For Miller, Cleveland agreed to part with its top prospect, outfielder Clint Frazier, along with pitching prospects Justus Sheffield, Ben Heller and J.P. Feyereisen. For Lucroy, the Indians would reportedly be shipping away their top catching prospect, Francisco Mejia, along with shortstop Yu-Cheng Chang, outfielder Greg Allen and reliever Shawn Armstrong.
Six of those Minor Leaguers -- Frazier (No. 1), Sheffield (No. 5), Mejia (No. 6), Chang (No. 12), Allen (No. 22) and Heller (No. 30) -- are ranked among Cleveland's Top 30 prospects by MLBPipeline.com.
That is a large price to pay for the Indians, who lean heavily on development from within rather than free agency in constructing a Major League roster, but Cleveland has been searching for a way to punch the gas. The Tribe entered Sunday's game with a 4 1/2-game lead over the Tigers in the American League Central, and now look like the team to beat not only in the division, but in the AL.
Cleveland boasts one of the best rotations in the game, has been the AL's top baserunning team and has featured an offense that ranks in the upper third of baseball. Two weak spots have been offensive production from the catcher's spot and inconsistency in the bullpen. The Indians have seemingly shored up both areas with these two transactions.
Miller can team with right-hander Cody Allen to form one of MLB's top back-end duos.
The 31-year-old Miller has posted a 1.39 ERA with 77 strikeouts against seven walks in 44 outings for the Yankees this season. The lefty, who has a 2.21 ERA over his past five seasons combined, is curently enjoying career-best rates in strikeouts per nine innings (15.3) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (11.0). Over the past three years combined, only Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman have posted a higher WAR than Miller (6.1, per Fangraphs.com).
No cash came to Cleveland as part of the deal for Miller, who is owed a little north of $3 million for the rest of this season and is under contract for $9 million for each of the next two years.
The 30-year-old Lucroy would fill what has been an offensive abyss for the Indians this season.
Catchers Yan Gomes, Roberto Perez and Chris Gimenez -- while providing above-average defense -- have combined for a .167/.215/.286 slash line. That group's 30 weighted Runs Created Plus, indicating the offensive production has been 70 percent below league average, ranks last in the Major Leagues. Gomes is also sidelined for at least another month with a separated right shoulder.
Lucroy is not only a highly-rated defender and pitch framer, but one of the best offensive catchers in the Majors. Through 94 games this season, the right-handed hitter has a .300/.360/.484 slash line to go along with 13 home runs, 17 doubles, three triples, 48 runs and 50 RBIs. Lucroy had a 120 wRC+ and a 2.8 WAR (per Fangraphs.com). Only Wilson Ramos (3.1) and Buster Posey (3.0) have better WARs than Lucroy this year.
Lucroy is under contract for $4 million this season and has a team-friendly club option worth $5.25 million for 2017. Under the circumstances, it is possible that he may seek some kind of compensation in order to waive his no-trade clause, which includes eight teams.
Gomes, who has served as the Indians' starting catcher for the bulk of the past four seasons, is signed through '19 and his contract includes team options for the '20 and '21 seasons, too. Given Gomes' struggles at the plate, though, and the uncertainty surrounding his current comeback from injury, adding Lucroy would help provide the Indians some much-needed insurance in the near term.
Jordan Bastian has covered the Indians for MLB.com since 2011, and previously covered the Blue Jays from 2006-10. Read his blog, Major League Bastian, follow him on Twitter @MLBastian and listen to his podcast. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Oh my, Ohio: Tribe gets Miller! Lucroy, too?
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