “good”
Gotta love those Yankee fans who celebrate the season and future standings about 8 months early. You guys are the best, thanks for saving us the trouble of 162 game season! Xoxo
Yankees fans are dumb.
I liked the one on here who said the Cole signing guaranteed them five straight championships.
It is a little cheap on your part to not allow them to gloat about 2019. It’s the first time on 7 years that they finished 1st. Let them enjoy the celebration.
Judge already has shoulder issues and it’s February….
JDGoat
“I liked the one on here who said the Cole signing guaranteed them five straight championships.”
I believe you are flat out lying again as you are wont to do. What I have heard people say (even some non-NYY fans) is that Cole gives the NYY a 3-5 year WINDOW for winning a Championship or two. Big difference and not so far fetched. But of course it’s not like you to tell the inconvenient truth when it doesn’t suit your warped outlook.
There was some Yabkees fan on here that assured the Cole signing would lead to 5 straight WS titles..
Soo, idk about normally, but he isn’t lieing this time..lol
You gotta wonder why Judge has these frequent weird injuries. I do hope for the Evil Empire fans this isn’t his future career, cuz he’s the face of the team, so hope he has a good season. Since the RS going no where I hope the BzyY toll all the way through the WS representing the AL East
Typos, means NYY roll through the WS.
bravesfan88
“There was some Yabkees fan on here that assured the Cole signing would lead to 5 straight WS titles..”
That is a flat out lie. What was said was that a Cole signing would create a 3-5 year WINDOW for winning a Championship or two. Don’t repeat the words of known liars and you’ll be more honest.
bravesfan88
“There was some Yabkees fan on here that assured the Cole signing would lead to 5 straight WS titles..
Soo, idk about normally, but he isn’t lieing this time..lol”
Yes he is. And so are you. PROVE IT, LIAR!
As spring training commences, the majority of teams have optimistic “Ifs” that need to happen for success.
doubt they beat the Yankees, but they could easily get 2nd. Jays are young and an injury to Morton could be bad for TB.
There are lots of examples where teams lose their best player and actually improve. I’m saying they will improve. If they come in 4th so be it. I still think they will win high 80’s.
The rays staff is loaded and their farm system is the deepest in the entire league, an injury to Morton would not simply sink that team. This is saying a lot seeing as I’m a die hard blue jays fan , but I’m also a baseball fan first and foremost and I’m also not blind or stupid. However, between Glasgow, Snell and Morton an extended IR trip to 2 or 3 of them might drop them out of contention. GO JAYS.
So you have a crystal ball ….. tell me how many US citizens will die from corona virus
Crystal ball or is it crystal meth?
I’ve never counted the Sox out and could see them landing as high as second. If Devers and Bogey set the pace for the offense and Sale, Eovaldi and E-Rod have strong years, it could happen. I do think the Yankees and/or Rays finish ahead of them. If the Yankees duplicate their injury mess I don’t see them weathering it as well a second time around. Who knows what will happen?
Mo4ever – yes, I agree. The Red Sox still have the talent to finish in second place, but so much depends on health.
Mo there is nothing that could happen to derail the Evil Empire train!
That’s me also Mo4ever. Seen them win (67) when they were supposed to be a sub .500 team and seen them blow up to 10 game leads at end of August numerous times over the years. Anything can happen in this game if you watch it long enough. Don’t get too cocky about how good a team is on paper and I’m really worried about the Sox rotation ATM with 2 AAAA retreads currently filling spots 4-5.
See another move before ST ends, tho not any FA. nothing but discards left there.
crack!
lucroy is better than pleweki
lucroy is better than pleweki
Yeah, but is Lucroy better than Plawecki? That pleweki guy is a 56 year old plumber from Swampscott. Maybe he’s a good catcher on the beer league softball team.
Baseball Reference has Pleweki as a +3.4 BCR (beer chugging rate) and he reportedly brings some solid veteran presents to the clubhouse..
Sounds like a quality guy to me..
Never forgets the beer keg tap and always brings extra 16oz. cups to the game
It will be great to get that third catcher concern out of the way. Glad they didn’t spend it on a 5th starter or another reliever.
Do not forget Conner Wong.
Or Juan Centeno
Stockpiling backup catchers has seemed almost an obsessed recently.
The yankees have 37 catchers with major league experience, an average age of 39.4 years and a combined batting average of .218. Can’t the Red Sox at least try to keep up?
Or Bob Montgomery or Russ Nixon…
Once again wayhazy chooses a Sox article to reach deep into lie territory to fashion yet one more hair brained Yankee insult. Gotta love ‘im for his undying commitment to a pathetic pursuit, clinging to his hate like it’s all he’s got.
