Trading Jay Bruce to the Mets certainly helps NY get their offense going again, but for what Cincy got in return, is not a good enough pull for expanding the talent in the Reds’ farm system at first glance. Originally the Mets were going to send either both or just one of Brandon Nimmo (Mets #5 prospect) or Dominic Smith (#4 overall 1B prospect by MLB pipeline), but instead received what the scouts believe is less than what Jay Bruce is worth. Obviously the Reds didn’t get the haul of prospects during the deadline period that the Yankees got, but for a rebuilding/desperate franchise like the Reds, trading away the current NL RBI leader needs to have meant blustering the farm system, maybe not just adding to it.
Dillon Herrera was once called the next Robinson Cano, but is now being referred to as disappointing and/or washed up. However, Herrera is still only 22-years-old with only 169 MLB plate appearances. Just because he has moved down in the prospect rankings, and has had some injury concerns, doesn’t mean he couldn’t develop as a future star for the Reds. However, the other prospect in the deal may have a lot more upside at just 19-years-old. Max Wotell was signed by the Mets in the 3rd round of the 2015 draft and given a big enough bonus to lure him away from going to the University of Arizona to play ball. The big lefty, many scouts believe, has at least 5 mph more to add to his current 91mph fastball, if he is willing to work with coaches on his delivery; Max is now ranked the #22 overall prospect in the Reds system. However, both of these guys are still very young and it will be up to the Reds player developers to determine whether both Max and Dilson do eventually bolster the farm system; that is why the Mets were happy to trade them away instead of their top promising young talent.
Yes, the Mets escaped giving up Brandon Nimmo and/or other top guys, but will it be worth it by now having acquired Bruce? Being currently 7.5 games out of first in the NL East, and 2.5 out of the second wild card spot, NY is hoping that Bruce will be their Yoenis Cespedes of 2016. Sure Jay Bruce is swinging a hot bat and will certainly propel the Mets’ offense some, but there are two major concerns. One is that the Grandy Man is not too happy about being pushed over to play center field, and two, NY’s biggest issue with their offense is hitting with runners in scoring position; with that said, Jay Bruce will absolutely help out there, as he is hitting .360 w/RISP in 89 at bats during his 2016 tenure. It may be a little awkward in terms of defense, but Bruce’s bat is what is important, and will hopefully ignite a fire in the lineup similar to what Cespedes did last summer for them. There are a lot of guys in that Mets lineup who are producing considerably, but not enough, so once Cespedes can fully get healthy, he will not be alone in terms of collecting big hits. And for a side note, Bruce is still under contract, so he is not only a nice addition for this season, but 2017 as well. Overall, even though the Reds didn’t get what they hoped for in the first place, they still got something valuable in return for yet another step in the right direction of demolishing and rebuilding.
