Mets ‘on verge’ of trading for Reds outfielder Jay Bruce

Bruce figures to be slotted into the middle of the Mets’ lineup, but it’s less clear where he fits in the outfield. The Mets are ranked 28th in overall offense and have the league’s worst batting average. After the coveted catcher exercised his veto rights on a trade from Milwaukee to the Indians, the Mets had not made new overtures for the All-Star catcher, an industry source said Sunday night.

Bruce homered in five straight games in late July, a career best. Conforto’s OPS has dropped from.841 as a rookie to.711 this season.

My hunch is the Mets will eventually land Joe Smith (Angels), Chris Withrow or Jim Johnson (Braves), but they’ve been linked to a handful of other relievers, all of whom would help their overused bullpen. One of the sticking points in a potential trade for Beltran is the fact that teams are asking the New York Yankees to cover part of Beltran’s salary as part of a possible deal. Chris Archer has pitched poorly (5-14, 4.42 ERA, 155 strikeouts) after finishing fifth in Cy Young voting past year, but the Dodgers have shown interest in acquiring him. In exchange, they sent two prospects to Cincinnati: infielder Dilson Herrera, who was widely regarded as the Mets’ second baseman of the future, and pitcher Max Wotell, a third-round draft pick in 2015.

Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com confirmed Heyman’s report (h/t SportsCenter).

The Mets entered Monday’s play 2 ½ games behind the Miami Marlins for the second wild card spot, and 6 ½ games behind the Washington Nationals in the National League East. Winning the division isn’t likely, but with 58 games to play there’s obviously still a chance.

The news broke on August 1, the trade deadline.

The Dodgers are becoming increasingly impatient with Puig, who’s performance on the field has gone steadily downhill over time. Bruce has a team option for next season, but the Mets aren’t looking for a long term player just a rental for a few months. If he is a debacle in left field and reverts to hitting like he did in 2014 and 2015-when he had an ugly.695 OPS-then he’ll only cost $1 million to set free.