The clock has started again on the rumor mill for the New York Mets. Outfielder Jay Bruce, who was available prior to the non-waiver trade deadline, has cleared revocable trade waivers, Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports. This news isn’t surprising since there was minimal interest in Bruce at the trade deadline despite the fact he is on pace for career highs in homers and RBI’s. Part of the issue is that Bruce is still owed four million dollars through the end of the season, a high salary that teams would be hesitant to take on this late in the year with their budgets already locked in for 2017. Now that Bruce has cleared trade waivers the Mets can deal him anywhere they choose, opening him up to another whole month of trade speculation.
The Mets figure to have a high price tag for Bruce, who is batting .260 with 29 home runs and 75 RBI’s. Bruce is a free agent at the end of the season, and the Mets have been considering whether or not to keep him until the end of the season. Doing that would allow the Mets to extend Bruce a qualifying offer, which could bring them back a draft pick if he signs elsewhere, a commodity that may be more valuable than the low level prospects teams have previously offered them for Bruce’s services. Bruce figures to be the first of many Mets who will hear their names swirling in trade rumors this month, a group that also includes Curtis Granderson, Neil Walker, and Asdrubal Cabrera. There is no official deadline for waiver trades, but most teams want to complete deals by August 31st so that any players they acquire will be eligible for postseason play.
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