Bruce made pitcher-friendly AT&T Park look small. The Mets and Mariners also have been tied recently to Bruce, and Bob Nightengale of USA Today mentioned two “mystery teams” driving the market with “aggressive” bids. Bruce was drafted into the major league straight out of high school and has been with the Reds for almost a decade, where he is a starter playing right field. Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports reported earlier in the night that six teams are in the mix for Bruce, with recent reports citing the Nationals, Orioles and Mets joining the Dodgers in pursuit of the outfielder.
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Wheeler alone likely wouldn’t garner Cincinnatti’s interest this season.
The Cincinnati Reds claim that interest in trading for Jay Bruce has only been moderate this summer.
Signed through the 2016 season, there is a $13 million team option on Bruce’s deal. The outfielder is on pace for a career-best 40 home runs and is hitting.271/.323/.572 after a pair of down seasons from 2014-15.
The Dodgers are serious about their pursuit of Bruce, according to sources, and some in the industry view them as the most likely destination at this point. “You wouldn’t believe some of the stuff…”
Jocketty added that the Reds are looking for a legitimate prospect given Bruce’s value. The Beaumont, Texas, native is expected to be moved before Monday’s non-waiver trade deadline, but it sounds like Jocketty wants more for the eight-year veteran.
“There are clubs that have been engaged on Jay for a while, but they’re basically the same clubs”, Jocketty said.
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Double-A Jackson outfielder Tyler O’Neill was ranked 74th in the Top 100. I get the feeling we’ll again be seeing some action between now and then.
