New York Mets Trade Rumors: Front Office Regrets Picking Up Jay Bruce Option

New York Mets trade rumors continue to involve Jay Bruce and Curtis Granderson, as MLB analysts feel one or both veterans need to be dealt before Spring Training begins. A report by FOX Sports analyst Ken Rosenthal confirms what many MLB analysts have been saying about the Mets this off-season. For the team to find a trading partner for Bruce or Granderson, it is going to require that the front office pays part (or all) of their salaries.

The Mets decided that it was wise to use the team option on Jay Bruce to bring him back for the 2017 MLB season. This was a safety measure, as the team still didn’t know if Yoenis Cespedes would be coming back. When Cespedes agreed to a long-term contract extension, it suddenly made Bruce a huge redundancy on the roster. Now there are simply too many healthy outfielders on the roster and not enough places to put them.

These latest New York Mets trade rumors won’t be that surprising to fans who have been paying attention this off-season. What might come as unwelcome news, though, is that the team may have to deal Jay Bruce at a discount in order to find a “buyer.” Bruce is slated to earn $13 million for the 2017 MLB season, making him one of the most expensive players on the 40-man roster. Only Yoenis Cespedes ($22.5 million), David Wright ($20 million), Neil Walker ($17.2 million), and Curtis Granderson ($14 million) will make more this season.

Walker accepted a qualifying offer that the team extended during the off-season, possibly surprising the front office in the process. He now becomes one of the highest-paid second basemen in baseball, bumping the active payroll past $100 million for the Mets (already). This is before any arbitration cases are heard, Minor League promotions are made, or other free agent deals get finalized by the front office. If the team was looking to save money during the off-season, nothing has gone according to plan.

The New York Mets traded Max Wotell and Dilson Herrera to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for Jay Bruce on August 1, 2016. He then made 187 plate appearances over 50 games. Bruce posted eight home runs, 19 RBIS, and a 0.219 batting average. Those weren’t the numbers that the front office had hoped to receive from Bruce, but the team still felt that his value was high enough to pick up his team option for the 2017 MLB season. Bruce was an insurance policy in case Cespedes didn’t re-sign and now that policy has become quite expensive to retain.

On a positive note, Jay Bruce finished the 2016 MLB season with 33 home runs, 99 RBIS, and a 0.250 batting average when combining his time with the Reds and the Mets. Those aren’t bad numbers, especially if another team is looking for a power hitter to put in the middle of a batting order. Bruce also just turned 30, so he doesn’t have age working against him in this situation. In addition to finding a team willing to give up something for Bruce, the Mets’ front office will also have to hold out hope that the new team will pay a majority of his contract.

These New York Mets trade rumors are also surfacing because the team already has Michael Conforto and Juan Lagares ready to play full-time outfield spots. That doesn’t even take into account Brandon Nimmo and Wuilmer Becerra, who are also on the 40-man roster now. This necessitates the need to deal either Jay Bruce or Curtis Granderson, with a best-case scenario existing where both veteran outfielders get traded to other teams. Can the Mets find a team willing to pay for both outfielders?

If Yoenis Cespedes had signed a new contract sooner, it’s highly likely that the Mets wouldn’t have even considered picking up the option for Jay Bruce. Now the team has too may outfielders if they all remain healthy through Spring Training. The team does have a lot of depth, though, and it would certainly serve the team well if one of the starting outfielders did get hurt. As it stands, there are going to be even more New York Mets trade rumors than in the past, especially as other general managers realize that the team made a huge mistake by giving Bruce that raise.

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