THE RUMOR: The Blue Jays are interested in trading for Reds outfielder Jay Bruce as part of a three-team trade involving the Angels.
REPORTED BY: Jon Heyman, MLB.com
DETAILS: Hours after Jose Bautista stated he won't be giving the Blue Jays a hometown discount next offseason, rumors started swirling that Toronto is interested in acquiring Jay Bruce.
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Bruce is a right fielder like Bautista, but the Reds star has struggled to reach base the past two seasons. His addition would give Toronto five home run hitters in the middle of its lineup. It would also make it one of the slowest outfields in baseball.
Fox Sports reported the Blue Jays are not one of the teams included on Bruce's no-trade list.
LAST SEASON: Bruce produced 26 home runs and 87 RBIs despite batting just .226 with a .294 OBP. The numbers were slight upgrades over Bruce's 2014 season when he had a .217/.281/.373 slash line with 18 home runs and 66 RBIs.
OUR TAKE: The Angels may want to re-evaluate this trade scenario because they could use Bruce more than Toronto, which already has plenty of power and lacks speed at that position. It didn't make sense when the Blue Jays traded Ben Revere for reliever Drew Storen earlier this offseason, and it doesn't make sense replacing him with a player like Bruce.
The only way Toronto can justify this trade is if it all but confirms Bautista is gone after the season.