UPDATE (July 29, 4:50 p.m. PT): The Los Angeles Dodgers reportedly are working with the Cincinnati Reds and un unknown club on a three-team trade involving Jay Bruce.
Among the various outfielders the Los Angeles Dodgers have been tied to in rumors, Jay Bruce of the Cincinnati Reds has been the player mentioned with the most frequency.
That’s also held true for Bruce in a broader scope, as he’s often been the subject of trade rumors and was nearly dealt to the Toronto Blue Jays in a three-team deal during the offseason. Bruce during the All-Star break that he expected to be traded and that the Dodgers are the type of contending club he’d wish to join.
Their interest in the 29-year-old was first reported late last month. Since that time the Dodgers have been linked to Colorado’s Carlos Gonzalez and Oakland’s Josh Reddick.
With Monday’s non-waiver trade deadline rapidly approaching, the Dodgers are among the clubs who continue to discuss a potential trade for Bruce, according to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick:
#Dodgers, #Nationals and #Orioles have been talking with #Reds about Jay Bruce, source says. #SFGiants and #Mariners appear to be out.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) July 29, 2016
On Wednesday, Bruce tied a Reds franchise record with a five-game streak with at least one home run; he’s homered six times in the past five games. The performance helped the Reds take two of three games from both the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants.
Bruce this season is batting .271/.323/.572 with 22 doubles, 25 home runs and a National League-best 79 RBIs. He also owns an impressive .371 wOBA and 130 wRC+ over 95 games. Since 2012 Bruce has ranked among the best hitting NL outfielders in several offensive categories.
His power from the left side, coupled with being under team control through 2017, seemingly make Bruce an ideal trade target for the Dodgers. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has thus far resisted completing a significant deal for a rental.
