GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jay Bruce parked his car in a lot outside of left field here the other day before an exhibition game against the Dodgers, then strolled toward the gate, with teammate Joey Votto just ahead of him. Both were in full uniform and walking among fans, and either they were dismissed as crazy reenactors or they weren't noticed, because nobody looked at or said anything to them.
Or maybe some fans were just shocked to see Bruce in a Reds uniform, after nine months of trade rumors, at least two would-be deals that weren't finished and countless other swap discussions. Last July 31, Cincinnati and the Mets were on the cusp of a deal that would've sent Bruce to New York, and when those talks didn't get across the finish line, the Mets turned to the Tigers, who had been dangling Yoenis Cespedes.
Then, earlier this spring, Bruce appeared on his way to the Blue Jays in a three-team deal that also included the Angels, but that deal collapsed as well.
So Bruce is still with the Reds, and in conversation the other day, he chuckled at the circumstances. He feels great, he said, now two years removed from knee surgery, and he has had a good spring, batting .326 with an OPS of .936, five walks and seven strikeouts in 51 plate appearances. He has even worked on exploiting the shift with some well-placed bunts.
Bruce turns 29 next week and is still with the team that drafted him in the first round in 2005, but he has become something of an old guy on a team committed to rebuilding. Cincinnati has traded Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake, Aroldis Chapman and Todd Frazier, and they tried to move Brandon Phillips, but he exercised his veto power and rejected a deal to Washington. The Reds have turned over their pitching staff almost entirely in the past two years, and scouts who have seen them confirm the obvious: They will struggle to stop opposing offenses this year.
The offense should be OK, with Votto, Devin Mesoraco, Bruce, Phillips and others. But it figures that at some point the Reds will continue their push to move Bruce -- maybe Phillips as well -- and there could be some natural fits for Bruce. The White Sox have a need for a left-handed hitter and have some money available now that Adam LaRoche has retired, and Bruce would upgrade their defense. If Chicago still has payroll concerns, it should be noted that in the proposed deal to move Bruce to Toronto, the Reds would've eaten $5 million of his $12.5 million salary, to improve the quality of the prospect package returned to them. The Orioles also had discussions about Bruce earlier in the year, with some involved being skeptical about whether the prospect-thin Baltimore farm system would offer enough to meet the Reds' asking price. Injuries with other teams could always alter the trade landscape for Cincinnati, too.
Until then, Bruce will keep showing up in a Reds uniform, ready to play.
Bruce has made the most of a trying spring, writes C. Trent Rosecrans.