New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds Rework Jay Bruce Deal

The New York Mets were ultimately able to land Jay Bruce from the Cinncinati Reds after the original deal fell through because of poor medical tests.

The New York Mets and Cincinnati Reds looked to have a deal done for Jay Bruce earlier in the day. The original deal included outfielder Brandon Nimmo, and two other prospects going to the Reds in exchange for Bruce.

But, there was a snag in the deal as one of the lower level prospects reportedly had a bad medical report. As a result, the trade was taken off the table and the two teams had to go back to drawing board.

This is something the Mets and their fans have become all too familiar with, as they had a similar situation arise at last season’s trade deadline. The Mets looked like they had a deal done with the Milwaukee Brewers for Carlos Gomez. Wilmer Flores and Zack Wheeler would be heading to Milwaukee as part of the deal.

Everyone remembers Flores playing with tears, as the deal was being reported on social media so fans knew there was a deal brewing, but the players were unaware in the dugout. Once word began circulating, Flores was removed from the game as he was overcome with emotion, seen crying on the field.

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That deal never become official, and broke down once the Mets didn’t like medicals that they saw. There were worries that the same thing would happen this year, but the medical in question wasn’t about the main part of the package in Bruce as it was with Gomez last season.

As a result, the Mets and Reds were able to get back to the negoiating table and hammer out a new deal. In the revamped deal, Dilson Herrera was the main piece going back to the Reds, and will be joined by Max Wotell in the deal, not Nimmo.

Herrera was expected to be a part of the Mets future in the middle infield at second base. But, with Jose Reyes back in town, and Gavin Cecchini and Amed Rosario not far behind, the Mets were probably more comfortable trading away Herrera now than they were at the beginning of the season.

Wotell was their third round pick in the 2015 MLB Entry Draft out of Marvin Ridge High School. The 19-year old has had a solid professional debut, with a 3.47 ERA in 40 1/3 innings over 15 appearances, six of which were starts.

It is a solid haul for the Reds, as they can a high upside pitcher with a player in Herrera that could be ready to play at the major league level right away.

As for the Mets, they have added a much-needed power bat to the middle of their lineup. The acquisition of Bruce gives the Mets some protection for Yoenis Cespedes in the lineup, and another run producing option; Bruce leads the National League in RBI with 80.

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While Terry Collins will have a tough time maneuvering his lineup every night, the Mets have undoubtedly upgraded their lineup from a talent standpoint, as Bruce brings a solid run producing bat to a team that is better than only the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves in scoring runs.