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·7 min read

Jay Bruce would look good in a Yankees uniform

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The Yankees, Jay Bruce, and Other Wishful Thinking

With the Major League non-waiver trade deadline two months away, it’s a good time to start discussing which players could be on the move before the dog days of Summer. (Jay Bruce would look good in a Yankees uniform.) Of course, a lot can change between now and the August 1st deadline. With three division winners and two Wild Card entries in the playoffs, teams are not as quick to deal as they once were. (Jay Bruce would look good in a Yankees uniform.) A team’s front office may take it down to the wire to decide if they’ll be a seller, buyer, or a mix of both.

The Yankees definitely fit in the “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it” category. It’s been a roller coaster-season thus far and will likely remain that way thru mid-July. So who would/should/could the Yankees be looking at? First, it’s important to recognize that the Yankees are not going to be adding significant payroll in any deal – unless it is for a player that they want to be a part of their long-term future. You could probably count the number of players that fit that category on two or three fingers. Second, unless a player is a great fit, is a keeper, and doesn’t make a ton of money, GM Brian Cashman will stick to his mantra that prospects Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Luis Severino (the Yankees haven’t given up on him based on the last two months of the season), and Jorge Mateo are off-limits.

With that said, the Yankees lineup really could use Jay Bruce. The Cincinnati Reds outfielder is in the final (guaranteed) year of his current contract. The Reds hold a $13MM option for 2017, with a $1MM buyout. In other words, Bruce could be available, but he won’t come cheaply because he’s not owed that much money. (The Reds or a trade partner would also have to pay what’s left of the $12.5MM Bruce is owed this season.) Cincinnati is having a miserable season (16-34 as of this writing), and is in rebuild mode. Bruce is one of the few players they have that can bring back good value. The 29-year old is in his ninth season in Major Leagues. He has averaged 26 home runs, 80 RBI, and has slugged better than .450 in six of his first eight seasons. After a slow start, Bruce was hitting .216/.317/.512 this season, with 9 HR and 31 RBI in 45 games played.

With an aging and injury laden team, and Carlos Beltran and Mark Teixeira in the final year of their contracts, Bruce, at the very least, would provide power and depth this season and next season. He would be an inexpensive full- or part-time right fielder, DH, and possible first baseman (despite having limited experience there). With the recent season-ending injury to OF/1B Dustin Ackley, Bruce is an even more desirable asset this year.

It’s likely the Yankees will be in the market for a starting pitcher, preferably a number two or three starter. A lot will depend on the health and continued success of Masahiro Tanaka and CC Sabathia, the ability or inability of Michael Pineda to turn his season around, Ivan Nova maintaining his recent consistency, and Luis Severino finding his game at Scranton. Nathan Eovaldi is really the only Yankees’  starter, at the moment, without a lot of question marks. (Recent rumors have the Cubs taking a serious look at Eovaldi – but unless they want to deal an Anthony Rizzo-type player, Cubs’ President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein can take a hike.)

There isn’t much quality starting pitching on the free-agent-to-be market, and those that are available may not be an upgrade over anyone in the current rotation. Former Met, and current Pirate left-hander, Jon Niese could fit into that category. The Yankees are always better off with more than one left-hander in the rotation, since Yankee Stadium is geared towards left-handed hitters. A major issue, however, is the Pirates’ success – they’ll most assuredly be in contention for the NL Central crown and/or NL Wild Card for the entire season. The same logic applies to another lefty, Gio Gonzalez of the Nationals. Gonzalez has a $12MM option on his contract with a $500K buyout. A more plausible target is the Cardinals’ left-hander Jaime Garcia. Coincidentally, Garcia has the same 2017 option/buyout as Gonzalez. With the Cardinals having the misfortune of being in the same division as the Cubs and Pirates, and with additional NL playoff contenders that are stronger than St. Louis, the Cardinals may be ready to move Garcia come late July.

 Rumors Around the Rest of MLB

One pitcher who may be moved well ahead of the deadline is San Diego Padres’ overpaid right-hander James Shields. The San Diego Union-Tribune has reported that the Chicago White Sox have been in talks with the Padres to acquire the veteran right-hander. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman confirmed the report via Twitter and added that other teams are also interested in Shields.

Shields, who didn’t help the Padres’ cause in his last start – 10 ER allowed in 2+ innings –  is owed $22MM in each of the next two seasons and has a $16MM team option/$2M buyout for 2019. Forget his Win-Loss record at the moment, and concentrate on the fact that (prior to his last start) he had a 3.06 ERA and a 1.299 WHIP. His K’s/9 innings match his career mark (7.8) and he’s thrown 200 or more innings in the last nine seasons. The 35-year old can opt out of the final two years of his deal, but why would he? A trade partner will either have to pick up a large chunk of his salary and offer lower prospects, or make the Padres pony up the majority of the money and send Major League-ready and/or top prospects in return.

“Take my first baseman, please”, is no punchline to the Philadelphia Phillies’ front office. The Phillies announced they are cutting first baseman Ryan Howard’s playing time, and while they won’t speak publicly about it, the Phils would love to get rid of Howard altogether. Of course, they should have thought about that before they gave Howard a ridiculous, five-year, $125MM extension in 2010. Despite his lack of production the last five years, the Phillies are finally in a position to move their 2001 fifth round pick, but it will cost them money. In all likelihood, the Phillies will have to pick up the remainder of the $25MM Howard is owed this season, and possibly part of the $10MM buyout for 2017. (No team is going to pick up Howard’s $23MM option for next season.) An AL team with a DH spot is the best landing spot for the defensively-deficient Howard.

The New York Mets have major injury concerns at both corners. Lucas Duda is out indefinitely with a back injury and All-Star third baseman David Wright is suffering from a herniated disk in his neck. For the short term, the Mets took an inexpensive route to replace Duda by acquiring first baseman James Loney from San Diego. If the Mets decide they need a bigger offensive weapon than Loney, they could look into pending free agents Mitch Moreland of Texas and Cleveland’s Carlos Santana. Moreland is a first baseman with outfield experience and Santana has played both corners and caught, though DH is his best position. Santana has a $12MM option for next season with a $1.2MM buyout, while Moreland will be an unrestricted free agent. Both hitters are usually good for 25 HR and 80 RBI per season. The drawback on both players, once again, is that they are on successful teams. Texas is currently in first place in the AL West and Cleveland is in the AL Wild Card hunt.

Other players that could be moved this Summer are: the Brewers’ Jonathan Lucroy and Ryan Braun, the Cardinals’ Matt Holliday (2017 team option $17MM/$1MM buyout), and the Twins’ struggling trio of Kurt Suzuki, Brian Dozier, and Trevor Plouffe.  Some teams will act earlier than others. Case in point, in an attempt to bolster their bullpen, the Toronto Blue Jays acquired veteran Jason Grilli from Atlanta.

If the Yankees choose to become sellers at the deadline, you will hear the names Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman tossed about countless times. They are the two Yankees that would bring back the most bang for the buck.

Check back in a few weeks, when Bronx Pinstripes will wade even deeper into the trade rumor pool.