As the New York Mets are apparently on the verge of acquiring Jay Bruce from the Reds, it is reminiscent of last year’s trade deadline when they acquired Yoenis Cespedes from the Detroit Tigers. Jay Bruce already has 25 home runs this year, 80 RBIs, and 22 doubles. This is coming from a player who is playing on a last-place team. If the Reds move him to the Mets, he will be a valuable asset to a team that is fighting to win the National League East. The Mets find themselves 6.5 back of Washington, in third place behind the Miami Marlins.
If the Mets are to acquire Bruce, it will cause a traffic jam in an outfield that already has Cespedes, Michael Conforto, Justin Ruggiano, Alejandro De Aza, and Curtis Granderson. Jay Bruce would most likely move to a starting spot in right field, and Granderson would most likely platoon in centerfield with Conforto.
This is a Mets team that could use a bit of a boost on offense. They rank last in the National League with a .237 team batting average, third in the league with 133 home runs, 14th in the league in doubles, eighth in the league in slugging percentage, and eleventh in the league in OBP.
Acquiring a bat like Jay Bruce would help secure a more potent offense to go along with their strong pitching core. It hasn’t yet been reported what the Mets would give up to acquire Bruce, but reports early on were that the Reds weren’t willing to move Bruce for cheap.
Last year, the Mets made it to the World Series before losing to the Royals. This year they are proving that their intentions are, again, to make another run at the World Series. A move like this would put them right back in the thick of things with the likes of the Nationals and the Marlins.