Monday, February 1, 2016

All-Star catcher Lucroy has Nats on no-trade list

At least some momentum seems to be building for the Nationals and their interest in catcher Jonathan Lucroy, who recently made it clear he would like to be traded from the Milwaukee Brewers to a contending team. But a new report from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has thrown a wrench into those hopes.
According to Rosenthal, Lucroy has a no-trade clause with eight teams he can block a trade to and the Nationals are on it. Rosenthal points out that Lucroy could always waive his no-trade clause for, say, a contract extension. But the mere presence of the Nationals on his list is an interesting one.
Lucroy says he wants to play for a contender and the Nationals, it would seem, fall in the top 21 teams in baseball in terms of their chances of competing in 2016. Lucroy can essentially allow a trade to 21 teams if you exclude the Brewers and the eight he chose for his list.
Why does he not want to play for the Nationals? It could simply be because of their catching depth with Wilson Ramos and Jose Lobaton already in place. Usually players take that stuff into account when making their no-trade list. He could see other teams as more attractive if they offer a better chance to be the primary catcher.
This news, however, certainly will not appease those who have accused the Nats of having a reputation problem this offseason. This comes in the same winter that Jason Heyward, Yoenis Cespedes and Ben Zobrist rejected larger offers from the Nats to sign elsewhere. Brandon Phillips also turned down a trade to Washington. Lucroy's no-trade preference may add some fuel to that fire, whether it is warranted or not.

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