Jay Bruce open to multi-year deal from Reds

Jay Bruce’s agent Matt Sosnick told Mark Sheldon of MLB.com earlier today that his client is open to signing a multi-year contract extension with the Reds. The talented young outfielder is arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter, as he qualifies as a “Super Two.”

“If Jay can get compensated fairly over his arbitration years and into his free agency years, we’re open to it,” Sosnick said. “If it makes financial sense, we’ll look at it. There is no hesitation on Jay’s part to stay in Cincinnati for as long as possible. He loves it there.”

Bruce, who doesn’t even turn 24 until next April, batted .281/.353/.493 with 25 homers, 70 RBI and an 846 OPS in 509 at-bats with the Reds this past season. He went on a ridiculous tear to close out the regular season, slugging 14 home runs over his final 107 plate appearances, including a division-clinching walk off shot against the Astros on September 14. If that isn’t enough, Ultimate Zone Rating (or UZR) ranked Bruce as the best defensive right fielder in all of baseball for 2010.

It appears that Bruce is finally getting comfortable against left-handed pitching, something he struggled with in his first two seasons in the big leagues. If he can sustain this sort of success over the long haul, the Reds may have one of the most complete players in baseball on their hands. It would be wise to at least secure him through his arbitration years and his first year of free agency before he becomes an even bigger offensive force.