The Mets are making an effort to acquire outfielder Jay Bruce from the rebuilding Reds, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link), though he adds that they’re also still exploring other options. The report comes on the heels of word from ESPN’s Buster Olney that the Reds would be open to a Bruce-for-Zack Wheeler swap. Andy Martino of the New York Daily News tweets that the current feeling he gets is that New York could pick up Bruce in exchange for Wheeler and another piece. Rosenthal adds to his tweet above that Wheeler would likely be in a deal for Bruce.
Adding an outfield bat — preferably one that’s controllable beyond 2015, such as Bruce — is a known priority for the Mets. Last night, they agreed to terms on a Carlos Gomez swap with the Brewers, but the deal fell through due to reported concerns over Gomez’s medicals and possibly over financial components of the deal. Gomez has since been traded to the Astros.
Bruce has an eight-team no-trade clause, but the Mets aren’t one of the clubs to which he can block a deal. The 28-year-old slugger has rebounded nicely from a down season in 2014 — which was quite possibly derailed by in-season knee surgery from which he rushed back — to post a .257/.341/.486 batting line entering play Thursday. Bruce struggled into mid-May, but since the 16th of that month (an admittedly very arbitrary endpoint on this sample), he’s batted .306/.377/.563 with 12 homers in 62 games.
Should a deal for Bruce come together, the Mets would be acquiring a bat that they can control into the 2017 season. Bruce is earning $12MM this year (of which about $4.52MM remains) plus $12.5MM in 2016. His contract has a $13.5MM team option for the 2017 season that comes with a $1MM buyout. All told, he’d cost the Mets about $30.52MM for the next two and a half seasons.
The Mets’ preference in trades is to add an outfielder that can handle center field, and Bruce doesn’t fit that mold, but the team does still have Juan Lagares as an option in center. And, as Rosenthal tweeted earlier, Curtis Granderson could slide over to center field as well, thereby pushing Lagares into a reserve role. That would cost the team some defensive value, of course, though speculatively speaking, that might be a trade-off they’re willing to make given the team’s run-scoring woes for much of the season.
I wonder what’s wrong with his hip.
Depends how much $ the Reds are eating.
How very true. It may be absolutely perfect if the Reds eat 90% of what he’s owed. Although if I’m the Reds, I’m, gonna want one of the big four for that.
The Reds shouldn’t have to eat a single penny he’s owed.
Agreed. Bruce is a bargain and Wheeler is a huge question mark. Reds shouldn’t eat a dime.
I don’t know about “huge” question mark. Most pitchers – especially young ones like Wheeler – rebound very nicely from TJS.
They shouldn’t, but this is the Mets we’re dealing with. The Gomez deal didn’t go through because of financial issues. Like or not, the Wilpons don’t want to pay.
Please get Nimmo.
Would prefer Carlos Gonzalez or Upton over Bruce
Upton seems like the ideal fit for the Mets, I agree. Big Cargo is too expensive and Bruce is another lefty who can’t play CF. Wonder why no action on JUp?
Bruce still has a couple years left. Cargo is too expensive for Mets. I’m assuming Upton has a high asking price. If they don’t get what they want they offer him a qualifying offer and get a draft pick. No pressure to trade him unless they get what they want. Of course, in 5 minutes I could be
totally wrong.
They should wait 12 hours or so. JUp’s asking price is coming down as we speak.
After the game tonight it may have went up.
Carlos Gonzalez outside of Coors field doesn’t have near the value that his cheerleaders think.. Upton would be nice but he is a free agent after this year.. I would think if the Mets are going to give up Wheeler they are going to want a player with some control in return.. Although, they got Wheeler for the Beltran rental, if I am not mistaking.. So, flipping him a couple of years later for another rental isn’t a loss..
You obviously didn’t watch Cargo in Wrigley last week. Guy can and has hit anywhere.
he has big home/road splits. however don’t tell coffnail that most hitters prefer their home park, kris bryant this year is hitting 50 point higher with 11 of his 14 homers at home, and wrigley is a neutral park.
the premiere hitters that have left coors have always hit. holliday, larry walker etc.
Career (incl 1st season at OAK)
…….GMS..AB…BA…OBP..SLG
hm…430-1595-.326-.384-.599
aw…423-1556-.257-.313-.440
This! Yay, haven’t seen someone talk sense about Rockies hitters on this site in ages. You, sir, win the internets!
