Red Sox outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr.
This one should come at no surprise and it has nothing to do with the quality of Jackie Bradley Jr.’s play on the field or character off the field. Everything we know about the centerfielder as absolute gold and he’s one hell of a dude. As far as on the field is concerned, he’s one of the best defensive outfielders in the game today and is the proud owner of Gold Glove for his efforts. Yeah, we’d like to see his bat get hot and stay that way, or at least remain a little more consistent, but his glove is why he’s in the Majors.
The reason he’s on my list is more so based on the fact that the Red Sox seem like they’ve never really wanted him here. That may sound harsh but hear me out. Despite everything he’s done for this team and what he’s capable of, he’s constantly in trade rumors.
Like, every chance possible. This man has found himself in the center of every trade window whether it be at the deadline or in the offseason for the last handful of seasons. Why? Nobody knows! But it always feels like the Red Sox are trying to find him a new home.
It was a surprise to me when they tendered him a contract ahead of 2020, as once again this past winter, they were shopping him is reports are to be trusted. Hell, he even joked at the Winter Meetings that he’d already been traded nine or ten times during his time in Boston, so he’s used to the rumors. I feel that Chaim should’ve made the move finally and gotten a return for the soon to be free agent.
Jackie can finally test his worth on the market this winter and with an $11M salary going into 2020, it felt like the stars were aligning for Boston to move him. Oddly enough he’s still here and suiting up every night. Whether the plan has changed and he’s now being kept on to groom his future replacement in Jarren Duran, or the Sox just don’t have a long viewed plan for his future, JBJ is here to stay for another month.