8:30 AM Update – Deadline Day!
The first news of the day regarding the Mets and Jay Bruce comes from Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, who says that a deal for the Cincinnati Reds slugger looks like it’s going to happen and that the Mets will finally get that big bat they say they’re looking for.
Like I’ve said, I hope the Mets prove me wrong. But even with the small deals they made this season they all centered around getting money back and being a net gain for the Mets in the financial column. So color me skeptical.
Bruce is owed a guaranteed $20 million and I don’t see any incentive for Reds having to eat any portion of the contract unless of course they get at least one huge prospect in return. I’m talking a guy like Michael Fulmer, Amed Rosario, Brandon Nimmo or Michael Conforto in addition to Zack Wheeler.
So if it does happen, and the Mets unload the $23 million owed to Lagares in exchange for the $20 million owed to Bruce, this could become a 5-6 player mega deal depending on whether the Mets give up the HUGE top prospect or two very good ones.
9:30 PM Update
The Mets and Reds are discussing a deal to try and land outfielder Jay Bruce in return for RHP Zack Wheeler and another piece, according to Ken Rosenthal to Fox Sports.
My guess is the other player would be Juan Lagares, if only to offset the $20 million that Bruce is owed with the $23 million Lagares is owed.
However just like the Brewers, I can’t see the Reds signing off on that. Not unless the Mets were to kick in a pop three prospect like Michael Fulmer, Dilson Herrera, etc. But that would make the deal absolutely awful for the Mets.
That is how things are done these days in Flushing. That is why every deal the Mets have made have money coming back to them. Every deal they’ve made. Even when the players are only making $2 million.
No I didn’t say that I expected the Mets to jump all over the J Bruce story a few hours ago , but I must admit I never expected it to take hold this quickly. I figured they’d probably wait until the morning and then pull out like three minutes before the trade deadline at 4 PM.
We’ll see where this goes…
8:00 PM Update
Buster Olney of ESPN is saying that the Cincinnati Reds are ready to trade Jay Bruce to the New York Mets one-for-one for Zack Wheeler right now.
Of course he doesn’t mention dollars and neither has any of the other three reports on this that I read tonight, which is pretty freaking hysterical considering the owners the Mets have and their well-documented financial troubles.
Bruce is owed about $6.5 million in 2015 and $12.5 million in 2016. The Reds hold a $13 million option with a $1 million buyout for 2017, which puts the guaranteed dollar commitment at $20 million to the Mets.
That’s only about $7 to $8 million dollars more than what the commitment to Carlos Gomez was. No biggie, right?
I don’t have to regurgitate how much I like Jay Bruce and how I believe he’d be a great fit on the Mets. You read this site. You know my feelings on the matter. You all know how I feel about Bruce, I love the guy. I even turned a blind eye on his splits.
But this isn’t about Jay Bruce. This is about the Wilpons. It’s always about the Wilpons people. Come on…
Go ahead Sandy, Fred, Jeff, prove me wrong. Or do what you always do and spin this as a distraction and then back out of the deal when it’s safe and sound.
July 29
Rumors that the Mets are still seeking a big bat continue to swirl as the trade deadline gets ever so closer.
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports hears that the Mets are still very much interested in Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jay Bruce, whom they reportedly discussed in a deal for Zack Wheeler a week ago.
It’s not known if Wheeler is still a key player in any talks, or if the two teams are discussing other players, but Ken Rosenthal also says that two teams have an open dialogue.
The Reds are reportedly very interested in Wheeler even though he continues to recover from Tommy John surgery, while the Mets have heavily scouted Bruce.
A two-time All-Star and Silver Slugger, Bruce, 28, is batting .255 with 21 doubles, 15 home runs and 49 RBIs with a .808 OPS and 120 OPS+ in 92 games for Cincinnati.
