By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
The Philadelphia Phillies' trade with the Seattle Mariners is complete; they have acquired 12-year veteran, three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner outfielder Jay Bruce and cash considerations in exchange for minor league 3B Jake Scheiner. Bruce, 32, will join the Phillies on Monday for their three-game series opener against the San Diego Padres, according to MLB.com's Greg Johns.
OFFICIAL: #Phillies have acquired outfielder Jay Bruce from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for minor league 3B Jake Scheiner and cash considerations. pic.twitter.com/NtgBXQY3ca
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 2, 2019
The left-handed-hitting Bruce has slugged 14 home runs over 47 games with the Mariners this season, coupled with 28 RBI, 16 walks, 53 strikeouts and a .212/.283/.533 slash line spanning 184 plate appearances. Bruce's 14 home runs would lead the Phillies, one more than Rhys Hoskins' 13. Bruce did not play in the Mariners' Saturday home game against the Los Angeles Angels, hinting a trade is imminent following rumors earlier in the day.
The Mariners are reportedly agreeing to pay the Phillies more than $18.5 million in January to help offset most of the $21.3 million remaining on Bruce's $39 million, three-year contract.
Hence, the Phillies will only need to pay Bruce $2.75 million over the next 1 1/2 seasons. "A little more than $1 million will apply to this year's luxury tax threshold, meaning they have plenty of flexibility to make more moves before July 31," MLB.com's Todd Zolecki writes.
Scheiner, who will turn 24 in August, slashed .256/.326/.353 with 40 hits, 19 RBI, 16 walks and 28 strikeouts over 44 games with the Advanced-A Clearwater Threshers this season. In the field, Scheiner has split his time among the left field, center field, first base and third base positions.
Home run #300 of his career for Jay Bruce. He's the 8th active player with 300 HR's and 300 doubles. #RefreshingPlays #TrueToTheBlue #WHEREiROOT pic.twitter.com/2QIbrTboDP
— ROOT SPORTS™ | NW (@ROOTSPORTS_NW) June 1, 2019
Mariners manager Scott Servais recently spoke highly of Bruce and his clubhouse impact to 710 ESPN:
“Jay Bruce carries a lot of weight in our clubhouse because Jay’s been around a long time, he’s been in situations where teams have struggled,” Servais said. “… Watching how he’s handled all this has been a bright spot for me. I got a lot of respect for Jay. He’s done a great job with Daniel Vogelbach keeping Vogey in a good spot, and Jay’s not afraid to speak his voice. It’s easier when you’re hitting .280, but Jay’s been a really positive guy in our clubhouse.”
In 38 career games at Citizens Bank Park, Bruce has slashed .294/.354/.559 with six doubles, 10 home runs, 27 RBI, 14 walks and 34 strikeouts spanning 158 plate appearances. Bruce appeared in 247 games with the Phillies' division-rival New York Mets in parts of the 2016, 2017 and 2018 seasons. According to The Athletic's Matt Gelb, the Phillies "have had interest in Bruce for years dating back to Mets days."
Bruce is still a reliable starter; this season, he has committed only four combined errors among 167 chances at the first base, left field and right field positions. He could spell either Hoskins, Andrew McCutchen, or Bryce Harper time off, or the Phillies could choose to play Bruce in left and McCutchen in center at the same time.
Jay Bruce has now been traded in four straight calendar years (2016 from Reds to Mets, 2017 Mets to Indians, 2018 Mets to Mariners, 2019 Mariners to Phillies)
— C. Trent Rosecrans (@ctrent) June 2, 2019
The trade is the second between the Phillies and Mariners since December, when the Phillies sent 1B Carlos Santana and SS J.P. Crawford to Seattle for SS Jean Segura, RHP Juan Nicasio and LHP James Pazos.
Despite acquiring Bruce on June 2, nearly two full months still remain until the July 31 trade deadline. The Phillies will "continue to be aggressive" in the trade market, even after acquiring Bruce, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.
