Jay Bruce concluded his Cincinnati Reds‘ career among the best in franchise history in home runs and RBI.
The 29-year-old slugger will also go down in Reds’ lore for one of the most memorable home runs in Reds’ history. His centerfield bomb to clinch the NL Central in 2010 won’t be forgotten by Reds’ fans. His last home at-bat as a Reds’ player fittingly enough was also a home run.
But what’s most compelling about the end of the Jay Bruce era is how it marks the end of a Reds’ era of winning teams. The 2010-2013 Reds won two division titles and earned a wildcard berth. The Reds may not see another span like that for another decade or more.
Bruce was the bright, young future of a rising Reds’ team that peaked with a 97-win in 2012. Though that team ultimately failed miserably in the postseason, it does set the benchmark by which future Reds’ success will be measured.
With Bruce now gone, the Reds have traded four key position players from that 2012 team (Drew Stubbs, Bruce, Ryan Hanigan, and Todd Frazier), three starting pitchers from a rotation that made all but one of the Reds’ starts in 2012 (Mat Latos, Mike Leake and Johnny Cueto) and three key relievers (Jonathan Broxton, Aroldis Chapman and Alfredo Simon).
The trade haul for hosing out the dugout has been 20 players who are still with the organization. Of those 20, Eugenio Suarez and Adam Duvall are starting position players. A third — Jose Peraza — stands to gain time now in left field with Duvall taking Bruce’s place in right field.
Cody Reed, Anthony DeSclafani and Brandon Finnegan are all currently in the starting rotation.
And that’s it so far.
Big-league baseball is cruel and unusual punishment for small-market teams who have to gut a winning roster. It’s even worse for fans of such teams.
With a new collective bargaining agreement in the works, big-market teams flush with billions and agents and players who profit the most are likely to do all they can to widen the gap for the Reds and other small-market teams even more.
Robb Hoff writes about the Cincinnati Reds for OutsidePitch MLB. You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook.
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