The Philadelphia Phillies are in talks with the Seattle Mariners about a trade for veteran Jay Bruce, a source told ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Saturday.
Bruce is hitting .212 with 14 home runs and 28 RBIs this season. He also has played for the Mets, Indians and Reds during his 12-year career, hitting 300 home runs with 903 RBIs.
He hit home run No. 300 on Friday night while playing first base in a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.
“You know, a personal beer shower, that’s probably my first one,” Bruce said after the game. “It’s good. Cold — it’s very cold. If you had told me I was going to hit my 300th home run playing first base for the Seattle Mariners, I probably would have called you crazy.”
An outfielder for much of his career, Bruce, 32, became the eighth active player with 300 home runs and 300 doubles (he’s got 301), achieved in 1,557 games. That list includes Mariners teammate Edwin Encarnacion and the Angels’ Albert Pujols.
Bruce, who joined the Mariners as part of a seven-player trade with the Mets in December, is under contract through the 2020 season, making $14 million both this season and next.
The Mariners, after getting off to a 13-2 start this season, have fallen to 25-35 and are fifth in the AL West standings entering Saturday’s game. The Phillies, meanwhile, lead the NL East with a 33-24 mark.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, Bruce has a career .294 batting average at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park, which ranks only behind Houston’s Minute Maid Park (.309) as his favorite place to hit.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.