Just one day after catcher Jonathan Lucroy vetoed a trade to the Cleveland Indians, the Milwaukee Brewers dealt him, along with reliever Jeremy Jeffress to the Texas Rangers just before the 3 p.m. trade deadline.
In return, the Brewers acquired the second and third rated prospects in the Rangers system. Lewis Brinson is rated number-2 and right-handed pitcher Luis Ortiz is rated number-3, as well as the best pitching prospect in the Texas organization.
The 22-year-old Brinson was the 29th overall pick in the 2012 draft and has been playing at Class AA Frisco this season.
The 20-year-old Ortiz is a power pitcher who got off to a good start in his first two seasons before missing two months in 2015 with a strained flexor muscle. He pitched at Frisco this season before suffering a groin strain in July. His fast ball clocks between 92 and 92 miles per hour and projects as a possible number-2 starter in the majors.
Earlier in the day, the Brewers sent left-handed reliever Will Smith to San Francisco for two players, including the Giants top pitching prospect Phil Bickford, along with catcher Andrew Susac, who has caught 87 games in the majors.
Bickford is 5-6 with a 2.71 ERA in 17 games at two different Class A levels. Susac has played at Class AA and AAA levels this season. In 61 games, he hit .277 with eight home runs and 38 RBI.
In 246 plate appearances in the majors, Susac is a .240 hitter with six homers and 33 RBI.
