17 comments on “Mets re-up with Jay Bruce on three-year deal”
Hunter
Now get a second baseman and we’re ready to rock and roll.
MattyMets
Good signing and fair deal. When Conforto comes back we have a very solid middle of the order. Injuries robbed us of seeing that 3-4-5 come together much last season but that’s potentially 100 HRs and 300 RBI in the middle. Just need some table setters in front of them.
David Groveman
Agreed Matty,
We still don’t have an ideal #1 or #2 hitter but Amed Rosario seems like a candidate to fill that role. The question remains if Wilmer Flores, Asdrubal Cabrera, Travis d’Arnaud and Dominic Smith do enough offensively to support the heart of the order.
I wonder if the Mets could trade with the Marlins and offer to trade prospects and financial relief (Starlin Castro) for Starlin Castro and J.T. Realmuto. The lineup looks mightily better with Castro hitting first/second and Realmuto hitting sixth.
Chris F
Welcome back Jay!
Was a Bruce guy from the start. I confess to not seeing the bigger picture. LH power seems a bit much to my eyes.
NormE
Barring any other surprise move, it would seem to me that Wilmer Flores may get most of his playing time at 2B rather than platooning at 1B.
Eraff
They’re a step closer to having a “competent enough lineup” around a pitching staff that needs to show health and performance.
The lineup has 2 highly questionable holes at 1b and SS..that’s the trade off with young players.
I don’t think the Smith-Bruce-Flo-Lagares-Nimmo RF/1B “platoon” offers much in the way of advantages… I’m guessing that Smith gets a shot until Conforto gets back—that forces a decision around 1b and Centerfield.
Sorry, couldn’t pass up that straight line. Anyway, not sure Bruce is in the platoon boat, even though his numbers last year support that idea. I see him starting the vast majority of times that he’s healthy.
My expectation is that they still sign a 2B/3B. If we go with the original assumption that there was $30 million to spend this offseason, they still have around $10 million remaining. We’ll see.
Eraff
No…Jay’s not a Platoon, exactly—I’m just trying to figure out how you play that “selection” around the 2 slots.
My main takeaway is that Wilmer is best in the 400 or so Bench/Swing AB’s…and he’s a logical RH bat at 1b, which I believe to be his only “Survivable Glove”.
For now, that gives you a pretty ok outfield Rotation, if Nimmo and Lego give you anything.
Mainly, I don’t yet see a Roster with complementary players who correct/add for missing skills. If Wilmer plays 2b and Smith struggles versus Lefties—what then???
They present (today) with big questions at 1b, ss, cf, 2b….and the bigger questions at Pitching. I kind of like what they’ve done this off-season….. I expect/want an infielder….and patience…and a reason for June/July moves
Chris F
If Flores is the starting 2B, then any other FA signing is a waste of money. Thats a full raising of the white flag to put a guy incapable of playing the keystone at a minor league level, let alone when the game is at full speed. I think if you do a rookie at SS and Flores at 2B, you immediately add 2 or 3 outs per game in errors and failed DPs. Do we really want to play 32+ out games nightly? Not me.
Steevy
Good deal,especially if he is as productive as he was last year.
John Fox
I’d have him play first base a lot in ST, I’m far from sold on Dominic Smith.
Metsense
The signing of Bruce should solidify the middle of the batting order with a proven home run hitter. He is a durable player that has averaged 150 games played over the last three seasons. He can also play first base. The 3/39 contract is not an overpay or too long. It is a good signing.
Name
Bruce is OK. I’m not jumping for joy but i’m not enraged like Carlos Santana’s contract. I’m more disappointed because it’s a continuation of the lack of creativity by Alderson. The 2017 team was identical to the 2016 team and now it looks like he’s trying to do the same. I fully expect Walker and Reed back at this rate. Granny too. Just likes to do the same thing over and over again, which gets boring as a fan. He probably orders the same lunch from the same store every single day.
His streak of not touching the offseason trade market is at 5 years – the last being RA Dickey… Lazy lazy lazy.
I think Walker is an outside shot, now that Bruce is back. I’d put Frazier as a much more likely acquisition. I see no way that Reed comes back.
While they happened very late in the offseason, both Jerry Blevins and Alex Torres were brought in via trades for 2015.
Name
Both Blevins and Torres were traded a few days before Opening Day.
My definition of the offseason is end of World Series to about the first week of Spring Training. The bulk of the offseason trades usually wraps up by the end of January though. After that it’s just leftover Free Agents begging for the few remaining jobs.
This offseason is definitely a change of pace from the last 2 when pretty much everything was wrapped up mid-Jan. This year of the 17 FAs you listed in here https://mets360.com/?p=33934 only 3 have signed thus far.
larrydarylndaryl
I’m fine with the Bruce signing & feel that with Lagares & Nimmo as backups our outfield is set. I’d like to sign Frazier now for 3B (only at a reasonable contract) & see if there is anyway to offload Cabrera’s salary. We will still have Flores, TJ & possibly the young kid at AA as infield depth. Add 1 Dickey type ‘inning eater’ & I think we can at least make a run at wild card……..who knows??
