Mets exercise options on Jay Bruce, Jose Reyes; decline option on Jon Niese

The Mets will be exercising Jay Bruce’s $13 million club option for 2017, as reported by Jerry Crasnick of ESPN. Bruce was the team’s maiin acquisition of the trade deadline, joining the Mets as part of a trade that sent Dilson Herrera and Max Wotell to the Reds.

Bruce, 29, batted a less than impressive .219/.294/.391, hitting eight home runs and driving in 19 runs in his 187 at-bats as a Met.

The Mets will also be picking up the tab for Jose Reyes, giving the veteran the league minimum salary in 2017. Reyes made his return to the Mets in June after being released by the Rockies following the completion a 52-game suspension due to a violation of the league’s domestic violence policy. Reyes held a slash line of .267/.326/.443 for the Mets, which were respectable statistics for the seasoned infielder.

New York also made a decision on Jon Niese, declining his $10 million option and opting to pay him a buyout of $500k. This comes as no surprise after Niese put up an 11.45 ERA in 11 innings pitched for the Mets after a deadline trade from the Pirates, as he gave up 14 runs and four home runs, while recording 12 strikeouts.