The Good – Jay Bruce
Few players had a more uncertain offseason than Bruce. Cincinnati is clearly in a rebuild, and many assumed trading Bruce was a part of that plan. In late February it actually looked like he was out the door. The Reds, Blue Jays, and Angels apparently agreed in principle to a deal that would have sent Bruce to Toronto. However, issues with Michael Saunders‘ physical killed the deal.
As unlikely as it seemed before spring training, Bruce has opened the season as the Reds outfielder. The Reds front office is likely hoping that he can reestablish some of his value prior to the trade deadline this summer. If he has a few more days like he did on Thursday, then it’s safe to say his value is one the way up.
Bruce went 3-4, hit two home runs, and drove in five. The first home run was a part of an eight run 4th inning that put Cincinnati in the lead for good. After the first series of the season the Reds are sitting at 3-0, and Bruce has been a major factor. Bruce is coming off of a couple of down years, but Reds’ fans are likely optimistic that this could be the beginning of a bounce back season.
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