Reports are that the Mets have signed Jay Bruce to a 3/$39 million. 
Now get a second baseman and we’re ready to rock and roll.
Good signing and fair deal. When Conforto comes back we have a very solid middle of the order. Injuries robbed us of seeing that 3-4-5 come together much last season but that’s potentially 100 HRs and 300 RBI in the middle. Just need some table setters in front of them.
Agreed Matty,
We still don’t have an ideal #1 or #2 hitter but Amed Rosario seems like a candidate to fill that role. The question remains if Wilmer Flores, Asdrubal Cabrera, Travis d’Arnaud and Dominic Smith do enough offensively to support the heart of the order.
I wonder if the Mets could trade with the Marlins and offer to trade prospects and financial relief (Starlin Castro) for Starlin Castro and J.T. Realmuto. The lineup looks mightily better with Castro hitting first/second and Realmuto hitting sixth.
Welcome back Jay!
Was a Bruce guy from the start. I confess to not seeing the bigger picture. LH power seems a bit much to my eyes.
Barring any other surprise move, it would seem to me that Wilmer Flores may get most of his playing time at 2B rather than platooning at 1B.
They’re a step closer to having a “competent enough lineup” around a pitching staff that needs to show health and performance.
The lineup has 2 highly questionable holes at 1b and SS..that’s the trade off with young players.
I don’t think the Smith-Bruce-Flo-Lagares-Nimmo RF/1B “platoon” offers much in the way of advantages… I’m guessing that Smith gets a shot until Conforto gets back—that forces a decision around 1b and Centerfield.
The team needs a 2bman..Flo is not an ED player
“The team needs a 2bman..Flo is not an ED player”
Man, I hope not – he’s a little young for that.
Sorry, couldn’t pass up that straight line. Anyway, not sure Bruce is in the platoon boat, even though his numbers last year support that idea. I see him starting the vast majority of times that he’s healthy.
My expectation is that they still sign a 2B/3B. If we go with the original assumption that there was $30 million to spend this offseason, they still have around $10 million remaining. We’ll see.
No…Jay’s not a Platoon, exactly—I’m just trying to figure out how you play that “selection” around the 2 slots.
My main takeaway is that Wilmer is best in the 400 or so Bench/Swing AB’s…and he’s a logical RH bat at 1b, which I believe to be his only “Survivable Glove”.
For now, that gives you a pretty ok outfield Rotation, if Nimmo and Lego give you anything.
Mainly, I don’t yet see a Roster with complementary players who correct/add for missing skills. If Wilmer plays 2b and Smith struggles versus Lefties—what then???
They present (today) with big questions at 1b, ss, cf, 2b….and the bigger questions at Pitching. I kind of like what they’ve done this off-season….. I expect/want an infielder….and patience…and a reason for June/July moves
If Flores is the starting 2B, then any other FA signing is a waste of money. Thats a full raising of the white flag to put a guy incapable of playing the keystone at a minor league level, let alone when the game is at full speed. I think if you do a rookie at SS and Flores at 2B, you immediately add 2 or 3 outs per game in errors and failed DPs. Do we really want to play 32+ out games nightly? Not me.
Good deal,especially if he is as productive as he was last year.
I’d have him play first base a lot in ST, I’m far from sold on Dominic Smith.
The signing of Bruce should solidify the middle of the batting order with a proven home run hitter. He is a durable player that has averaged 150 games played over the last three seasons. He can also play first base. The 3/39 contract is not an overpay or too long. It is a good signing.
Bruce is OK. I’m not jumping for joy but i’m not enraged like Carlos Santana’s contract. I’m more disappointed because it’s a continuation of the lack of creativity by Alderson. The 2017 team was identical to the 2016 team and now it looks like he’s trying to do the same. I fully expect Walker and Reed back at this rate. Granny too. Just likes to do the same thing over and over again, which gets boring as a fan. He probably orders the same lunch from the same store every single day.
His streak of not touching the offseason trade market is at 5 years – the last being RA Dickey… Lazy lazy lazy.
Thanks for the contract info in the other thread.
I think Walker is an outside shot, now that Bruce is back. I’d put Frazier as a much more likely acquisition. I see no way that Reed comes back.
While they happened very late in the offseason, both Jerry Blevins and Alex Torres were brought in via trades for 2015.
Both Blevins and Torres were traded a few days before Opening Day.
My definition of the offseason is end of World Series to about the first week of Spring Training. The bulk of the offseason trades usually wraps up by the end of January though. After that it’s just leftover Free Agents begging for the few remaining jobs.
This offseason is definitely a change of pace from the last 2 when pretty much everything was wrapped up mid-Jan. This year of the 17 FAs you listed in here https://mets360.com/?p=33934 only 3 have signed thus far.
I’m fine with the Bruce signing & feel that with Lagares & Nimmo as backups our outfield is set. I’d like to sign Frazier now for 3B (only at a reasonable contract) & see if there is anyway to offload Cabrera’s salary. We will still have Flores, TJ & possibly the young kid at AA as infield depth. Add 1 Dickey type ‘inning eater’ & I think we can at least make a run at wild card……..who knows??
I’d like Frazier for a Year…maybe 2…not a big fan