Four best landing spots for Jay Bruce
Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jay Bruce has seemingly been on the trading block for two straight seasons. With Cincinnati now fully committed to rebuilding though, it’s only a matter of time, perhaps even hours, before the veteran slugger dons a new uniform.
Though the Reds said Bruce’s market was slow on Friday, it’s become clear that Bruce is a hot commodity among teams searching for offense. The rumor mill centered around his name quite a bit during the evening hours, with a deal being almost certain before Monday.
Interest in Bruce has a lot to do with how he’s been performing this season, and especially recently. Entering Friday’s game in San Diego, Bruce was hitting .271 with 25 home runs and 79 RBIs through 95 games. Over the last two seasons, he hit just .222 while averaging 22 homer and 76 RBIs.
Currently, Bruce is enjoying a nine-game hitting streak. During that time he’s hit seven homers and driven in 15.
Needless to say, he’s taken several steps forward to again become one of baseball’s most productive left-handed hitters. Now we wait to see where he where lands, but while we do let’s also examine where he best fits.
Here are four landing spots that seem to make a lot of sense.
Cleveland Indians
If we were going strictly on convenience, Cleveland might be Bruce’s preferred landing spot. Bruce also reportedly wants to go to a team that has a chance to win a World Series this season, and the Indians certainly have that look too as they hold a 4 1/2 game lead in the AL Central. Most importantly, they have openings and flexibility with Michael Brantley’s injury status ever-changing and the designated hitter spot available.
Cleveland is a pretty well-rounded team overall, but if there’s one element they could use it’s another big bat in the middle of the order. Jay Bruce could provide that and then some in support of Carlos Santana, Jason Kipnis and Mike Napoli.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Rumor has it the Dodgers are eyeing a three-team trade that would bring Bruce to Los Angeles while ideally shipping Yasiel Puig elsewhere. There’s no word on how realistic this deal might be, but Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan noted the Dodgers and Reds didn’t match on a straight up trade.
Sources: Dodgers, Reds discussed deal centered around Jay Bruce and Yasiel Puig. Didn't materialize. Still plenty of permutations possible.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 30, 2016
It should be noted the Dodgers are not afraid to get creative to land players they like, so this situation should be followed closely.
The Dodgers have a pair of talented young outfielders in Joc Pederson and Trayce Thompson, so Bruce might just be the ideal third wheel from an offensive standpoint. Bruce has a $13M option for next season that we’re certain the Dodgers would exercise to cement their outfield. Then they could look to deal from their deal from their depth, while the 30-year-old outfielder plays next season for one likely last good payday.
New York Mets
The Mets struck big at last season’s deadline, landing Yoenis Cespedes in a season-changing deal. They seem to be in need of a similar boost this season, especially now that Juan Lagares is lost for six weeks with a torn thumb ligament.
Adding Bruce would allow some flexibility for Terry Collins and some pressure to be taken off Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo. Beyond that, it would give New York an option next season should Cespedes elect to test free agency again.
San Francisco Giants
San Francisco experienced Bruce’s power firsthand (four homers in three game at AT&T Park) this week. It would also make sense that they’d want to add his hot bat to their lineup if at all possible. Even with Hunter Pence due off the disabled list, San Francisco needs another bat. Preferably, that provide power like Bruce’s. At this point, they only have two hitters with double-digit homers — Buster Posey (12) and Brandon Belt (11) — so Bruce would be a huge upgrade.
Also, they could block him from going to Los Angeles, which could be a key turning point for the stretch run in the NL West.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
