Mets Acquire Jay Bruce From Reds For Two Players At MLB Trade Deadline

UPDATE (4:35 p.m. ET): The deal now is official, and it’s actually Dilson Herrera, not Brandon Nimmo, as the centerpiece prospect the Cincinnati Reds have acquired from the New York Mets for Jay Bruce.

ORIGINAL STORY: The New York Mets are close to competing a deal for Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jay Bruce a few hours ahead of the 4 p.m. ET non-waiver MLB trade deadline.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post also reported the package heading back to Cincinnati.

Here’s the rationale behind the trade for the Mets.

The Mets have been linked to Bruce for over a year, but now acquiring him appears to be closer to actually happening.

As we noted in an earlier post Monday, the Mets’ offense ranks at or near the bottom of the National League in several categories, so Bruce would be a huge upgrade, given his NL-leading 80 RBI.

The defending NL champion Mets trail the Washington Nationals by 6.5 games in the National League East race, but they’re just 2 1/2 games out of a wild-card playoff spot.

Thumbnail photo via David Kohl/USA TODAY Sports Images