• April 30, 2021

Minnesota needs to find an experienced replacement for Jason Castro

Minnesota once had a backup catcher named Matthew Lecroy, whose last name is just a different letter from the player who could soon become the Twins’ regular endorsement. Now that injury has sidelined Jason Castro for the rest of this season, second-place Minnesota must replace him with an experienced receiver.

An obvious choice would be TJ Realmuto of the Marlins, who made him available for the winter as part of their rebuild. Apparently, Miami’s asking price is too high, due to the status of the Realmuto team’s friendly contract.

Former Twins wide receiver Kurt Suzuki will likely do an investigation, but his current team, Atlanta, is in first place and he’s not likely to want to turn things around by trading his veteran backup. Few other clubs have the luxury of additional receivers, except possibly the Indians.

Cleveland has a couple of talented receivers on the Major League team, while one of its best prospects is also a receiver. Francisco Mejía, at twenty-two, already had some major league experience, but because of the two guys ahead of him, the Indians have Mejia trying other positions this year.

While a trade to the Twins would allow Mejia to remain in his natural position, a deal is unlikely to occur. First, the Minnesota Wild prefers a veteran receiver with experience in the pennant race. Plus, the Twins don’t need a long-term replacement, just a catcher to replace Castro for the rest of this season. It’s also doubtful that the Indians will make a deal that strengthens a Minnesota team that is just one game behind them in the standings.

A name that came up certainly fits the criteria for experience and a short-term stay, and remains unsigned after requesting free agency last November. Although Carlos Ruiz led the Philadelphia Phillies to two pennants as well as a World Series Championship, at age thirty-nine he would be considered an old man for the harsh demands of an everyday catcher.

That brings us back to former Twins catcher with the French name, Matthew Lecroy. He’s been off the field for more than a decade and is currently employed as a minor league coach, so he’s obviously not going to be Castro’s replacement.

No, Minnesota’s next catcher won’t be Lecroy, but it should be Lucroy. That’s the last name of All-Star catcher Jonathan, who is currently calling games for the Athletics.

With Oakland in the middle of rebuilding and retaining the rest of the teams in the AL West, the front office would likely be willing to trade Lucroy for a top-ten prospect from the Twins. Since he’s only signed for 2018, Minnesota would simply be renting out Lucroy for this season.

Giving up a prospect for a rental player may seem shortsighted, until you consider the position of the Twins this year. Everyone in their division besides Cleveland is in rebuild mode, giving Minnesota plenty of likely wins and a good chance to repeat as one of the wild cards if they can’t beat the Indians.

Basically, the Twins need to attack now.

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