Connor Wong won’t be MLB ready for at least 2 years, they need him to be a their starting catcher come the 2022 season
They are turning into the Rays of the North
Since no one has said it specifically yet: Go Depth Move!
Would like to see Lucroy take the starting catcher job.
So Lucroy needs a 1 B glove to share first with Mitch.
If he can play 1 B and be a #2 or #3 catcher it would make him valuable. Experienced bat off the bench.
Bloom is planning for the deadline–someone may need Lucroy and we will need Prospects.
Do you feel like we are slowly fitting the mold of the Rays of the North to go along with the Dodgers of the West?? Good call trade rumors.
Perhaps Chaim could consider offering JBJ a 3 year deal instead the $11 M –1 yr. deal that might make him more tradable? This may not be the time to trade him with Verdugo’s medical status in question. 3 year
$20 M gives him a good guarantee-more in keeping with his production and super D.
He was having his best recent, non-Colorado, offensive stop last year with the Angels, and they were not able to find anyone interested in making a trade. Do you honestly believe you would see “prospects” that are likely to make it above A ball, if the club even gets something as good as that in return?
And it does not increase his value just because a non-hitting catcher plays a little bit of First. That would be the norm for all backup catchers if teams will so willing to slot a black hole in there
Probably more likely he sits in AAA until either the Red Sox are forced to call him up for injury, or another club is in that very boat and offers Boston the good ol “salary considerations”
1-Lucroy doesn’t have the bat for 1st.
2-I might be one of the few, but I like the JBJ idea. He is still maybe a 2.5 WAR player in a system that has no CFs. He’s a good athlete, so I am not expecting much decline over years 30-32. He probably knows he is not likely to break the bank in free agency next year, so he might be happy to take a 3-year deal.
We could do a lot worse than $24M/3.
So u play 1B with a bat? is that a defensive concept instead of plunking a Astro’s player? Or double whammy?
No, he’s saying relative to the standard of hitting for 1B, Lucroy would be an absolute black hole in the lineup if he were playing there. Putting a bad hitter at a premium position subtracts from the production you SHOULD have there.
Try again, but this time in English.
Bradley is a high school girl hitter..he was never worth more than 2 million as a 220 hitter … his defense is way over blown in terms of winning Games. .. his non hitting cost them way more runs and games than any super defense play every few games can balance out… Henry way over paid a glitzy guy for poor performance. ..
This year was his last year of arbitration. The Arbitor ruled in JBJ’s favor. I was shocked he got $11 M. He and Bloom can hammer out an extension. I’m sure JBJ was surprised he got $11 M.
so we’re just going to act like we don’t need a pitcher to replace Price
Yup, that’s it. Signing a #3 catcher to a minor league means that we will never sign another pitcher.
Did you contact Bloom over this? Was he aware that the choices were either sign a minor league catcher or a $32M SP?
obviously it wasn’t one or the other smart ass but we don’t need a 3rd catcher, you don’t know if the team is trying to stay under the first tax bracket in which they are only about 5 million away from after signing Pillar
Aside from the Mookie trade (which I feel was necessary), Bloom has done a horrendous job. Let Holt walk and instead signed Peraza. Holt wanted to play in Boston and actually had an OBP above the mendoza line.
He let Leon walk. Not a huge deal, but he was great defensively and the other no name we signed I’ve never heard of.
Martinez is garbage as a fourth starter. We basically have a rotation of Sale and E-Rod because who knows about Eovaldi being healthy all year. I also question E-Rod over the course of a season.
Oh, and no bullpen aside from Workman and Barnes.
I can understand a rebuilding year, that’s fine. But why downgrade the small deals like Peraza over Holt or disregard pitching and sign a third unneeded catcher? Common sense. Hate to see Dombrowski leave, at least he sees winning as a possibility.
You don’t like Pillar?
well like you said the Mookie trade was necessary, i didn’t agree with paying 15million for Price to pitch for the Dodgers but if he ends up getting hurt again its a win for us if he doesn’t we look stupid.
Leon not a big deal i feel like Vasquez and Plawecki will be comparable thats why im not sure of the point of signing Lucroy but i guess youre just seeing if theres any thread left on the tires
we currently have Sale, Eovaldi, E-rod, and i guess Martin Perez but thats just not gonna cut it i say instead of wasting cap on Lucroy they should take a flier on Danny Salazar and Aaron Sanchez those signings would make more sense as fliers but youre right we don’t know what we are going to get health wise from that group
bullpen issues is a wait and see Bloom picked up like 8 relievers that got DFA’d so i guess we’ll see
and im with you on the Pereza over Holt im assuming they just wanted to get younger and hope that Pereza can bounce back versus whatever they assumed Holt would ask for
i think Pillar was a good signing, i didn’t think Verdugo would be hurt obviously its a good insurance policy to bring him on slowly. I just think we need pitching more than we need position players at the moment.
