Again enduring a summer of somnambulant bats that undercut a capable pitching staff, the New York Mets on Monday agreed to acquire slugging right fielder Jay Bruce from the Cincinnati Reds for second baseman Dilson Herrera and pitcher Max Wotell.
The move is reminiscent of last summer’s, when the second-place Mets added Yoenis Cespedes in an attempt to catch the Washington Nationals in the NL East. Cespedes went on a tear, the Mets won 37 of their next 59 games and finished eight games clear of the rest of the division, nine ahead of the Nationals, and went to the World Series.
It may not be that easy the second time around, as Monday found the Mets 6 ½ back of a better Nationals team that just acquired closer Mark Melancon and 2 ½ back of the resurgent Miami Marlins. They’ve also lost Matt Harvey to injury. Cespedes has a sore quadriceps, shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera strained his left knee Sunday, and Juan Lagares and Jose Reyes are on the disabled list.
Bruce, 29, is having one of the best seasons of his career, batting .265 with 25 home runs and 80 RBI. Of particular interest to the Mets, Bruce is a .360 hitter with runners in scoring position. The Mets have batted a league-low .206 in those situations, among the reasons their offense has suffered.
Bruce is under contract through 2017, assuming the Mets pick up a reasonable option for $13 million. Cespedes can opt out of his contract after this season, or return for $37.5 million over the next two seasons.
Bruce will play right field for the Mets. Cespedes would play left field and Curtis Granderson and Michael Conforto are expected to share center field.
At the end, the Mets outlasted a half-dozen or so teams that also sought Bruce. The Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays had interest. The Blue Jays believed they had struck a trade for Bruce in February, only to have the deal scuttled during the final stages.
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