Mets Land Jay Bruce: Will His Stats Suffer In New York?

Mets land Jay Bruce to help slumping offense.

The Mets, desperate for offense, pick up Jay Bruce from the Cincinnati Reds. This trade is a bit peculiar because it moves Curtis Granderson to center field, where he hasn’t played since 2012. It also pushes fan-favorite Michael Conforto to the bench and prospect Brandon Nimmo back to the minors. Nimmo was originally included in the deal. Here is the final version of it:

Bruce is also a below average defender. When you couple him with the aging Granderson in center and Yoenis Cespedes in left on a bum leg, and you may have the worst outfield defense in the majors. This trade is all about the offense though. Which also makes this peculiar. Bruce is a notoriously streaky hitter. If he were to go cold at the wrong time, say the playoffs, the Mets are no better off than they are now.

Bruce is hitting .265 with 25 homers and a National League leading 80 RBI. He is the first player to be traded in the middle of the season while leading the league in RBI. Bruce will continue to hit in the middle of the lineup in New York, so he should continue to see many RBI opportunities. His power may take a little bit of a hit moving from Great American Ball Park, but it wont really be noticeable. I wouldn’t be in a rush to trade Bruce, or trade him for less than his numbers have indicated so far. Owners will still get production out of him.

The Bruce trade opens up an outfield slot for top prospect Jesse Winker. Winker is hitting .286 for AAA Louisville, but he only has two homers in 306 at bats. They could also play Jose Peraza in the outfield. If they call up Winker, he is worth a look in deeper leagues. He has a career .294 average in the minors with 53 homers, 259 RBI, and 20 steals in 447 games. Peraza should be on your radar if you are desperate for speed, even though he wont help you anywhere else.

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In lieu of Nimmo, the Reds picked up infield prospect Dilson Herrera. Herrera has hit .215 with six homers and 17 RBI in 49 major league games. He has spent the entire season at AAA Las Vegas, hitting .276 with 13 homers, 55 RBI, and six steals. Herrera will likely be called up in September. The Reds tried to move Brandon Phillips, but he blocked a deal to the Nationals. Herrera should take over for Phillips at second base full time next year. He should be on your radar in dynasty leagues, but likely wont help you in single season leagues this year.

They also pick up 19 year old Max Wotell. Wotell is 3-1 with a 3.94 ERA at rookie league Kingsport this year in six starts. He was the Mets third round draft pick last year. He was ranked in the top 40 of Mets minor league prospects though. Any contribution he has in the majors is likely at least three years away.

Next: Will Andrew Miller Continue To Dominate In Cleveland?

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