Padres Trade Rumors: Jay Bruce A Target?

It seems that the Cincinnati Reds may be due for a shakeup with some of their big pieces. The Padres may be more than willing to take one of them including Jay Bruce. Here’s what Fox Sports Ken Rosenthal says:

Still, the Reds would be trading Bruce when his value is down. From 2010 to ’13, he batted .262 with an .826 OPS while averaging 30 home runs and 94 RBI. But he missed only 15 days after his surgery and returned without a rehabilitation assignment. The effect on his production was dramatic: Bruce finished with a .217 batting average, .654 OPS, 18 home runs and 66 RBI.The Padres are among the teams that have talked to the Reds about Bruce, sources say. A trade of Bruce would signal that the Reds are prepared to take a major step back in a season in which they will host the All-Star Game — and likely would be part of a greater restructuring.

Now for the record, Bruce in his career at Petco over 17 games (yes small sample size) has a line of .179/.247/.313.

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However, power is hard to come by, and the Padres haven’t been exactly the free agent bat destination. His slugging has declined the past three years and average the past two. He is going to be 28 right before the season starts and if his option gets picked up, would be locked up until 2017.

The Padres are going to be very active it seems. Keep an eye out all off-season long as we’ll keep you updated on all the rumors.