The Brewers want a lot in return for Jonathan Lucroy.
The Brewers want a lot in return for Jonathan Lucroy. (USATSI)

The Brewers are currently in the middle of a massive rebuild, one that has seen them trade away Carlos Gomez, Mike Fiers, Francisco Rodriguez, Adam Lind, Aramis Ramirez, Gerardo Parra, and Jonathan Broxton within the last six months. Others could still be on the move in the coming weeks.

One of the few veteran players still with the Brewers is catcher Jonathan Lucroy, who is coming off a disappointing and injury-interrupted 2015 season. He hit only .264/.326/.391 (95 OPS+) last season after hitting .301/.373/.465 (131 OPS+) in 2014, which earned him a fourth place finish in the NL MVP voting.

Needless to say, Lucroy has been a popular trade target this offseason. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reports the Rangers, Nationals, and Athletics all inquired about his availability at some point, but backed away because the asking price is "too high." The Brewers want a big return despite the down 2015 season.

Lucroy, 29, has been a consistently above-average hitting catcher in recent years, putting up a .286/.345/.443 (114 OPS+) batting line in nearly 2,500 plate appearances since becoming Milwaukee's starting backstop in 2011. He's also considered a strong defender -- the pitch-framing metrics love him -- and leader.

On top of the on-field production, Lucroy's contract is crazy cheap. He's owed $4 million next season with a no-brainer $5.25 million club option for 2017. Any team that trades for him right now would be getting him for two years. The contract also means the longer the Brewers wait to trade Lucroy, the less they may get in return.

The Brewers understandably value Lucroy very highly. He had a disappointing season while dealing with concussion issues, but his track record is strong, and the contract is fantastic. They want to let him get back to where he was in 2014 before trading him to maximize their return. The contract means they can't wait forever though.

Teams right now want to buy low on Lucroy and acquire him for two full seasons. If the Brewers wait until the deadline, they're only selling one and a half seasons of Lucroy. Teams won't be willing to pay as much. Those first few months of the season have real value. Waiting until next offseason means the price would be even lower.

I'm of the belief that rebuilding teams should trade their veterans as soon as possible because they're more likely to lose trade value going forward, not gain it. Catcher is a dangerous position and Lucroy has already dealt with concussions. As good as he is, hanging on to him is risky, even for only a few weeks.

The Brewers are right to place a high asking price on Lucroy. He's an incredibly valuable player. They don't want to get caught hanging on to him for too long, however. Lucroy can bring back a big package of prospects and the club should cash that trade chip in before he loses any value.