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With the Trade Deadline just days away, the Mariners are reportedly showing interest in Jay Bruce.
According to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN, the Seattle Mariners have contacted the Cincinnati Reds regarding Jay Bruce. The Reds are in rebuilding mode, and are known to be motivated to move the star outfielder.
The #Mariners are among the teams that have reached out to the #Reds on Jay Bruce, baseball sources said.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) July 27, 2016
The 29-year-old right fielder has put together arguably the best season of his career in 2016. Bruce currently sports an impressive .271/.324/.567 slash line across 389 plate appearances this year. He has tallied 22 doubles, 6 triples, 24 home runs and driven in a league high 78 runs through 94 games. Bruce represented the Reds at the All-Star Game earlier this month for the third time in his career.
Originally selected in the first round of the 2005 draft by the Reds, Bruce reached the big leagues in May of 2008. He has been a mainstay in the heart of the Reds’ lineup ever since. Through 9 seasons in Cincinnati, Bruce has hit .249 with 232 home runs and 716 runs batted in. He has homered at least 20 times in 8 of his 9 seasons, breaking the 30 home run threshold 3 times.
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Prior to this season, Bruce’s best campaign came back in 2013. Bruce helped get the Reds to the postseason after slashing .262/.329/.478 with 30 round trippers and 109 RBI across 160 contests. He took home the Silver Slugger award for his efforts, and finished 10th in National League Most Valuable Player voting.
Bruce is relatively affordable, and unlike most of the other players available, he would not be a rental. The slugger is only making $12.5 million this season, and has a $13 million dollar team option for 2017.
Bruce has clearly been a productive player for the Reds, but he fell on hard times during the 2014 and 2015 seasons. He posted a pedestrian .222/.288/.406 slash line with 44 long balls and 153 RBI through 294 games.
Another concern many have with Jay Bruce is the fact that he is just average defensively. He has registered a .984 fielding percentage as a right fielder during his career in Cincinnati, which falls just short of the .985 league average. His 85 career outfield assists are impressive, but not earth shattering.
The Mariners clearly have a need for a corner outfielder right now, and Bruce is one of the top players available. Nori Aoki has been a disaster as the M’s left fielder and leadoff man this season. The veteran outfielder has hit just .249 with 1 home run, 13 RBI and 4 stolen bases in 2016. His performance has been so disappointing that Seattle demoted Aoki to Tacoma last month.
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There has been no suggestion of what the Reds would be seeking from the Mariners in return for Bruce. But it’s safe to assume it would involve at least one of Seattle’s top prospects. I’m sure Cincinnati would love to build a package around a bat like Tyler O’Neill or an arm like Edwin Diaz. Personally, I believe it would be a mistake to part with either one of these players.
Bruce is a powerful presence in the middle of a lineup, but I’m not sure he is a fit with the Mariners. He is more of an all or nothing type of hitter, and he has trouble making consistent contact. The M’s have hit the third most home runs in baseball, but they only sit 3 three games over .500 on July 27.
The Beaumont, TX product hits from the left side of the plate, and lefty power hitters is not something the Mariners are lacking. With Robinson Cano, Kyle Seager, Seth Smith and Adam Lind in the lineup against right-handed pitching, adding Bruce to the M’s starting 9 would be redundant. You can never have too many runs, but acquiring an outfielder who hits from the right side of the plate would make more sense for Seattle.
Next: M’s Deal Joaquin Benoit to Toronto for Drew Storen
Ultimately, I would be on board if the Mariners can land Jay Bruce while still retaining their top prospects. However, I do not believe he is a perfect fit in Seattle and I would be against trading the future of the organization for a pure power hitter.