Mets acquire NL RBIs leader Jay Bruce from Reds

The New York Mets are making the right moves at the right time, again. A team that was three games over.500 at the beginning of August was one of the last two remaining in late October, and a lot of it could be traced back to the Cespedes trade.

Bruce, at age 29, is having possibly the best offensive season of his career.

The downside? Bruce is an terrible defender and the Mets are barely over.500, leaving questions about how much this moves the needle for them in 2016. The Mets already have a bunch of left handed bats in their lineup and are now banged up with injuries. He has always been a solid power threat, hitting an average of 27 doubles and 26 home runs per season before this year, but he’s looking to surpass anything he’s ever done before with 25 home runs and 80 RBI, both on pace for career bests.

“I think he’ll make a big impact”, manager Terry Collins said.

With the Reds in rebuilding mode, it is essential for future players to get playing time. Overall, this has nearly completely eliminated his value as a player, giving him a 0.7 fWAR despite a 125 wRC+.

It’s hard to part with a player that’s been with your franchise as long as Bruce had, but the Reds realized there was no value in keeping him on the roster anymore. The biggest change would appear to be Curtis Granderson shifting into center field.

Granderson received a day off Tuesday, and Collins said he planned to speak with the veteran outfielder about shifting positions. How effective he’ll play at the position remains to be seen. Bruce should help the Mets overcome a recent injury to Yoenis Cespedes. Winning the division isn’t likely, but with 58 games to play there’s obviously still a chance. Cespedes was out of the lineup for a third straight game because of the latest flare-up of his balky right quadriceps. A stint on the disabled list is still a real possibility. Last year, right-hander Michael Fulmer was dealt to Detroit for Cespedes. Since being re-promoted, Conforto hasn’t really played much better.

NY clinched the NL East title in Cincinnati last September and returns for a three-game series from Sept. 5-7.

Bruce is a notoriously streaky hitter.

Cespedes will be one of, if not, the premier free agents this upcoming winter.

Ruggiano is a righty. They’ve been linked to other players like Jonathan Lucroy for the past few weeks, and while those specific talks didn’t yield results, there is still a little less than three hours before the 4:00 ET deadline.

The new-look Mets and Yankees begin their four-game Subway Series at Citi Field tonight. He’s going to be sidelined for at least six weeks.

Bruce, however, is an imperfect fit for the Mets. Collins will definitely have his hands full in the coming weeks with lineup tweaks and permutations.