Red Sox should not trade Jackie Bradley Jr. this offseason

The Red Sox seem to have overcorrected their outfield deficiencies which plagued the team at the beginning of the 2014 season, trading for Yoenis Cespedes and signing Cuban defector Rusney Castillo, which gives the BoSox an awfully crowded outfield. On the surface, it’s tough to see a place for second-year center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr., who played defense at an elite level but limped to a .198/.265/.266 line at the plate, but it shouldn’t be tough to see that trading Bradley at this point would be a great mistake.

First of all, from a business perspective, trading “JBJ” would be a mistake because his value is as low as it’s ever been or is ever likely to be. Despite unbelievable defense in center field, the 2014 season was largely a failure for Bradley, raising serious doubts over his ability to hit Major League pitching.

Still, while it’s impossible to predict the future– particularly in baseball, it’s reasonable to expect improvement from Bradley in the batter’s box next season. Bradley has been very solid at the plate throughout his minor league career, featuring a career .290/.394/.456 slash line in the minors, and though he’s unlikely to reach those heights in the Major Leagues, it does show that he has potential at the plate.

The key will simply be harnessing that potential and a few months of low-pressure playing time in Triple-A might do the trick for Bradley. If given some time to regain his composure at the plate and re-discover his love of the game, Bradley is likely to be better equipped to face MLB-level pitching in the future.

Plus, it’s incredibly satisfying to think of a future outfield of Rusney Castillo, Mookie Betts, and Bradley. Considering the defensive (and offensive to a degree) prowess of all three players, each of whom could easily play center field, the Red Sox could very well have the fastest and best defensive outfield in the game, with three guys that can swing the bat to boot.

And even if everything goes wrong and Bradley still can’t find his way at the plate next season, then he still has one of the higher floors of any of Boston’s youngsters. His elite defense will give him a role on a Major League team even if he never fulfills his potential at the plate and, even if he’s only a fourth outfielder or defensive replacement, his defense alone merits a place on a team’s 25-man roster.

This Red Sox front office has generally been stingy regarding trades of young talent and that trend should continue with Bradley. After all, between Bradley’s low value, fantastic defense, and future potential, it’s plain to see that trading him would be a poor decision.