The Toronto Blue Jays might have something stirring in the works with the Cincinnati Reds as outfielder Jay Bruce has reportedly cut the team from his no-trade list.
The 28-year-old had Toronto on his no-trade list for years because he wasn't interested in moving to the American League. In the place of the Blue Jays, Bruce put the Cleveland Indians in their place, likely because they've been in the market for an outfielder.
According to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com, seven of the eight teams currently on his list include the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Oakland Athletics, Tampa Bay Rays, Miami Marlins, Minnesota Twins and Arizona Diamondbacks.
Bruce has spent the entirety of his eight year career with the Reds. General manager Walt Joketty sees no reason to move him, especially considering the team has already lost third baseman Todd Frazier and closer Aroldis Chapman in recent trades with the Yankees and Chicago White Sox.
Bruce provides the club with a Gold Glove caliber outfielder who can play both corner outfield spots with ease. He also brings a left-handed power bat to the dish, which is his biggest strength as a player.
As noted by TheScore, Bruce is guaranteed another $25.5 million over the course of the next two seasons. Looking at previous seasons, Bruce is a two-time All-Star (2011-12) and two-time Silver Slugger (2012-13).
Bruce has fought struggles of late, as he has totaled up a slash line of .222/.288/.406 and 294 strikeouts over the past two seasons, however, has managed to push his way through it, hitting 44 home runs and 56 doubles.
There are still plenty of outfielders left on the free agent market, some of which come at a lesser price and a team wouldn't have to pull from their minor league system. However, as teams get closer to the beginning of Spring Training, desperation sets in and the search to fill a whole on their roster could lead to several calls to the Reds front office about Bruce.