CINCINNATI -- Reds right fielder Jay Bruce knows he’s on the trading block, and that’s perfectly acceptable to him.
“I think it behooves them as an organization to always try and do what’s best for the organization,” Bruce said. “We’re part of an organization that’s much bigger than any one player. I think I trust they will make the decision they think is right. I’m fine with that, whatever it is. This is all I know: I would love to be part of this organization until the day I take the jersey off for good. It’s not up to me, it really isn’t. All I can do is be the best version of myself and be the best player I can be and try to continue to represent the organization as well as I can and see what happens.”
Bruce, 28, has one year remaining on his contract, and the club holds an option for 2017.
He was nearly traded to the New York Mets at the deadline in July. He’s been paying attention to the rumor mill.
“To say I don’t keep up with it would be false,” he said. “I keep up with it. It’s my job. I don’t concern myself with it too much. Since I was 18 years old, this is all that I’ve known. This is the organization I know.”
Bruce understands the situation, but he doesn’t enjoy it.
“This is a weird time, it really is,” he said. “I don’t think anyone, as an organization, wants to be in this position, the transitional stage. It’s part of what it takes to be a successful organization throughout the whole life of the franchise. It’s the ebb and flow of franchises, of baseball and this whole business. I’ve had a lot of good years here. I hope to have a lot more. I hope we kind of get over the hump after being so close to where we were before.”
Bruce did honor his commitment to Redsfest. He didn’t consider skipping it.
“Oh no,” he said. “This is my job. If I wasn’t on the team, I wouldn’t come obviously. As long as I’m a Red, I’m a Red. To me, it’s not ‘Do I want to come or not?’ I understand what it means to the organization and the fans. It’s a privilege to come here, it really is.”
Aroldis Chapman, another player on the block, opted out of Redsfest.
“It’s a tough situation,” Bruce said. “His situation is definitely interesting. It’s hard to pin down right now, based on everything that’s been said and speculated.”
Bruce has eight teams he can refuse a trade to.
“I think it’s all circumstantial,” Bruce said. “If it makes sense, you try and make it make sense. That’s why you have those teams. You pick them for a reason. You try to take egos out of it. You take as much as you can out of it and think from a business perspective.”
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