MLB Rumors: Jay Bruce has plenty of suitors at MLB Winter Meetings
Major League Baseball’s offseason is in full swing and outfielder Jay Bruce appears to be a hot commodity at the Winter Meetings.
Teams are looking to keep up with the defending World Series champion Houston Astros or the New York Yankees after their acquisition of Giancarlo Stanton and the Winter Meetings are the perfect place to do it. One of the biggest names in free agency is outfielder Jay Bruce and there are quite a few teams vying for his services. Jon Heyman had this note on Monday night:
Mets, rockies, jays and mariners are among teams eying jay bruce at present.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 12, 2017
Bruce is only 30 and is coming off a season that was split between the Mets and the Indians. He hit .254 with 36 home runs and a .832 OPS. It’s interesting the Mets are interested in a reunion. They have some talent but are looking to upgrade their offense. They’ve also been connected to Pirates utility man Josh Harrison.
Colorado would have to be interesting to Bruce as he would get to play half his games at Coors Field, which is a dream spot for a power hitter. The Rockies are looking to build off their Wild Card appearance from last season and Bruce could likely fill an outfield spot or possibly play first base for them. The Ian Desmond experiment hasn’t worked out the way they were hoping.
The Blue Jays are interesting as they are a team that seems to be unsure of what direction they’re heading. They could potentially be facing a bit of a reload to make a run in the AL East or could go the route of rebuilding. Bruce would certainly not fit the latter part of that, so it seems as though the Blue Jays are looking to compete.
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As far as the Mariners, they are obviously pushing hard to make the postseason and turn their fortunes around. They may have missed out on the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes but did swing a trade with the Miami Marlins for Dee Gordon. Adding a power bat to a lineup with Gordon, Robinson Cano, Kyle Seager and Nelson Cruz would form a formidable top end of the order. Jay Bruce will have plenty of choices and should be in a good position to score a major contract.