Jay Bruce to Mets: Latest Trade Details, Comments and Reaction

The Cincinnati Reds reportedly traded outfielder Jay Bruce to the New York Metson Monday, according toJon Heyman of Today's Knuckleball.Jerry Crasnick of ESPN confirmed Heyman's report (h/t SportsCenter). Tyler Kepner of the New York Times reported that the Mets would be sendingBrandon Nimmo and two other players to the Reds in exchange for Bruce.Bruce enjoyed a slight uptick in production in 2015 after a lackluster 2014 season that saw him post a career-low .281 on-base percentage in 137 games. He lowered his strikeout rate, increased his walk rate and hit 26 home runs, right in line with his career average.The veteran outfielder previously found himself on the trade block leading up to the deadline last July. He didn't end up getting moved at the time and said afterward that a trade would have felt weird, as noted byJohn Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer."It's nice that other teams are interested in you," Bruce said. "But on the other hand, you grow up in this organization. This is all I know. This is like family to me."It's a move that's a bit atypical from Cincinnati's perspective.Rarely do you see a 29-year-old player with a trio of 30-homer seasons on his resume traded in what's typically the middle of his prime. That's especially true when he's under team control for another season, as is the case here, per Spotrac.Those surrounding circumstances suggest the Reds are trying to maximize the return with Bruce enjoying a much improved 2016 campaign.The trade is a reasonable investment considering his power-hitting history, age and contract situation. It's not like the Metsare acquiring a high-risk, high-reward player on a rental basis and giving up an elite prospect to do it. This is a little more of a stable move.Bruce will give the Mets another power hitter in the middle of the lineup and could complete a very busy deadline day for the team, as they are also rumored to be in the mix for catcher Jonathan Lucroy, per Buster Olney of ESPN.Certainly, those moves would make the team one of the most dangerous offensive clubs in baseball to go along with their excellent starting pitching. It's clear the Mets are all-in on trying to win a World Series this season.
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