Cleveland Indians: Not entirely out of the Jay Bruce sweepstakes

Cleveland Indians fans may have already given up on retaining Jay Bruce, but a return to Cleveland isn’t entirely impossible.

With today being Black Friday, it would be fitting for the Cleveland Indians to get a few good deals on players for the 2018 season. If only it were that simple.

The top target for the Indians is likely Carlos Santana, with other decisions coming after he decides on a team. But even with all the focus on Santana, Jay Bruce is a player who isn’t necessarily automatically playing elsewhere in 2018.

The reports out now say Bruce is looking for a deal in the $80-$90 million range, spread out over five years. While this is a steep price, it will likely fall unless one team jumps out and offers him the money, which hasn’t been the case thus far.

Bruce is obviously going to demand a high price, but it is up to the teams pursuing him to establish a true sense of what his price will be for his next contract. A five-year, $90 million deal comes out to $18 million per year.

Given this is his early demand, the price will likely fall. Then add in the fact he is 30 years old and it will be hard to see him get a five-year deal. If his total price comes down to closer to what the Indians gave Edwin Encarnacion last season, bringing Bruce back becomes a real possibility.

His return would not happen if the Indians re-sign Carlos Santana. But if Santana goes elsewhere, along with Bryan Shaw, the Indians have a lot of extra money to spend, and a great sales pitch for Bruce as the team is one of the best in all of baseball.

When free agency began, a lot of Indians fans declared that signing Bruce would be impossible, his price would be too high, and so on. But things change and the team could surprise us, as they did a year ago by signing Encarnacion right before Christmas.

If Bruce continues to seek a big deal, teams may begin to fill their rosters and leave him with limited options and less bargaining power.

Next: Analyzing this week's roster decisions

Trying to make bold predictions about Bruce’s future is tough given the changing market, but I still say it’s too early to rule out his return to Cleveland. No one wants to see Santana leave, but if he does, Bruce remains a great replacement in the lineup.