Jay at peace with being trade piece
THE FIRST TIME it happened, it changed everything. Jay Bruce grew up in the Reds organization, signing his first contract with them in Cincinnati when he still had braces. Last year, when the Reds started their rebuild and traded him to the Mets, Bruce came to terms with his role in the business of the game.
“I came here as a hired gun,” Bruce said. “I know what I am and what situation I am in. This is a business. Don’t get me wrong, I love playing the game, I always will.
“But this is my job. I am a hired gun and I go where I am needed.”
Bruce is prepared for the Mets to trade him within the next 13 days, but while that seems like common sense, it is not a certainty.
Sources said the Mets have not approached him to talk about possible trade scenarios, which would need to happen considering he has an eight-team, limited no-trade clause in his contract. They said there has been limited interest again in Bruce, so there have even been discussions about the possibility of bringing him back for next season.
Even Bruce knows that the Mets really need to package him or find a way to turn him into pieces for the future.
“If they have the chance to make their organization better by trading me, they would be crazy not to do it,” Bruce said. “I know that they have to look out for their future here. I expect they will do that if they have the chance. I know what can happen.”
The Mets should listen to Bruce — have a conversation with him about possible landing spots and then go out and make it happen. The 10-year veteran has been to the playoffs four times in his career and the slugger is looking for another shot; he seems like he would be open to talking about his limited no-trade clause right now.
This winter, the Mets picked up the 2017, one-year, $13 million option on Bruce’s contract in part thinking they could deal him to get some relief in their overcrowded outfield and on their swollen payroll. They found very limited interest after Bruce struggled in 50 games with the Mets after coming over from Cincinnati, raising questions about his ability to play on the big stage.
Bruce was glad he got a second bite at the Big Apple.
“I was psyched when they picked up my option this winter,” Bruce said. “I knew I had a bad finish, I knew I could do better than that.
“And, I was excited because I thought this was a World Series team,” Bruce said. “I really wanted that.”
Bruce has lived up to his expectations this season and while sources said there is still limited interest out there, the Mets could bundle their assets and move him.
He went into Wednesday night’s game with the Cardinals tied for ninth in the National League with 24 home runs, hitting .267 with 62 RBI. Those are marketable numbers to teams looking to make a push for the playoffs.
And the Mets can’t really afford to hold on to him. They have simply not lived up to expectations and they need to start thinking about 2018.
After Wednesday night’s 7-3 victory over the Cardinals, they were eight games under .500 and 11.5 games out of the second wild card spot in the National League.
“To say we underachieved this season is an understatement,” Bruce said. “We had really high expectations and we fell short. We know that and it’s disappointing.”
Bruce also knows, having been through it with the Reds in 2016, that a team that is this far out of it has to start thinking about the future. That means hired guns like himself have to be sold off to contenders for pieces for the next season and beyond.
A team source said they have told Bruce they would need a proposal to “overwhelm” them to move him. Some in the organization have also discussed trying to re-sign him. ruce, however, didn’t sound like he is looking for an extension with the Mets right now, but did not rule out talking to the team when he hits free agency.
“I’ve played a long time to get to free agency for the first time,” Bruce said. “I am excited to see what happens with that. I’ve enjoyed it here, but we’ll see what happens.”
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