At approximately 3:40 PM EST, the Reds traded slugger Jay Bruce to the New York Mets. Bruce, who is hitting.
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Bruce arrives as the National League’s RBI leader with 80. Too bad the Mets often look like they need someone to rescue them from the no-man’s land that is hovering around the. They did not “fleece” the New York Mets, nor did they massively increase the odds that this deep, dark rebuild will see the light at the end of the tunnel any faster than it would have before.
As for pitching, Jonathon Niese returns to the Mets after trading Antonio Bastardo to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was a first-round draft pick, a highly-heralded player coming up through the system, and he got off to such a great start in 2008 when he came up.
The Reds also got outfielder Brandon Nimmo and two other lower level prospects in the deal, furthering their efforts to rebuild, though that process, from the standpoint of what Cincinnati has gotten back in trades for key players, remains less than inspiring.
NY was 54-50 a year ago, as well, which illustrates the point about how things can change in August and September. “All we can do is try to acquire as many good players as we can to put ourselves in a position to maybe have that magic again”, Alderson said. When he joins New York, Niese will presumably move back into the rotation, with Logan Verrett going back into the bullpen.
“I think they all need to do that”, Collins said.
Jay Bruce #32 of the Cincinnati Reds is congratulated by teammates after he hit a solo home run against the San Francisco Giants in the top of the seventh inning at AT&T Park on July 27, 2016 in San Francisco, California. Cespedes was out of the lineup for a third straight game because of the latest flare-up of his balky right quadriceps. Bruce seems like the best fit, with the Reds looking for good, but not elite talent. Last season the addition of outfielder Yoenis Cespedes catapulted them past the Washington Nationals on their way to the National League crown.
“We’re still trying to figure out what’s going to be the best path to take”, Collins said. “We were not looking for a rental player, certainly not looking to give up the kind of talent we did for the next two months”. A downside has been his career-long penchant for following a torrid streak with an incredibly cold one. Bruce, 29, has spent his entire nine-year career with the Reds. The Mets could also lose their starting second baseman, Neil Walker, to free agency, which could open up a spot in the infield for Desmond. NY sends Andrew Miller to Cleveland Indians Justin Gloria- Jul 31, 2016 The Cleveland Indians are making big moves before the Major League Baseball trade deadline acquiring New York Yankees pitcher and reliever Andrew Miller early… He’d immediately slot in as a starter for the Reds.
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.
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Bruce was the bright, young future of a rising Reds’ team that peaked with a 97-win in 2012. Instead, the Reds are going to have to make a choice about the veteran second baseman and it won’t be easy or pretty. After hitting. 217 in 2014 and. 215 over 49 big league games in the “14 and ’15 seasons”. 249 hitter with 233 home runs and 718 RBIs. Next season? He has a $13 million team option.
