Cleveland Indians trade rumors: Jay Bruce reportedly willing to waive no-trade clause

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jay Bruce would "very likely" waive his no-trade clause if the Reds and Cleveland Indians struck a deal for a trade, reports Jon Heyman.

Heyman's source comes from a friend of Bruce, who says that the 29-year-old has no ill feelings toward Cleveland, and only added them to his no-trade clause last year in order to remove the Toronto Blue Jays from the list -- a team he wanted to join.

MLB insiders like Heyman and Ken Rosenthal were spit-balling about the idea of a Jay Bruce trade last week, but so far we have no official word on if the Indians are actually pursuing a trade.

By the sounds of it, Bruce just wants to win and he cannot go wrong with the Indians. Even without Michael Brantley roaming the outfield, the Tribe have ripped off 12-straight wins, including a sweep of the divisional rival Detroit Tigers. The current outfield configuration of Rajai Davis, Tyler Naquin, Jose Ramirez, and Lonnie Chisenhall has worked well for Cleveland, but there is not much depth available until Brantley returns, whenever that may be.

If the Indians and Reds make a deal, Bruce could play a corner outfield spot, although his defense there has heavily deteriorated in recent seasons. In his time in right field between 2014 and 2015, Bruce has been worth -11 defensive runs saved and he has an UZR/150 of -28.4 in 2016 alone.

Bruce is heading into the final deal of a six-year, $51 million contract he signed prior to 2011 and is owed $13 million next season with a $1 million buyout.