New York Mets Trade Jay Bruce To The Cleveland Indians For A Pitching Prospect
New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson decided to not trade Jay Bruce before the trade deadline on July 31. Instead, he waited until Bruce cleared waivers and then dealt him to the Cleveland Indians.
The way this season has gone for the Mets, it was not surprising at all when they decided to be sellers at the trade deadline. Right fielder Jay Bruce is the most recent player to be sent off to another team.
On Wednesday, the Mets traded Bruce to the Indians for minor league pitcher Ryder Ryan. Ken Rosenthal of FOXsports.com was one of the first people to break the news on Twitter.
Source: Jay Bruce traded to #Indians.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 10, 2017
The Indians agreed to take on the remaining $5 million left on Bruce’s contract, as Joel Sherman of The New York Post reported.
Bruce had roughly $5M owed still this season and #Indians are taking on all of it. #mets
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) August 10, 2017
In 103 games for the Mets this season, Bruce was batting .256 with 29 home runs and 75 RBIs.
The Indians were always one of the teams rumored to have a strong interest in Bruce. Alderson was clearly not satisfied with any of the offers he received before the trade deadline. A player can
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be traded after July 31 if he clears waivers first, so that is what the Mets did with Bruce.
Only time will tell if this trade ends up being a successful one for the Mets. In the short-term, it is good for them because it gets rid of Bruce’s salary. Ryan, the pitcher they got back from the Indians, was drafted in the 30th round of the 2016 MLB Draft. It will be interesting to see if he can develop into a quality starting pitcher.
The unexpected twist in this Bruce trade is that the Yankees reportedly showed a lot of interest in him as well. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman offered Alderson multiple prospects for the slugging outfielder, according to Marc Carig of Newsday.
Yankees did indeed offer multiple prospects for Jay Bruce. Mets chose to deal with Cleveland instead.
— Marc Carig (@MarcCarig) August 10, 2017
The Yankees did not offer to take on Bruce’s full salary, which is probably part of the reason that the Mets chose to send him to Cleveland instead. Additionally, Alderson most likely was not too keen on the idea of sending one of the Mets best power-hitters to their crosstown rival.
Next: 2018 New York Yankees 40-Man Roster Series: Players on the Fence
The Mets were expected to trade Bruce at some point before the waiver trade deadline on August 31, so it was not shocking when they sent him to the Indians on Wednesday. He will now get the chance to play for a team that is in the midst of a heated pennant race.