RADIO
The New York Mets have shown interest in acquiring Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jay Bruce, according to Fox Sports.
Bruce, 28, is one of a few names the Mets are reportedly looking to land before the MLB Trade Deadline on July 31. Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, Oakland A’s utility man Ben Zobrist and A’s reliever Tyler Clippard could potentially be in New York before Friday.
Mets general manager Sandy Alderson told reporters that the team can take on a “major” contract. Bruce is owed a little more than $25 million over the next two years. It’s not the biggest contract of the bunch, since Tulowitzki is owned more than $100 million until 2021. Zobrist and Clippard are free agents after this season.
It’s been a down year for Bruce with only a .253 BA, which is actually better than his .217 BA for 2014. He does have 15 homers and 49 RBI. The value of Bruce is based off his past, which has been overall successful. He had three straight seasons of over 30 HR with over a total of 300 RBI. Last season was one filled with injuries but he’s healthy now and not producing like he used to.
The Mets acquired Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson from the Atlanta Braves on Thursday. They traded two minor league pitchers but would likely have to give up more to land any of the four names previously mentioned.
It could take the Mets sending over Zack Wheeler to land Bruce. Wheeler, 25, has missed the entire 2015 season because of Tommy John surgery. He won’t be back until possibly the beginning of the 2016 season. The right-hander is one of the many young arms the Mets have on their staff or in the minors. In 49 career starts in the MLB, Wheeler has an 18-16 record with a 3.50 ERA. He struck out 187 batters in 2014, which was tops for the Mets.
