Update – Sunday, June 2
Jim Salisbury of NBC Philadelphia is hearing that the deal to send Bruce to the Phillies is complete. The outfielder could join Philadelphia as early as today at Dodger Stadium.
Original post – Saturday, June 1
According to Jess Passan of ESPN, The Philadelphia Phillies are nearing a deal to acquire former-Mets outfielder Jay Bruce from the Seattle Mariners.
Passan originally reported that the deal was expected to be finalized within the next 24 hours, but followed up the tweet stating that another source has confirmed that the deal is not yet imminent. The teams have been in talks, with Seattle willing to deal him, but no trade has been agreed to yet.
Bruce, 32, is enjoying a bounce-back season after posting a -0.4 bWAR in 2018. The power-hitting Texas native has hit 14 homers and is currently slashing .212/.283/.533 for Seattle through 47 games. In the Mariner’s 4-3 win yesterday over the Angels, Bruce hit his 300th career homer.
For perspective, last season with the Mets, Jay Bruce hit just nine homers, and did so with a .223/.310/.370 slash line in 94 games.
During the offseason, New York sent Bruce, Anthony Swarzak, Jarred Kelenic, Justin Dunn and Gerson Bautista to the Mariners for Edwin Diaz and Robinson Cano.
The Mariners took on his mighty contract, owing him a $14 million dollar salary per season until 2020.
Bruce would give the Phillies much-needed outfield depth with the recent administrative leave of Odubel Hererra after being arrested for alleged domestic violence.
Over his eleven-year career, Bruce has hit .294/.354/.559 in Citizens Bank Park with ten homers. He could provide them with a big left-handed bat that could really benefit their bench.
The Mariners will most likely look to bolster their farm system in return, as they seem to be in a rebuilding period and have made moves during the offseason to acquire mid- to long-term assets.