Regardless of the players that have left and done well, it’s not a myth that Coors inflates offensive numbers. Cargo’s career OPS is 230 points lower on the road than at home. That’s a massive split. He’s obviously talented, but he’s been helped by Coors without a doubt.
you could do jay bruce splits as well. im sure he has better numbers at home. cargo’s away is still above average. obviously coors helps, but the premiere guys aren’t going to fall flat on their face, they will still be above average hitters in other parks.
Look at his numbers this season… he is way better away from home.
I have officially lost hope with this franchise. We have enough corner outfielders who strike out too much. Giving up wheeler for that? Maybe if they gave us something else in return but not a fair trade for the Mets.
If Wheeler was healthy, he’d be your #5. And he’s not healthy. I bet he’ll probably get TJ a second time and some point and never reaches 150 innings for a season in his career. I’ve been wrong before, but it’s very reasonable to trade him for an established slugger with control.
He’d be #5 on a staff w. 2 #1’s in deGrom & Harvey, a solid #2 in Syn, and a left-handed rookie in Matz that could be another #1/#2 in the future. So…yes, Wheeler is the #5, but so would 80% of the league if they were on that staff.
I would think they would prefer Gomez’s contract over Bruce’s.. Unless of course the Reds are kicking in salary..
Bruce is better than Gomez, anyway.
they play different positions. center is more valuable than right.
Since I cannot reply to your post above regarding the home and away splits for Jay Bruce I will do it here.
…..GMS..AB…BA…OBP..SLG
hm…533-1907-.259-.325-.468
aw…529-1970-.245-.314-.428
so cargo has a higher road ops…
Eh, different I’d say. Bruce is a better hitter but offers no speed or defense to speak of, and has no positional flexibility (it’s RF or bust). So depends on what you need.
Bruce isn’t slow. He doesn’t light it up but he steals a few bases each year. He has one less SB in two less tries than Gomez this year, for what it’s worth.
And the defense thing isn’t right either. He’s not a gold glover, but he’s not a bad defensive player either. He has a good arm and has 5 defensive runs saved this season. He’s a very solid all around player.
We already have a “Duda”. We can’t afford another strikeout master. Bad move. Wheeler is worth MUCH MORE!!
wheeler has 4 years of control left after this and is no guarantee to immediately come back as effective as he was before. i like wheeler but he is not worth more. he is a much bigger risk.
Nahhhh, Wheeler is definitely worth more. Just hold out one more day, I’m sure the Angels will offer up Trout for Wheeler.
I’m a Mets fan, but these dudes are delusional if they think Wheeler RIGHT NOW is worth more than an 3-4 WAR, .800+ OPS slugger with two more years of control at a very reasonable price.
—> sufferingmetsfan, because wheeler is now a fair way down the depth chart with plenty of young pitching already in the rotation superior to him. You guys need offense it doesn’t matter where it comes from.
The Reds will have to pick up a portion of salary or take back Lagares or Cadaver. This was the snag that stopped the Gomez deal. The Mets have enough prospects to tempt the Reds in doing so you’d think. Either way Bruce would be a good add for the Mets.
The Reds are small market, they don’t eat salary.
Taking Lagares isn’t exactly eating salary. I don’t think he’s good but he’s still relatively young. And the Mets behave like a small market team as well, which is why I don’t think they’ll get a deal done.
billy hamilton and lagares would be redundant.
Would take Wheeler, Flores and Nimmo but that’s likely too much.
you have to be joking… Wheeler for Bruce straight up is already too much. I have no idea why the Mets would even consider it. I guess this is why we’re all suffering =/
What about adding Chapman to the package? Mets need a sure closer Familia has been struggling
That’s what I’m saying!! Wheeler, nimmo, and other prospect for Bruce and Chapman.
Just go after Reddick, Cheap and controllable until next year
You say that like Reddick is available. He isn’t. Like you said cheap and controllable. The A’s have no want to get rid of that. They have only sold off players that are already gone at years end. They will retool again and give it another go.
Don’t want to see the Mets trade Wheeler at all. Bruce os a solid outfield bat but his salary is a big hit. Plus with the Wilpons at the helm nothing will ever get done because they don’t want to pay!! Also, I believe that Bruce will not be able to hit in Citi Field. Much rather see Carlos Gonzalez a gold glove left fielder than Bruce. Plus Gonzalez is a possible leadoff hitter and bat Grandy lower like 3 or put Gonzalez at three. Finally, I hope that everyone knows that last night happens 1 out of every 3 times according to another G.M. So don’t get upset about it, the social media effect was in full swig. All in all I would rather see Gonzalez than bruce but, Bruce is nice too.
Wait…. you’re worried about Bruce not hitting in Citi, but want Cargo? You do know his road OPS is 230 points lower than it is at Coors? And Cargo’s defense isn’t all that much better than Bruce’s.
