Rangers acquire Jonathan Lucroy from Brewers

The Texas Rangers have made perhaps the biggest move on trade deadline day just mere minutes after acquiring Carlos Beltran from the Yankees. 

On Monday, 15 minutes before the trade deadline, the Rangers acquired All-Star catcher Jonathan Lucroy and right-handed relief pitcher Jeremy Jeffress from the Milwaukee Brewers, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported. 

The Brewers received prospects Lewis Brinson and Luis Ortiz, as well as a player to be named later, from the Rangers in the deal. 

It's been a crazy 48 hours in regards to Lucroy, who was thought to have been heading to the Indians late Saturday night into early Sunday morning. After a deal was completed between Milwaukee and Cleveland, Lucroy vetoed it using his no-trade clause. 

Texas, however, is not on Lucroy's no-trade list. 

Regardless, he will be a huge addition to their lineup, which, as already mentioned, got a big boost with the trade of Carlos Beltran earlier. Texas had been moving along with Robinson Chirinos out behind the plate, but now they get a major upgrade in Lucroy. 

​The 30-year-old Lucroy is hitting .299/.359/.482 with 13 home runs and 50 RBI this season and was named to his second career All-Star Game in July. He has been phenomenal behind the plate, too, making him worth 2.8 Wins Above Replacement in total. 

​He's also on an extremely team-friendly contract, one that pays him $4 million this season with a $5.2 million option for 2017 that is almost a guarantee to be picked up. Texas not only gets Lucroy this season, but they will have him next year. 

The second major piece in this trade may be just as interesting as the first. 

Jeremy Jeffress, 28, has been the Brewers' closer this season and will add to Texas' bullpen, another area of concern for them in the weeks leading up to today's deadline. 

So far this year, Jeffress is 2-2 with a 2.22 ERA and a 35-11 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 44 2/3 innings pitched. He also has a 3.16 FIP and a 3.46 xFIP, making him worth 0.8 Wins Above Replacement in total. It's unknown whether Jeffress will replace Sam Dyson as Texas' closer, who has also had a fantastic year in his own right. 

Regardless, Jeffress can be in Texas' bullpen for awhile. He's signed through the 2019 season and does not even hit arbitration until this offseason. Jeffress has tons of team control, making him a valuable asset for them into the future. 

Overall, the Texas Rangers dominated the deadline today, getting three pieces in order to achieve their hopes in going deep into October. 

--Devan Fink

---