ARLINGTON -- The Rangers are among the teams that have re-engaged in talks with the Brewers about catcher Jonathan Lucroy after he turned down a trade to the Indians, one of eight teams on Lucroy's no-trade list. The others are the Twins, Angels, A's, Padres, Mariners, Nationals and Tigers.
The Rangers have been focused on starting pitching, but they have been put off by the high prices being requested by other clubs. They have been tepid toward Lucroy for the most part, but that was changing as Monday's 4 p.m. ET/3 CT non-waiver Trade Deadline approached and the chances of adding meaningful starting pitching is temporarily on hold.
With the Brewers' approval, Lucroy remained in Milwaukee overnight and is not with the team in San Diego, where the Brewers are to open a series tonight, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported, but he will be in San Diego in time for the game if he is not traded.
The Indians were willing to give up four of their Top 30 Prospects in the deal, so acquiring Lucroy would not be cheap. Much depends on how set the Rangers are in keeping pitching as the priority and how they feel the tandem of Robinson Chirinos and Bobby Wilson is holding up.
"They are both kind of grinding it out," manager Jeff Banister said. "Chirinos missed a number of days due to injury and he's in the Spring Training stage where it's not fatigue, but the grind of trying to get back to big league speed. Performance-wise, his numbers are not where he would like them to be and where they will be.
"With Wilson, this is the most he's played in a long time. This is the stretch where the grind takes its toll. They both continue to grind it out and both continue to push."
Slugger Joey Gallo, the Rangers' No. 1 prospect as ranked by MLBPipeline.com, would likely be involved in a deal for Lucroy. MLB.com's Jon Paul Morosi speculated that pitching prospects Yohander Méndez or Luis Ortiz could also be part of a package offered by Texas.
The Rangers would be asking for a reliever back from the Brewers in addition to Lucroy, according to a report in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, which on Sunday characterized the discussions between Texas and Milwaukee as "serious."
Lucroy isn't the only option available. Padres catcher Derek Norris remains eminently available, as is Kurt Suzuki of the Twins. Both are veterans who might offer a slight upgrade at least offensively. But if working with pitchers is the top priority, Chirinos and Wilson offer the advantage of having established relationships with the Rangers' staff.
"You hear about [trade stuff] because it's on every channel, but it is what it is," Wilson said. "Whatever is going to happen is going to happen. You hear about it, other guys too. I feel I have played pretty well. If I was hitting .150, I'd be a lot more concerned. I feel like I've done what I've needed to do. I'm having one of my best years offensively and my defense will be there.
"If you let that stuff consume your daily routing, you'll see everything from your attitude to your game drop off."