Red Sox Rumors: Jackie Bradley Jr. is a solid center field backup plan
By Sean Penney
The Boston Red Sox still have Jackie Bradley Jr. on their radar.
It seemed as though Jackie Bradley Jr. had one foot out the door but the defensive wizard could still patrol center field for the Boston Red Sox next season.
WEEI’s Rob Bradford reports that the Red Sox have reached out to Bradley Jr. about bringing the free-agent center fielder back for next season and possibly beyond.
Boston enters the offseason with some financial flexibility, leading to speculation that they will target a top of the market outfielder to replace Bradley Jr. New England native George Springer is a popular choice who has often been tied to the Red Sox but signing him would cost the team their second-round draft pick. Marcell Ozuna wasn’t eligible to receive a qualifying offer so all he would cost is money but his defensive limitations would force Boston to reshuffle their outfield alignment.
Neither is a perfect solution to Boston’s center field needs. If the Red Sox strike out on luring either of these star outfielders or they decide the cost isn’t worthwhile, that could lead them back to the known commodity of Bradley Jr.
The Red Sox aren’t the only team with Bradley Jr. on their radar. The Houston Astros are expecting to lose Springer and they have shown strong interest in JBJ. It’s not out of the question that we could see the two center fielders swap teams this winter.
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Bradford’s report also indicates that an unknown AL Central team is in the mix. The guess here is it’s the Kansas City Royals since they are losing Gold Glove outfielder Alex Gordon to retirement. The Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox have talented young center fielders, the Cleveland Indians are considering dealing star shortstop Francisco Lindor so they don’t appear to be buyers and the Detroit Tigers aren’t close enough to contention to spend on veterans.
Despite some competition from at least two teams, Boston won’t need to break the bank to re-sign Bradley Jr. MLB Trade Rumors predicts he’ll receive a 2-year, $16 million deal. The reasonable salary leaves the Red Sox room to spend on upgrading their pitching staff and the short commitment buys some time for the team to determine if prospect Jarren Duran is the long-term solution.
Locking themselves into a longer deal with Springer or Ozuna might block Duran for the foreseeable future. Those two free-agents will also cost more than double, perhaps triple what Bradley Jr. is projected for. They could eat up more than half of the payroll space Boston has carved out under the luxury tax threshold. The Red Sox can afford either outfielder but that might mean they have to choose between adding a starting pitcher or a closer instead of plugging both of those holes.
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Boston had plenty of time to discuss a contract with Bradley Jr. but they never approached him about an extension. Now that he’s reached free agency, Boston is finally sending signals that they remain interested. This suggests that they aren’t looking to sign him for the long term but if they can keep him for a year or two at an affordable contract, Bradley Jr. is a viable solution if the Red Sox don’t spend up at the position.