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Jay Bruce: At least five teams interested in Cincinnati Reds slugger

By Alex Butler
Cincinnati Reds' Jay Bruce. UPI/Bill Greenblatt
Cincinnati Reds' Jay Bruce. UPI/Bill Greenblatt | License Photo

CINCINNATI, July 22 (UPI) -- Despite nearly being traded from the team where he has spent his entire career, Jay Bruce has continued to produce for the Cincinnati Reds.

Bruce was the centerpiece of a trade between the Reds and Toronto Blue Jays this offseason. The trade was nixed and Bruce stayed put, due to a problem during the medical review for of one of the players involved.

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On Friday, Jon Heyman of Todays Knuckleball reported that the Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, Blue Jays, and Washington Nationals are all interested in Bruce.

Heyman said the Nationals are "on the periphery."

"While Toronto has a top-five offense in baseball in terms of runs scored, a bat like Bruce's could be enough to vault the Blue Jays back to the top of the American League East, where they currently sit in third place, just one-and-a-half games behind division-leading Boston," Heyman wrote.

The 29-year-old has 19 home runs and 66 RBI, while hitting .263 in 89 games this season. He has a $12.5 million salary this season and a $13 million club option in 2017, with a $1 million buyout.

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In his column titled "Why waiting to trade Jay Bruce is risky," the Cincinnati Enquirer's Zach Buchanan wrote: "Not trading him at the deadline leaves two months for Bruce's trade value to take a nosedive. He could get hurt. His performance could drop off significantly. After all, he's been a very streaky player in the past.

The Indians, Arizona Diamondbacks, Miami Marlins, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins, Oakland Athletics, and Tampa Bay Rays are all on Bruce's no-trade list.

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