CLEVELAND BRINGS IN SLUGGER JAY BRUCE
The Cleveland Indians acquired outfielder Jay Bruce from the New York Mets for pitcher Ryder Ryan.
What does it give the Cleveland Guardians
Cleveland remains atop the AL Central standings, and adding Bruce gives them a key boost for the stretch run. Recent injuries to key offensive players Michael Brantley and Lonnie Chisenhall made adding a big bat like Bruce's essential, and he should slot in nicely as a middle-of-the-order power bat to take some pressure off slugger Edwin Encarnacion. Bruce's contract comes off the books following this season.
What does it give the New York Mets
For the non-contending Mets, this deal is mostly about moving Bruce's salary. After he was not picked up off waivers following the non-waiver trade deadline, the Mets found a taker here for Bruce and his big salary. Ryan has a fairly live arm but has struggled significantly with keeping his ERA down this season. He should provide organizational bullpen depth for his new team.
Fantasy impact
Expect Bruce to become a middle-of-the-order regular soon for Cleveland, playing mostly right field. His overall numbers should probably get a small, solid boost with this move--so if he is available in your fantasy league he is probably a nice pickup for the home stretch. Expect his departure to mean more at-bats for players such as first base prospect Dominic Smith and outfielders Michael Conforto and Juan Lagares. With Cleveland, expect Austin Jackson, Abraham Almonte and Brandon Guyer to see downturns in fantasy value once Brantley and/or Chisenhall return. Ryan should not be on anyone's fantasy radar for now.
