There’s been talk around the water cooler that the Chicago Cubs are interested in Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish. While that might still very well be the case, at least one report suggests Chicago is more interested in Rangers catcher Jonathan Lucroy.
“According to a source, a key Rangers evaluator was watching the Triple-A affiliates of the Chicago Cubs, who have made at least a passing call on Darvish but may have more interest in Jonathan Lucroy,” Evan Grant of SportsDay noted on Saturday.
Chicago’s reported interest in Darvish was somewhat surprising after it acquired Jose Quintana from the White Sox earlier in the month (more on that here).
In reality, adding a catcher could make more sense. Remember, Chicago moved on from Miguel Montero after he was involved in some drama earlier in the season.
As of right now, Willson Contreras is doing a tremendous job handling catching duties for Chicago. He’s hitting .272 with 14 homers and 50 RBI on the season. Solid numbers for a backstop in today’s MLB.
However, Lucroy is an intriguing option for the Cubs in that he can also play first base. Adding the soon-to-be free agent as a rental could work out well for Chicago.
Lucroy, 31, is having a down season in Texas. He’s hitting just .248 with four homers and 26 RBI. This comes on the heels of him posting a .292 average with 24 homers and 81 RBI in between Milwaukee and Texas last season.