Jay Bruce is returning to the New York Mets on a three-year, $39 million contract, and my initial reaction was: Why would the Mets want Bruce when they already have Yoenis Cespedes and Michael Conforto to play in the outfield corners?
So let’s figure this out.
First, the money is relatively low-risk and not ridiculous. It’s also not a bargain, as Bruce’s name recognition exceeds his actual value. While he’s slugged 69 home runs the past two seasons -- 10th-most in the majors -- most of his value is wrapped up in those home runs as he was worth 0.