New York Mets Plan to Keep Jay Bruce – For Now

After trade talks apparently went nowhere, the New York Mets intend to keep Jay Bruce to start the 2017 season. What does this mean for the roster?

Not long ago, it appeared that the New York Mets were going to clear their outfield logjam one way or another by the end of the offseason. The most likely candidate to go? Jay Bruce, acquired at last season’s trade deadline from the Cincinnati Reds. However, the team has reportedly changed approach and now intends to keep the slugger past Opening Day, according to Ken Davidoff of the New York Post:

"The Mets have notified Bruce they anticipate starting the season with him as their everyday right fielder, an industry source told The Post. General manager Sandy Alderson said two weeks ago that Bruce, after being dangled in trade discussions for much of the offseason, could very well join the team at Tradition Field for spring training, and the team is now acting as if it will have Bruce for the entirety of the season."

Holding on to Bruce, who had his $13 million option for 2017 exercised by the Mets at the start of the offseason, would have various ramifications for the club as a whole. Presumably Yoenis Cespedes will man left field while Curtis Granderson roams center. But what outfielder(s) will the team carry on the bench?

Davidoff points out that Juan Lagares is likely to platoon with Granderson in center field. The 27-year-old has some health-related question marks, though: He was limited to 79 games last year with a thumb injury, and he suffered a sprained shoulder recently while playing in the Dominican Winter League. The Mets are confident he will be ready for spring training, but the situation is worth keeping an eye on.

Michael Conforto is looking more and more like the odd man out, at least to begin the season. The former top prospect struggled in 2016, slashing .220/.310/.414 with 12 home runs and 42 RBI in 109 games. Davidoff reasons that the Mets could put Conforto, who still has minor league options, at Triple-A for some further seasoning. He’s still just 23 years old (24 in March), after all, and has time to mature and improve.

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Don’t be surprised to see Bruce or Conforto get a look at first base either. With Lucas Duda recovering from the back injury that kept him out of 115 contests last year, Davidoff says the Mets could hand both of the outfielders a first baseman’s mitt during the spring in hopes of creating some insurance at the position. Only Bruce has some previous experience at first, and that was only three games in 2014. Still, some added positional flexibility would increase the ways Bruce and Conforto could get into the lineup and stay on the roster.

The Mets expected more when they traded for Bruce last summer. He was leading the National League with 80 RBI at the time of the deal and had been a consistent left-handed power threat throughout his nine years in the majors. However, he sputtered to a .219/.294/.391 slash line with eight homers and 19 RBI over 187 plate appearances in New York. Bruce was supposed to provide a spark for the Mets’ offense and potentially pick up the slack the following year in case Cespedes left the team in free agency. Neither scenario came to pass.

The effort to trade Bruce apparently went nowhere amid a free agent market crowded with similar players. Mark Trumbo and Jose Bautista only just signed, and Mike Napoli remains available. Even Edwin Encarnacion, one of the premier free agent sluggers, had to wait longer to find a new home than anyone anticipated. Bruce’s salary for 2017 isn’t too bad, and the Toronto Blue Jays were reportedly interested earlier in the winter before they reunited with Bautista. Nothing ever materialized.

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The Mets could still trade Bruce, and they will presumably keep an ear open despite their present expectation to keep him. As an expiring contract, he could once again be an appealing trade chip at the deadline, depending on how things are going at Citi Field. For now, the Mets will hope he rebounds after his rough debut in the Big Apple. Considering Bruce’s track record, it’s a good bet he won’t perform as poorly as he did in the final two months of last season.