14. Jay Bruce – Blue Jays. Three years, $39MM. Bruce reached the Majors at age 21 with the Reds and hit 216 home runs in nine seasons before he was traded to the Mets at last year’s deadline. While with the Reds in 2010, Bruce signed a six-year, $51MM extension that included a club option for ’17. The Mets exercised that club option last winter, and ended up trading Bruce to the Indians in August. The left-handed slugger has endured ups and downs as a hitter, but he posted a 115 wRC+ with 69 home runs over the last two seasons despite a .317 OBP. Bruce has struggled against left-handed pitching, a weakness that has been exploited by opposing managers who have forced him to face a disproportionate amount of southpaws. Bruce has not generally been lauded for his right field defense since undergoing knee surgery a few years ago, but his metrics bounced back and were above average this year. Bruce turns 31 in April and has a shot at a four-year deal in the Josh Reddick vicinity. The Blue Jays, Orioles, Royals, Rockies, Cardinals, and Giants could be options if the Indians let him leave.
35. Eduardo Nunez – Blue Jays. Two years, $14MM. Nunez has long served as a multi-position bench piece, backing up big names for the Yankees for the first four years of his career. The Twins picked him up in 2014, and he worked his way into regular playing time in 2016. That earned a summer trade to the Giants, where he settled in at third base and played a career-high 141 games. The Giants shipped him to Boston last July, where he got most of his playing time at second base. Nunez carries a reputation as a subpar defender, possibly because he’s never been allowed to settle in at one position. He’s also proven fairly injury-prone, with DL stints nearly every year. Still, he’s a useful super-utility player who has hit .296/.332/.443 in his past 1,290 PAs. The 30-year-old should be able to find a two or even three-year deal.
44. Tony Watson – Blue Jays. Two years, $12MM. Watson, a 32-year-old lefty, is behind only Bryan Shaw in total games pitched from 2012-17. He spent his entire career with the Pirates before being traded to the Dodgers this year at the deadline. Since his rookie season, Watson has never posted an ERA over 3.38, despite middling peripheral stats. Though he hasn’t always been used as such, Watson is best deployed as a left-handed specialist.