It turns out that there may be a new Bruce Almighty in town.
According to a report by Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball on Friday, Reds outfielder Jay Bruce is drawing trade interest from many teams around the league, including the Indians, the Dodgers, the Rangers, the Blue Jays, and the Nationals.
The 29-year-old Bruce is batting .263/.314/.530 for Cincinnati this season with 19 home runs and 66 RBIs, numbers that were good enough to earn him a spot on the 2016 NL All-Star team. He is making $12.5 million this year and holds a $13 million player option for the 2017 campaign (which comes with a $1 million buyout). Bruce also has a limited no-trade clause that allows him to block deals to eight teams, per Spotrac. Of the aforementioned clubs, only the Blue Jays are on that list.
For what it’s worth, the Dodgers had registered interest in Bruce as recently as last month, and the Blue Jays almost swung a trade for him over the offseason before it ultimately fell through. The two-time Silver Slugger Award winner is a valuable bat who could conceivably fetch a decent haul of prospects, so he will at least be a name to keep an eye on as the trade deadline nears.
Image Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
H/T Rotoworld
