<
        >

          New York Mets

          Morning Briefing: Happy Jay Bruce Day!

          • Adam Rubin, ESPN Staff WriterAug 2, 2016, 10:30 AM
            Close
              Adam Rubin has covered the Mets since 2003. He's a graduate of Mepham High School on Long Island and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He joined ESPNNewYork after spending 10 years at the New York Daily News.
              Follow Adam on Twitter »  Chat archive »
            Follow on X

          NEW YORK -- The New York Mets will unveil something new and something old on Tuesday. What they desperately need is a Subway Series win.

          Jay Bruce and Jonathon Niese arrive on Tuesday after being acquired in separate trades at the non-waiver deadline.

          They join a team that has lost five of its last six games and is now 7½ games behind the division-leading Washington Nationals and 2½ games behind the Miami Marlins for the second wild-card spot with 57 games remaining in the season.

          Jacob deGrom (6-5, 2.56 ERA) opposes right-hander Masahiro Tanaka (7-3, 3.16) at 7:10 p.m. ET at Citi Field. The series then shifts to the Bronx for two more games.

          Terry Collins acknowledged Niese will need to do some fence-mending. On his way out the door in December, the southpaw took a shot at the Mets' fielding, saying: "I'm sure what I'll appreciate more than anything is the way [the Pirates] play defense."

          Niese will also have to sort out his living accommodations. He has been subletting his Manhattan apartment this season to Neil Walker, whose wife is due this month with the couple's first child.

          TUESDAY’S NEWS REPORTS:

          • Bruce, the National League’s RBI leader, was acquired from the Cincinnati Reds for Dilson Herrera and 19-year-old left-hander Max Wotell. Brandon Nimmo had been in a version of the deal earlier in the day. Sandy Alderson acknowledged a medical issue flagged by the Reds caused revisions, although the GM would not confirm it involved Nimmo. Niese was acquired for Antonio Bastardo. Niese will work as a reliever for the Mets, with Logan Verrett remaining in the rotation. Bruce will hit behind Yoenis Cespedes, at least once Cespedes returns. Collins said Cespedes, who is dealing with a barking right quadriceps, will be out of the starting lineup for a third straight game on Tuesday, although he should be available to pinch hit. The Mets need to make two roster moves, but that appears to be Asdrubal Cabrera and Justin Ruggiano heading to the DL. Ruggiano strained his left hamstring trying to leg out a double play in the third inning Monday. As for the outfield alignment, Collins hopes Cespedes can return to center once his quadriceps is OK. Until then, plan on a lot of Michael Conforto and Curtis Granderson there. Read more on the trades in the Cincinnati Enquirer, Post, Daily News, Times, Journal, Newsday, Record, Las Vegas Review-Journal and at MLB.com.

          • Zack Wheeler's fastball sat at 90-93 mph in a simulated game Monday. He is scheduled to begin a minor-league rehab assignment on Saturday. Read more at NJ.com.

          • Addison Reed’s career-best 16 1/3 inning scoreless streak ended in a two-run eighth and the Yankees rallied for a 6-5 win in 10 innings on Monday. Seth Lugo surrendered a tiebreaking sacrifice fly to Starlin Castro in the extra frame. Granderson had a game-ending strikeout against Dellin Betances with two in scoring position. Matt Reynolds, who joined the Mets on Monday from Las Vegas, had staked the club to a 5-3 lead in the sixth with a three-run homer against CC Sabathia. The Yankees won the opener despite raising a white flag by trading Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller, Carlos Beltran and Ivan Nova. Read game recaps in the Post, Daily News, Times, Newsday, Record and at MLB.com.

          • Read more on the Mets’ potential outfield alignment going forward in the Post.

          • No one from the organization ever told Nimmo he was not traded, so he just kept going about his day. He had heard about reports of a potential deal to the Reds from friends. Read more in the Post.

          • Read more on Niese’s return in the Post, Daily News, Newsday and at NJ.com.

          • Recently demoted Mickey Jannis earned the win in the opener as St. Lucie split a pair of games with Lakeland. Erik Manoah tossed seven scoreless innings and Peter Alonso drove in the lone run in Brooklyn’s 1-0 win against Aberdeen. Read the full minor-league recap here.

          • Columnist John Harper in the Daily News believes Bruce is a good hedge for 2017 in case Cespedes opts out and departs.

          • Bob Klapisch in the Record, David Lennon in Newsday and Tyler Kepner in the Times dissect the disparate approaches by the Mets and Yankees at the trade deadline.

          • Columnist Mike Vaccaro in the Post enjoyed the timing of the Subway Series opener.

          • From the bloggers ... Mets Report addresses questions raised by the Bruce trade.

          BIRTHDAYS: Dae-Sung Koo turns 47.

          TWEET OF THE DAY:

          YOU’RE UP: What grade would you give Sandy Alderson’s trade-deadline activity?