Mets and Reds working towards trade of Jay Bruce for Zack Wheeler

After working late into Thursday night, the Mets and Reds are picking up momentum on a trade that would bring outfielder Jay Bruce to New York and send righthander Zack Wheeler to Cincinnati, sources said Friday morning. Hours before baseball's non-waiver trade deadline, the teams were reviewing the medical reports of players involved, which has already proven to be an obstacle for the Mets once this week. Other players in the deal were not known Friday morning.

Bruce, 28, is hitting .257 with a .341 on-base percentage and .486 slugging percentage. He has 17 home runs and 56 RBI this season. Bruce is signed through 2016, owed $12.5 million next season, with a $13 million team option for 2017.

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While the Mets had been talking to the Reds about Bruce before, with a lack of right-handed hitters and concern about Juan Lagares' offense, they had been more interested in Carlos Gomez. They had a deal in place with the Brewers Wednesday night for Gomez, but it fell through in the final stages. The Mets claimed it was because Gomez's medical reports raised concerns about a hip issue, while reports out of Milwaukee claimed it had more to do with finances. The Mets called that report false.More details