Mets’ and Yankees’ ownership both too cheap to reach an agreement on a Jay Bruce trade

The Indians acquired outfielder Jay Bruce from the Mets on Wednesday night. Because the Indians agreed to take on all of Bruce’s remaining salary -- about $5 million -- the Mets didn’t get much in return, just a Single-A reliever with an ERA in the high fours.

An interesting note surfaced from Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports: the Mets and Yankees couldn’t reach a deal because the Yankees were unwilling to take on the entirety of Bruce’s remaining salary. The Yankees offered “multiple prospects” and a portion -- but not all -- of Bruce’s salary, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

So, the Mets had a chance to get “multiple prospects” instead of a Single-A non-prospect reliever if the club was willing to eat a few million dollars. And the Yankees didn’t land Bruce because the club was unwilling to eat a few million dollars. Instead, the smaller-market Indians made a big offensive upgrade and make themselves more of a threat in the American League as the playoffs approach.

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