Your current subscription does not provide access to this content. You have now viewed your allowance of free articles. The current National League leader in runs batted in with 80 is expected to contribute some offensive firepower to a terrible Mets offense. Cessa made a few appearances for the Yankees at the beginning of the season, but is now a pitching for their AAA-team, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
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NY got the corner outfielder they want, but still lack in the department of speed and their ability to be able to produce runs at a steady pace.
During an introductory meeting Tuesday, manager Terry Collins asked Bruce about his comfort level in center field.
Coincidentally, Nimmo is the second Mets’ first-round pick to be traded at the deadline.
The A’s receive minor leaguers Jharel Cotton and Grant Holmes, along with Frankie Montas – who made seven appearances with the White Sox previous year – in the deal.
First things first, the Mets offense looks a lot like it did at this point in time last season.
Simply adding a player who has had a good amount of success in a mentally intensive part of the game could easily have a trickle-down effect on the state of mind of the rest of the lineup. I would have preferred to see Brandon Nimmo – projected by many scouts to be nothing more than a fourth outfielder – go as opposed to Herrera, but I’m not as high on the young infielder as others.
For the majority of the 2016 season, the Mets (54-51) have had trouble swinging at the plate; the team now ranks last in the major leagues with a pedestrian.206 batting average with runners in scoring position. Bruce will continue to hit in the middle of the lineup in NY, so he should continue to see many RBI opportunities. “Even though he’s an experienced major league player and a star in the big leagues, going to a new town and all the hoopla and you want to make an instant impact”. Cespedes was out of the lineup for a third straight game because of the latest flare-up of his balky right quadriceps. Bruce will play right field and Yoenis Cespedes is hoping to get back in left field next week.
“This was a very hard trade for us to make because of how our fans, ownership and everyone in our organization feel about Jay, but we acquired two quality players who better fit the direction our organization is heading”, Jocketty said. Bruce gives the team insurance in case Cespedes opts out of his contract.
Of course, Bruce’s stat line – on pace to be the best of his career – speaks for itself. A downside has been his career-long penchant for following a torrid streak with an incredibly cold one. The three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger is under team control through next season, as he has a $13 million team option in his contract for the 2017 season.
“It definitely shows that they’re doing everything they can to help us”, Mets second baseman Neil Walker said. NY reportedly will send rookie Brandon Nimmo as part of the deal to Cincinnati. Last year, ESPN’s Buster Olney predicted Herrera would be a future All-Star.
If they slip up and don’t make the playoffs this season, it could be a waste, but the odds are this trade should work for both sides. Herrera has hit.215 with six homers and 17 RBI in 49 major league games.
Travis d’Arnaud led off the bottom of the fifth with a solo homer off Tanaka (7-4, ) who was tagged for seven runs in 6 1/3 innings, giving up eight hits and striking out four.
Before the game Niese addressed his comments from December when he was perceived to be taking a shot at the Mets defense. Niese produced a 4.91 ERA with Pittsburgh, and Bastardo has been ineffective in the Mets’ bullpen.
However, questions about fit arose after the team got Bruce, considering he is joining a crowded outfield. He made some critical comments about New York’s defense after joining the Pirates.
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“I think they will adapt to it”, Joe Girardi said. “There’s still some guys that are still here that were here a year ago”. The left-hander agreed to a $12 million, two-year deal with NY in January and is owed $6.5 million in 2017.
