Report: Nats among teams on Lucroy's no-trade list

The Washington Nationals are having so much trouble recruiting players this offseason, that even the ones they aren't aggressively pursuing are turning them down.

Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy, whose name has been the subject of persistent trade rumors this winter, has reportedly included the Nationals on his no-trade list, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Though it's unclear if the Nationals have discussed Lucroy with the Brewers, Rosenthal notes the club has indeed expressed interest.

By including Washington on his eight-team list, Lucroy joins an increasingly long list of players - including Jason Heyward, Yoenis Cespedes, and Darren O'Day - who've spurned the club's overtures this winter. The Nationals were also in the mix to land Ben Zobrist before he signed with the Cubs, while Cincinnati's Brandon Phillips nixed a deal that would've sent him to the nation's capital by refusing to waive his no-trade clause.

Despite their rumored interest, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo quelled speculation earlier this offseason by offering a vote of confidence to incumbent starter Wilson Ramos.

Under contract for two more seasons at a team-friendly cost of $9.25 million, Lucroy added fuel to the hot stove this month when he indicated he'd welcome a trade to a contending club.

An All-Star in 2014, when he set a major-league record for catchers with 53 doubles, Lucroy endured a dramatic drop-off offensively last season, slashing just .264/.326/.391 across 103 games. In the three years prior, he posted an .831 OPS (126 OPS+) while compiling the third-most WAR (13.0) among MLB catchers, according to FanGraphs.