Mets trade rumors: Mets, Reds worked on Jay Bruce deal all night

With the trade deadline bearing down on teams, the pressure to complete a deal is mounting. To that end, the Mets talked with the Reds through the night about a deal for Cincinnati right fielder Jay Bruce, per Ken Rosenthal. Rosenthal says the industry expectation is that a deal will happen with Zack Wheeler being the main piece heading to the Reds.

The 28-year-old Bruce has bounced back very nicely from a down 2014, returning to the offensive levels of his peak between 2010 and 2013. While Bruce has an excellent arm, his overall defensive work has rated quite poorly, so he'd be limited to a corner outfield spot. Reports have indicated that the Mets are willing to shift Curtis Granderson to center field to incorporate Jay Bruce without removing Michael Conforto. Needless to say, this a bit of a forced fit that will compromise the Mets defensively, but the offensive upgrade Bruce offers over Juan Lagares and Kirk Nieuwenhuis is significant. Bruce is also controlled at very reasonable prices (for teams not owned by the Wilpons at least ) through 2017, so he could presumably contribute down the line as well as helping in 2015.

The non-waiver deadline is at 4 PM EDT today, so the Mets have less than seven hours to complete a deal.