If it is a minor league deal, it is probably peanuts, unless he makes the team. I’d be shocked if any minor league deal, by any team, interferes with them signing a #5 SP.
And, according to COT’s, we have $16M to spend.
I hope it is 16mil, ESPN had reported it was 9.5mil after the trade and before the Pillar signing so that’s what I was going off of
It’s really odd. As an accountant, I would’ve assumed that everyone would have the same number to the dollar, But most sites have differing amounts. FWIW, any column written by a writer should simply be ignored. Some are so bad that they take actual salary and divide it by years. Some forget benefits, or minor leaguers, etc.
But I usually use Cots.
Used to be a decent hitter. Get some of that back and should be a nice pick up. Good to have deep catching corps.
Lucroy being signed is probably a favor by Ron Roenicke to get into a camp and get some AB’s. Doesn’t cost the Sox a penny to bring him to camp and create a little competition for Plawecki. Most likely ends up elsewhere by opening day though.
KevinGohd will be going to more Jays – Red Sox games this year to lob insults at Lucroy.
Imagine his reaction if Lucroy goes deep…
Golden
Can he pitch?
Sucks pedroia won’t retire. Should’ve tried to sign rich hill and porcello. Their offense is still gonna be really good.
Rich Hill insisted on being compensated with 2 million fanny packs. The Red Sox balked.
Sucks pedroia won’t retire. Should’ve tried to sign rich hill and porcello. Their offense is still gonna be really good.
Why would he? If you could get that much for endlessly rehabbing, wouldn’t you take it? I know I would.
Retiring does not mean he forfeits the salary. David Wright showed that just last season.
Now I believe his salary is still on Mets books, so if that’s the posters concern then it would not be alleviated. But if his concern is merely to stop teasing with the possibility he plays and soiling his legacy by acting like it is possible despite it being so clearly not, then there is no real reason people are going through that part.
Still a lot of talent on this team…Bogarts, Benintendi, Devers, JD Martinez, Chavis, Verdugo, Sale, Barnes, ERod, etc…
Might be a lot of high scoring games this year
Great he can be the closer or the 6,7,8, inning guy you know the kinda player they need Bloom is a idiot
They NEEDED to bring the Brockstar back to Boston! BAD Henry n the rest!!!!!
The Brockstar is a Brewer now.
Relax weirdo
My favorite Jonathan Lucroy moment was a number of years ago.
He was playing for the Milwaukee Brewers. The starting pitcher for the Brewers at the time was very erratic. He hit one batter unintentionally, then almost hit the opposing pitcher for the Diamondbacks when he squared around to bunt. Again, it was unintentional but when you have Kurt Gibson as the manager, hard-nosed tempers will flare.
The DBacks, who were leading the game at the time, decided to hit Milwaukee’s best hitter and someone who had already felt retaliation around the league for PEDs & lying, in Ryan Braun. The first pitch sailed behind him and the pitcher got a warning. The second pitch hit Braun In the back and the pitcher got tossed and received high-5s in the dugout from a bunch of smiling team mates.,
So at this point, Arizona was only up by one run, in the 7th inning, with two outs at home. The HBP loaded the bases and all Brad Ziegler, the new relief pitcher, had to do was get one out. With Lucroy up to bat, the first pitch thrown was immediately deposited in left-center field for a grand slam. Arizona lost 7-5.
youtu.be/aarwqj6U2JU
I guess signing Lucroy makes up for the loss of Mookie.
Middlestooge, I’m sure that’s what the Sox were thinking.
Owners can now say they spent money. Might as well, they think the fans are that stupid after the numerous owners talking over the last month or so.
they think the fans are that stupid
————————————–
Have you read some of the comments from RS fans in here? That’s probably where they get that impression.
would still like him for the Angel’s…
If he doesnt break camp there’s a good chance he’ll be available again.
He’ll be available
His best years are behind him. He was a 3rd catcher for the Cubs last year. It’s not a terrible pick up..
Boston is really going for it this year. I would imagine that this move terrifies both the Yankees and the Jays.
Yeah, because minor league pickups are always difference-makers.
What about the Rays? They’re gonna win the AL East? NY will finish 2nd but miss the playoffs. Astros and A’s are winning the AL West and Wild Card spot and the Rangers will get the 2nd wild card