After the Mets obtained Jay Bruce at the 2016 trade deadline, Bruce struggled mightily, and it left many Mets fans eager for his going to a new destination before the 2017 season. However, when the Mets discovered the trade market for Bruce was tepid at best, he opened the 2017 season as the Mets Opening Day right fielder.
Soon, “Boo” became “Bruuuuce!” as the right fielder quickly emerged as a fan favorite. That was up until the Mets traded him to the Cleveland Indians for the uninspiring return of Ryder Ryan.
With the Mets having a limited budget, Yoenis Cespedes and Michael Conforto already at the corner outfield spots, and holes to fill throughout a roster with many significant holes, it did not appear as if Bruce was likely to return to the Mets organization. That seemed less likely with Bruce initially seeking a five year deal and actively flirting with the San Francisco Giants.
All of this made it an even bigger surprise when Bruce returned to Flushing on a reasonable and backloaded three year $39 million contract. In our latest Roundtable, our staff gives our reactions to Bruce’s return to the Mets organization:
Mathew Brownstein – Needed Leadership
I like the Bruce signing for the Mets, as it adds needed power and veteran leadership to a club sorely missing it. However, this cannot be the only major offensive addition the team makes prior to the 2018 season. Like several other contributors have opined, the team should be inquiring about what it would take to land Josh Harrison, or, look to sign third baseman Todd Frazier to a two-year deal. The other major part of signing Bruce was his versatility; being told by Mets brass that he should expect time at first base. With injuries to Juan Lagares, Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo, and Yoenis Cespedes last year, Bruce provides stability in the outfield, as he’s played in at least 137 games since 2010. While there were clearer needs to fill on this roster (2B/3B, veteran SP, reliever) adding Bruce to just a 3-year deal – which is backloaded -giving the team some financial wiggle room to play with this offseason was a move that worked in Alderson’s favor in what’s been a slow-moving free agent market.
John Finkelstein – Bargain
I like having Bruce back next year. He did a great job last season by performing well despite constant trade talk. On top of it, his deal is an absolute bargain at a $13 million average annual value. It is a very reasonable deal and is not even a raise from what he made last season. The only thing that I don’t like about this deal is that Juan Lagares might not get his chance to reclaim his starting position now and is essentially an overpriced fourth outfielder. Despite liking the deal, I need to see them make another move to be happy with their off-season. I think they need one of Todd Frazier or Josh Harrison in the lineup next season. If this deal stops them from making any other legitimate upgrades, I will be pretty disappointed.
Ed Leyro – Shrewd Move
Four years ago, the Mets signed Curtis Granderson to a four-year, $60 million contract to play right field. When Granderson played his first game with the Mets, he had already turned 33. The difference now in re-acquiring Jay Bruce to play right field is that the team is committing one less year, $21 million fewer dollars and most importantly, Bruce will only be 33 when the contract expires, or the same age Granderson was when his deal with the Mets began. For the money and duration of the deal, the Mets did quite well for themselves. And hey, if the team fails to improve over the next few seasons, at least the dollars of the contract won’t prevent another team from inquiring about him at the trade deadline.
John Jackson – Pleasantly Surprised
I was surprised when hearing the news. The Mets have shown interest in Jay Bruce, but they’ve also showed interest in many players this offseason making me very skeptical they would actually sign him. This fills their need for a 1B/OF type player which is something they made a priority at the beginning of the offseason. Though Bruce’s first base defense isn’t a given as he only has 15 games under his belt at first base, they still got one of the best 1B/OF players available at a solid price of three years, $39 million. That’s a bargain compared to the five-year, $80-90 deal he was looking for a couple of months ago. Sandy Alderson took a huge risk by waiting this long, but it paid off handsomely this time.
Rob Piersall – Solid Move
I’ve been a big proponent of the Mets bringing back Jay Bruce since day one. While it’s been a frustrating offseason with little activity up until this point, I’m glad that the Mets secured him for a reasonable contract while still loosening their purse strings. However, they can’t stop here. They still need to bring in either a second baseman or third baseman and preferably a reliever and a starter. But bringing Bruce back into the fold was a really solid move, and it gives the Mets another big bat in the middle of their order to complement Yoenis Cespedes.
Dilip Sridhar – Work Not Nearly Done
I like the deal if it’s the beginning of several moves for the Mets heading into 2018. Bruce was solid for the Mets and given his flyball propensity, it shouldn’t be a tall task for him to maintain his power in 2018. Next up, the Mets should get Frazier and make him their third baseman over the next two years. While I still like Lagares, I think this was a good move. The Mets didn’t have a quality, MLB ready outfielder outside of Lagares, Brandon Nimmo, Conforto, and Cespedes. All four of those guys were on the DL at some point in 2017. Lagares and Nimmo should get a shot at showing what they have in 2018.
John Sheridan – Mistake
Look, there is no doubt Bruce is well worth the deal he received. His presence and hustle is more than welcome to return to a clubhouse that missed it severely after both he and Granderson were moved last season. However, that alone does not make this a good move.
The Mets biggest hole this offseason was second base, and someone in the organization rejected a completed trade to bring the Mets Jason Kipnis because they didn’t like his value. How a team goes from not liking the value of the last real starting second base option reasonably available to them to approving a signing of a duplicative player like Bruce is simply astounding.
At the corner outfield spots, the Mets already had All-Stars Cespedes and Conforto. At first base, the Mets had Dominic Smith and Wilmer Flores. Now they add Bruce and Adrian Gonzalez to that mix because why not have three All-Star corner outfielders, four viable first base options, and no legitimate second base options for the 2018 season?
Moreover, for a team that has been held back by a very poor defensive ballclub, this signing all but assures the defense will be even worse. When healthy, Conforto will now be forced to play center where he posted a -4 DRS in 328.2 innings last year. In an era where everyone is trying to hit the ball in the air, this could prove to be even worse than the Roger Cedeno and Jeromy Burnitz in center field fiasco of 2003.
Joe D. – Power Play
After trading away roughly 180 homers and over 300 RBIs at last year’s trade deadline, it was imperative for the Mets to acquire a couple of heavy hitters to bolster the middle of the lineup. I never thought Bruce would be returning, but with the continuing decline in demand for one-dimensional power hitters, the best deal out there for Bruce was a three year deal for $29 million from the Giants, so it was an easy decision for him when the Mets offered $39 million. This does nothing to improve a team that had a MLB worst -70 DRS last season, but they did need the power. I was just surprised it came in right field instead of second or third base, but there’s still time as spring training is still 26 days away.
