Per multiple reports, the Yankees are signing outfielder/first baseman Jay Bruce to a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training.
Bruce would earn $1.35 million if he makes the major-league roster, with added $50K incentive bonuses for plate appearances starting at 400, according to MLB Trade Rumors.
Bruce, who turns 34 in April, played 32 games with the Phillies last year, hitting .198 with six home runs and 14 RBI. He had split 2019 between Seattle and Philadelphia, hitting .216 with 26 homers and 59 RBI.
This will be his second stint in New York overall should he make the team, as he of course was with the Mets for just over a calendar year in 2016-17 – he was acquired in August 2016, then dealt in August 2017 – and then again signed with the Mets in 2018.
As a Met, Bruce hit .237 with 46 homers in 247 games, but both of his tenures ended in future controversy; the deal sending him to Cleveland in 2017 was one made when the Yankees were hot on his trail but weren’t willing to eat as much of Bruce’s remaining salary as the Indians, and his departure in 2018 came in the deal that brought Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz to Queens.
A lefty power hitter, Bruce seems tailor-made for Yankee Stadium, and can provide depth at first base and in both outfield corners.
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
