Report: Mets interested in Lucroy, willing to trade d'Arnaud

Even as they sit 1/2-game back of the Wild Card, the New York Mets are reportedly one of the clubs trying to stay in the mix for Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy, and appear willing to trade their own catcher, Travis d'Arnaud, to get a deal done, according to Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News.

Though the Mets' straight-up offer of d'Arnaud for Lucroy was rejected by Milwaukee, there appears to be some traction between the two clubs, Ackert notes, adding that no trade was imminent as of Sunday evening.

"At this time of year, many players are discussed among lots of clubs," Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said. "Most of those discussions are no more than idle conversations that lead to nothing."

One of the most highly coveted players as the trade deadline nears, Lucroy has drawn interest from multiple teams, with the Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers reportedly discussing trade scenarios with the Brewers, who, at 41-55, remain 11 games back of a postseason berth. Lucroy, who stumbled through an injury-marred 2015 campaign, has rebounded with aplomb this year, hitting .302/.362/.494 with 13 homers while earning his second career All-Star appearance. Earning just $4 million this year, Lucroy has a $5.25-million team option for 2017, too.

Now in his fourth season with the Mets, d'Arnaud has been inconsistent at the plate and freakishly injury-prone since arriving in Queens in 2012 as part of the deal that sent R.A. Dickey to Toronto. A first-round pick in 2007, d'Arnaud has appeared in only 240 games since 2013, managing a .718 OPS (101 OPS+) while never appearing in more than 108 contests in a season.