Red Sox Rumors: Door is closing on Jackie Bradley Jr. return

The Red Sox appear unlikley to sign free-agent Jackie Bradley Jr.

The market for free-agent outfielders has taken off in the past few days with the recent signing of former Houston Astros center fielder George Springer. Many had toyed with the idea of Springer joining his childhood dream team this offseason, but those talks never turned into anything more than chatter. All offseason, the Boston Red Sox front office has made it clear that they would like to retain longtime Boston center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. but with other teams willing to pay top dollar for a player like JBJ, his return to Boston seems less likely by the day.

Among the teams most prominently linked to Bradley Jr. include the Astros and Mets.

Yesterday, The Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy published an article with a full interview with Red Sox President and CEO Sam Kennedy discussing Boston’s slow offseason and the reason behind the lack of transactions to date. Kennedy spoke about the long-term goal of “Building back up” for the long haul. He mentioned that the team intended to make moves to be competitive in 2021, but the idea of long-term success appears to be in reference to a youth movement of sorts.

With the front office’s current mindset, a Bradley Jr. reunion appears unlikely at present. The Red Sox have apparently been looking for bargains and “very team-friendly deals” according to one anonymous agent. Considering the amount of money that an older, albeit effective outfielder Michael Brantley secured yesterday in signing a two-year $32 million deal with the Astros, Bradley Jr. will likely find a better offer from another organization.

The words “team-friendly” paired with quotes on numerous occasions from CBO Chaim Bloom regarding JBJ’s value to the organization seem to indicate the team has likely been trying to negotiate a hometown discount with the center fielder. While it would be ideal for Boston to bring Bradley Jr. back on a cheap deal, it’s almost a certainty that long-lasting marriage between the two parties will come to an end in the shortcomings. Once again, Kennedy’s statements from yesterday seem to indicate that the club might opt to prioritize any money they do spend in more pressing areas.

Let’s not forget that there are prospects in the Red Sox organization that could be ready to show face at Fenway Park as soon as the second half of the 2021 campaign. Outfielder Jarren Duran has been oft-mentioned as the heir to Bradley Jr.’s throne in center field. Given the ETA for the speedy Duran being closer to a year from now than, say, the two or three years that Bradley Jr. will likely command on the open market, it seems like a safe bet that Boston will turn their attention to a one-year bargain on the open market.

The Astros stand out as one of the likeliest teams in the mix to add Bradley Jr. as the void Springer’s absence left behind must be addressed. Alongside the Astros are the Mets, who finished runner-up in bidding for Springer’s services. The team has been connected to the former Sox outfielder for most of the offseason, yet the only hindrance at present is the fact that Bradley Jr. is a lefty, and the Mets have plenty of those. Even so, Bradley Jr. is now arguably the top center fielder on the open market after the Springer signing, and the Boras client is likely to get a nice payday as a result.

With the pace of the offseason seemingly going into super-speed in the past week and a half, it is inevitable that the interest in Bradley Jr. will take off in short-order. Plenty of teams seek the defensive ability he provides on a daily basis. More importantly, the small list of proven center fielders on the open market puts teams in a more urgent position to pull the trigger on a deal before they come away empty-handed. Jackie Bradley Jr. is the guy those center field deprived franchises desire.