So, you’re the GM of the New York Mets and you’ve just signed 30-year-old Jay Bruce fresh off a 36 home run season to a three-year, $39M contract. What a steal, right?
Wrong. This slugger turns 31 and suddenly everything changes. He starts just 84 games, barely manages an OPS of .680 and turns in an ugly WAR of -0.4. What do you do now?
Jay Bruce was not a fan favorite when he first came to the Mets. His tenure with Orange and Blue began with a 2016 mid-season trade that sent Dilson Herrera to the Reds in exchange for the power-hitting right fielder.