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by TFIR
Well, the Yankees apparently liked Bruce:
Yankees thought they had Jay Bruce — then he was gone
By Joel Sherman
After being mostly shunned at the non-waiver deadline, Jay Bruce was pursued by two AL teams with playoff aspirations and more.
The Yankees were not only one of those teams, they had agreed to send the two prospects requested by the Mets in exchange for the Mets eating a piece of the roughly $5 million Bruce was owed the rest of the season.
While the Yankees had confidence in completing the deal and making Bruce their DH with Matt Holliday on the DL, they also were told by their New York neighbors there was another bidder for Bruce’s services.
And it was the Indians who ultimately landed Bruce, with a source saying the Yankees never got a chance to bid again.
Perhaps it was because Cleveland was willing to assume all the money that Bruce was owed. Maybe it was because in a season of despair, the Mets did not want to add to it by helping the Yankees reach the playoffs. Or it is possible the Mets simply liked the singular prospect, Ryder Ryan, they received from Cleveland, though the righty is at Single-A and has a 4.79 ERA in 33 relief appearances.
It is complicated between the New York teams, who have not agreed to a trade in which players went both ways since Dec. 3, 2004 — when Felix Heredia was moved to the Mets for Mike Stanton.
The Yankees also had tried to obtain Lucas Duda from the Mets, who instead dealt him to the Rays. In that situation, the Yankees believed Tampa Bay had offered (Drew Smith) more than they were willing. In this situation, they were less positive about that.
Regardless, it did show the Yankees have concerns about their lefty hitting — though Aaron Hicks is due back this weekend and Greg Bird perhaps by September — and also having heft in the DH spot.
Bruce will now bring his lefty heft to the Indians, who had to put lefty-swinging outfielder Michael Brantley on the DL earlier Wednesday with a left ankle sprain. Another lefty-hitting corner outfielder, Lonnie Chisenhall, already was on the DL with a strained right calf.
The Mets have wanted to deepen their system with relief arms and save money as part of their strategy and so far they have dealt Duda, Addison Reed and Bruce for five minor league relievers and a savings of about $10.6 million. They still would like to find deals for at least Asdrubal Cabrera, Neil Walker and Curtis Granderson, and as I wrote this week, the Brewers have interest in both a lefty hitter who can play center and a lefty hitter who can play second.
The Mets also wanted to streamline their 25-man roster for August to make it easier to call up their top two prospects, Amed Rosario and Dominic Smith, and play them regularly without having veterans upset about their lost playing time. Rosario already is up and the removal of Bruce means Smith will be with the big club sooner than later.
Bruce had a redeeming season as a Met. I have to admit, I fell for the narrative last year that Bruce simply could not handle New York after he performed poorly down the stretch following his acquisition.
But Bruce is a pro, low-maintenance, ready to play and not only durable, but someone who takes accountability in being on the field and playing hard.
He led the Mets in homers (29) and RBIs (75). He avoided the pronounced slumps that have haunted his career, hit lefties more than capably and fielded better than his reputation.
As a long-time member of the Reds, Bruce played often in intra-league games at Cleveland’s Progressive Field, hitting .384 in 23 games with a 1.034 OPS. He is a free agent after the season and playing for a contender — if he thrives — can only help his stock.
But the contender will be located in Cleveland, not the Bronx.
"I've suffered a great many tragedies in my life....most of them never happened". Mark Twain