Wheeler was good, there’s no denying that. But I think there’s a little bit of fan attachment going on here if it’s really thought that Wheeler is more valuable than Bruce right now. There’s no denying his upside, but there’s also no denying he’s damaged goods as we speak, and like it or not, that hurts his value. Even if the success rate for TJ is high these days, it’s not absolute, and therefore any team trading for him as a center piece is taking a gamble. It’s not as if Bruce is just some scrub, either. He’s a solid baseball player and will instantly be one of the best bats the Mets have if they go for it. I don’t personally love the fit as strictly a RF’er, but if a solid bat is the motive, he’s not a bad option.
>>>shaneredsfan
There is no way the Mets would ever give up those three players for Bruce. They weren’t going to give up that much for Gomez and he has much more value than Bruce does. You were right, that’s definitely way too much
No reason Mets should throw Wheeler in this deal. Montero and a position player should be enough
As a Met fan I can say with certainty that leadership sucks. The Wilpons are trying to make up for the lost revenue that they were collecting from Madoff before the ponzi unravelled. The only other place to get such good returns is by running a crappy team that costs little to maintain.
The thing that gets missed in the discussion about offense is that this a team that is still missing too many pieces. They need a 5th starter, Colon is garbage. They need a shortstop that can hit and field, a big bat in the outfield and a centerfielder (who can also serve as the big bat if you want to kill two birds). They need a reliable middle reliever and all of a sudden Familia is also big question mark
Carlos Gomez was the perfect fit (for centerfield bat that could field) but the Wilsons strike again. Everybody knew that cost was an issue (good try by Alderson on the hip thing). Anybody else the Mets acquire is a disappointment due to defensive concerns. Tulo was actually the perfect fit (again for bat and fielding) but this is the Mets and I had little doubt they would pass on the contract. Odds are that nothing else gets done and they blame “the asking price” as opposed to blaming the Wilpons. Those guys suck! You can’t expect Alderson to get blood from a stone.
Lagares in the centerfielder now and in the future. Let’s stop the nonsense. The Mets also don’t need Bruce as he is just another lefthanded bat in a overly lefthanded lineup. The real deal here is Wheeler and someone else (a prospect) for Phillips and Chapman.
As you can tell from losing last week in Washington thanks to Parnell’s 8th inning woes and Collins’ mistake to keep him in the game, the loss of Mejia for another year thanks to the PED suspension and Parnell’s implosion on the mound in the 7th inning and of course the ever inconsistent Robles who made the game close in the first place, the Mets need a 7th inning or 8th inning guy. Go get one. Chapman can become the closer or take turns with Familia. Speaking of Familia… Collins blew that game yesterday. A relief pitcher waiting around a while has to warm up again and in this case, he went out in the pouring rain and was rusty. after he gave up the Norris hit, Collins should have had Clippard warming up in the pen to face Upton if Familia failed to get Kemp out.
Familia looked sharp getting the first two outs but then the rains came. Inexcusably the umpires asked for a delay (First Umpires mistake). Just get through the at bat for Pete’s sake. The umps cost them this game. To make things worse the allowed, through a rain storm, the game to continue (Umpire mistake # 2) for all of 7 minutes, that should have never stopped in the first place. Lastly, the rules are pretty clear that if a rain delay last more than two hours, the game should be suspended at that point (error # 3). In this case they waited over 2 and half hours. The rules are clear, the games is halted with the Mets due a time up because the Padres just took the lead. Technically, if the game was suspended the whole inning gets replayed.
The Mets get Bruce and I am no longer a Mets fan. The real outfield to trade for is Justin Upton at age 27 and has speed and also can hit at Citified (evidence by his surprising homer to right center) and he is a right handed bat with pop that the Mets sorely need.
Sandy Alderson as a GM just doesn’t get it.
I’ll rephrase this so Sandy might understand.
YOU NEED A RIGHT HANDED OUTFIELDER WITH POP AND A LEFT HANDED RELIEF PITCHER
YOU HAVE THE MEANS TO GET THESE PLAYERS NOW TRY TO MAKE IT HAPPEN BEFORE 4PM TODAY. HERE IS A HUGE HINT. THE PADRES AND REDS HAVE THE PLAYERS YOU NEED. THEIR NAMES ARE KIMBREL AND UPTON AND CHAPMAN AND BYRD RESPECTIVELY.
Just a reminder to Sandy Alderson. It’s less than 7 hours to the end of the trade deadline.
Kimbrel and Chapman are available. Please get one of these guys.