New York Mets: Sandy Alderson Hasn't Ruled Out Re-Signing Jay Bruce
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - AUGUST 10: Jay Bruce #32 of the Cleveland Indians pops out to shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria of the Tampa Bay Rays during the seventh inning of a game on August 10, 2017 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images)

Although the New York Mets recently traded Jay Bruce to Cleveland, his time in Queens may not be over for good.

Friday, SportsNet New York reported that New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson may look to bring back Jay Bruce in 2018.

Bruce was traded to the Indians on Wednesday night in exchange for fringe 22-year-old pitching prospect Ryder Ryan.

“Right now he is the property of the Cleveland Indians,” Alderson told SNY. “From our standpoint, we had a great relationship, he was productive in New York, and we’ll keep the lines of communication open once it’s appropriate, as we will with most free agents.”

The deal has then been labeled by many as nothing short of a “salary dump.” If it was about value, the Mets would have dealt with the crosstown Yankees. According to multiple reports, the Yankees offered a better package of prospects than Cleveland.

But the Yanks wouldn’t eat all of Bruce’s remaining salary (roughly $4 million.) The Indians would, and thus, they got the slugger.

After stockpiling pitching prospects over the past few weeks, it’s nice to see the team thinking about offense. Bruce was a fit in the clubhouse and proved he can handle the pressure of playing in New York.

Re-signing Bruce would be a great move for the Mets to make.