The New York Mets traded outfielder Jay Bruce to the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday evening, as first reported by Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan.
New York received minor-league reliever prospect Ryder Ryan in return.
It’s a big-time acquisition for the Indians, who just put outfielder Michael Brantley on the disabled list due to an ankle sprain. Bruce not only brings a lefty bat back into the lineup but a dangerous one, too.
Bruce led the Mets this season with 29 home runs and 75 RBI in 102 games. His previous career high in home runs for a single season was 34, which he hit with the Cincinnati Reds in 155 games during the 2012 season.
With Cleveland currently holding a 3.5-game lead over the Kansas City Royals in the AL Central, nabbing the 30-year-old is as good a rental it could get for the final eight weeks of the season. Indians outfielders have combined for 37 home runs total this season, making Bruce’s bat a welcomed addition.
He will become a free agent this winter, so don’t rule out a possible return to Queens.
The return for him is a puzzling one for the Mets though, considering the kind of bat they just gave up. The 22-year-old Ryan is not ranked within the Indians’ top 30 prospects and hasn’t necessarily impressed in the minors.
At single-A Lake County, he went 3-4 with a 4.79 ERA.
But because the Mets did not want to pay any part of Bruce’s remaining salary, the return was going to be lacking. That’s exactly what happened when the team dealt Addison Reed and Lucas Duda before the trade deadline.
