Heading to Cincinnati is outfielder Brandon Nimmo and a pair of lower-level minor leaguers, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Mets are 54-50, two games back of the final National League wild-card spot but have the worst average (.206) with runners in scoring position this season and have a. 172 mark with two outs and a runner in scoring position. In exchange, they sent two prospects to Cincinnati: infielder Dilson Herrera, who was widely regarded as the Mets’ second baseman of the future, and pitcher Max Wotell, a third-round draft pick in 2015.
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The 29-year-old right fielder is hitting.265/.316/.559, with 25 home runs and 80 runs batted in so far this season.
The other highlight of the Bruce trade is the team option the Mets now hold on him for next season. Nimmo will be under team control for years and years, of course. Ken Rosenthal includes those three teams, but also the Blue Jays and Rangers in his shortlist for the Jay Bruce grand prize, which seems like an unlikely scenario considering where he was before the season began.
The deal was first announced Monday before the non-waiver trade deadline, giving the Red Sox another veteran for the bullpen in their pursuit of Baltimore and Toronto in the AL East race.
That move never came to fruition, as talks lost steam and the Mets eventually went out and acquired Yoenis Cespedes from the Tigers.
The questions about whether the New York Mets will be buyers or not have been answered, and emphatically.
The Mets have been linked to Bruce for over a year, but now it appears to be closer to actually happening. In 2014, he struggled with a knee injury, had surgery and returned quickly, but hit just.217/.281/.373 with 18 home runs.
To acquire Bruce, the Mets give up Nimmo, their No. 5 ranked prospect by MLB.com and No. 3 ranked prospect by Baseball America.
The right-handed Light has a 2.32 ERA in 31 innings for Triple-A Pawtucket. 875 on-base plus slugging (OPS). Bruce alone is hitting.
The third piece of the rumored package going to the Reds is 22-year-old right-hander Chris Flexen.
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By the way, the Mets visit Great American Ball Park to play the Reds on September 5-7.
