MLB Trade Deadline 2015: Rumors, Predictions for Jay Bruce, Tyler Clippard, More

One of the most exciting parts of the MLB season is heading to the wire, as we enter the final days before the July 31 trade deadline. Teams in a position to contend for a playoff spot are looking to add talent and patch holes while the also-rans aim to regroup for the future.

Jay Bruce

Over the weekend, the scuffling Cincinnati Reds traded their ace, Johnny Cueto, to the defending AL champion Royals, making Kansas City a dangerous contender down the stretch.

Expect the Reds to make more teams happy in the week ahead. According to ESPN's Jayson Stark, an MLB executive "shopping for bats" told him the Reds are going all-in to save on payroll:

Few teams make more sense as a buyer for Bruce than the New York Mets. The Mets have been a pleasant surprise in 2015, as their stellar pitching has kept them in contention all year long. Heading into the final stretch of the season, they are positioned well for a playoff spot, but their anemic offense will be an obstacle if they don't do something about it. 

The Mets' beat writer for MLB.com, Anthony DiComo, tweeted on July 26 that the Mets are scouting Bruce heavily:

Nobody is ever going to confuse Bruce with Mike Trout, but he has a track record as an offensive contributor, and his bat would be a welcome addition in the middle of the Mets' batting order. 

Bruce's numbers have been trending upward all year long, and even factoring in his early season struggles, he's still put up better production than anybody in the Mets' starting outfield:

Per Baseball-Reference.com	HR	BA	OBP	Slugging
Jay Bruce	16	.258	.341	.484
Michael Cuddyer	8	.250	.303	.380
Juan Lagares	3	.254	.279	.331
Curtis Granderson	14	.251	.344	.421

As the Big Apple's "other" big league team, the Mets need to capitalize on the unexpected good fortune they have enjoyed so far this season. General manager Sandy Alderson has never been shy about taking on big contracts. It's not exactly a bold prediction, but I expect to see Bruce in a Mets jersey in the coming days. 

Tyler Clippard

Eric Risberg/Associated Press

Oakland GM Billy Beane is one of the sport's legendary horse traders. Very few baseball executives end up the subject of a best-selling book and far fewer still see themselves portrayed on the big screen by Brad Pitt.

Beane has a habit of making headlines this time of year. Expect a few more from him ahead of this year's deadline. 

According to the San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser, closer Tyler Clippard is likely to be the first player Oakland ships. On July 26, the beat writer quoted "sources" as stating that one of the Mets, Yankees and Nationals could end up acquiring him.

For fans familiar with the 2003 best seller Money Ball, which followed Oakland's front office for a season, a deal with Clippard looks like classic Beane. The A's made Clippard their temporary closer early in the year, and he's since performed adequately in the role. 

That's allowed him to post some stat lines that inflate his value well above what it would have been in his more familiar middle-relief role. 

If the A's trade Clippard to any of the three teams listed above, he'll almost certainly be moving to a supporting bullpen role for his new club. The Mets, Nationals and Yankees each have a better closer than Clippard already:

Per Baseball-Reference.com	Saves	ERA	FIP	WHIP	SO/W
Tyler Clippard	17	2.79	3.89	1.19	1.81
Drew Storen, Nationals	29	1.73	1.91	1.01	4.89
Jeurys Familia, Mets	27	1.70	2.98	0.965	3.77
Dellin Betances, Yankees	7	1.38	1.71	0.803	3.95

If Clippard ends up in pinstripes, he could provide some veteran stability to shore up the relatively inexperienced Betances. He'd be a quality arm to add to any of the three playoff contenders, but I'm predicting he'll end up with the Yankees. 

Fire Sale Looming in San Diego?

Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press

The Padres have been one of 2015's big disappointments, and with the trade deadline now directly on the horizon, they could be moving out contracts at a wholesale rate. ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted that the "industry perception" is that the club will be looking to make moves:

CBS Sport's Jon Heyman echoed Olney in his own July 26 column, naming each of James Shields, Andrew Cashner and Craig Kimbrel as up for grabs. This is all a very discouraging turnaround for the Padres, who entered this season with a payroll over $100 million and expectations to contend. 

According to Heyman, Shields is due $66 million over the next three years and doesn't have a no-trade clause in his contract. Shields is a workhorse arm, currently leading the league in games started for a third straight season.

Shields will draw a ton of interest on the trade market, as will Kimbrel, who is one of baseball's premier closers. He led the NL in saves from 2011 through 2014 and has put up 29 more so far this season.

The entire Padres roster looks to be potentially in play, including outfielders Justin Upton and Will Venable along with pitchers Tyson Ross and Ian Kennedy. It's easy enough to predict that the entire Padres lineup will look radically different by the end of this season.