Mets: Two contenders likely on Jay Bruce’s limited no-trade list

Jay Bruce and his limited no-trade clause could have an impact on who the Mets can deal with

The Mets have been trying to move Jay Bruce a lot over the past few months. Before the season started it was almost a given that he would be sent packing somewhere else but no one really offered much for the veteran outfielder.

The Mets would eventually keep him, and thankfully so. Bruce has easily been one of the most consistent and solid pieces in the lineup. His 24 home runs are near the top of the lead in the National League, and he’s routinely come up big in high pressure situations throughout the season.

The Mets are unfortunately not going anywhere this season, so since Bruce is a free agent at the end of the year, the best thing would be to move him to a contender needing his services. The thing about that is that Bruce has a bit of a say as to where he doesn’t want to go at least.

As part of his current contract, Bruce has a limited no trade clause. This winter when the Mets were actively trying to move him, The New York Times’ James Wagner reported there were eight teams to which he would veto a trade should it occur: the Oakland A’s, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Miami Marlins, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Tampa Bay Rays, the Minnesota Twins, and the New York Yankees.

One of these teams in particular that’s in a the middle of a race — the D’backs — is looking for some outfield help. Bruce would be a really good fit there but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.

The other contender out in the AL East could use Bruce as a DH more than anything, but again, with Bruce not totally loving the idea of playing for the Evil Empire, that seems like a long shot too.

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Out of the current outfielders on the trading block, Bruce is probably the least likely to get traded. The Mets really like him now that he’s performed well in New York, so who knows what the future could hold for the 30-year old. Maybe they end up keeping him for the entire season, and trying to re-sign for 2018. I would have hated that idea back in January, but in July, in totally on board with it.