Jay Bruce Reportedly Clears Waivers, Is Eligible to Be Traded

New York Mets outfielder Jay Bruce cleared waivers Friday, paving the way for him to be traded to any team before the Aug. 31 waiver deadline. 

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported the news.

Bruce, 30, is owed $4 million for the remainder of the 2017 season. He's hitting .269/.325/.531 with 29 home runs and 75 runs batted in this season, his first full year in New York.

"I feel like this is the most consistent I've been, which is huge," Bruce said last month, per Mark Carig of Newsday. "I pride myself on playing every single day, preparing, being ready to go, being the guy you can count on to post, and being a quality piece to a winning team. Individually this year, so far I've done that."

The same report said Bruce was not garnering much interest on the trade market despite his solid power numbers. That he cleared waivers with a relatively manageable $4 million remaining for this season only serves to confirm that narrative.

Rosenthal noted the teams on Bruce's no-trade list: 

From a numbers standpoint, it doesn't make all that much sense. FanGraphs measures Bruce as a 2.2-win player this season, his best total since 2013. While never a particularly good defensive outfielder, metrics have him being vastly better than he was any of the previous three seasons.

American League teams in need of pop could use him as a designated hitter and platoon him in a corner outfield spot. With Bruce hitting free agency at the end of the year, the Mets aren't likely to ask for much in terms of prospects.

Logically, Bruce should have been moved by the deadline. Now that he's cleared waivers, teams will probably start looking to pounce closer to deadline, when their financial obligation will be at its very bare minimum.