Reports: Jay Bruce Returns to Mets

Meet the new Met, the same as the old Met; multiple reports Wednesday say the Mets have re-signed Jay Bruce.

It is said to be a three-year, $39 million deal, a far cry from the deal Bruce was reportedly seeking early on in free agency. But this off-season has been a slow one, and the Mets were able to wait it out and get Bruce on a smaller, shorter contract.

This is good for the Mets. They get a guy they know can thrive in New York and at Citi Field. And they fill a huge hole in a lineup that was projecting more and more anemic as the winter rolled on.

Now, do not believe those who will write that the Mets did this in response to fan outrage over the payroll reduction or the Yankees getting Giancarlo Stanton or whatever reason. No one tells the Wilpons when to spend money, least of all the fans.

There will still be a reduction in the payroll by some $20 million, but I think it was always the plan to get in if or when prices dropped. And that happened. Nicely played by Sandy Alderson. Hopefully, he is not done. An upgrade at second or third is still needed.