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The Cincinnati Reds have been lukewarm as of late, pulling themselves within five games of a .500 record. Despite the recent winning ways, the Reds are aware of the financial situation of the team and the tough decisions they face in the coming weeks.
One of those decisions regards the future of right fielder Jay Bruce. Bruce, who is in his seventh season in the majors, has struggled to find his stroke this season as he sports a .210 batting average. This dip in batting average over the past two seasons has led many to believe he is expendable due to his hefty contract. More likely than not, if he is dealt he will be a side piece of a larger deal.
If traded, the Reds will have a platoon of right fielders that have combined to play only 10 games. In those games, they hit .105 with no home runs or runs batted in. Taking a look at their farm system, they don’t have anyone major-league ready either. The Reds will not only have a left field platoon that struggles to produce but a right field platoon that fails the same way.
That is how it hurts them in the short-term, but trading Bruce is all about the long-term by shedding money off the books. Bruce has two years left on his six-year $51 million extension he signed in 2010. He will be owed $25.5 million over the next two years. The Reds don’t want to pay that money to somebody who is not putting up reasonable numbers. They can use the money saved to invest in young talent and possibly address multiple needs. This can put the team in a better position to contend in the future.
Ultimately, the Reds have a decision and the answer seems pretty obvious to me. While it will be tough to see Bruce go because of the person he is, as many say for any sport, baseball is a business.
