Jackie Bradley Jr. benefits from returning to Red Sox in a new role

The reunion of Jackie Bradley Jr. and the Red Sox will provide its benefits.

Chaim Bloom and the Boston Red Sox front office may still have some unfinished business when (and if) the MLB lockout concludes. But regardless of what personnel adjustments are made ahead of the 2022 season, Jackie Bradley Jr. should be primed to return to Boston with better days.

After eight seasons of establishing himself as one of baseball’s most reliable defensive talents in Boston, Bradley Jr. stopped for coffee in Milwaukee for a disenchanting 2021 campaign. The 31-year-old recorded his worst season in the majors with a .163 average, six home runs and 29 RBI.

It was never a secret that Bradley Jr. wasn’t much of a potent plate presence, but his excellent fielding always outweighed his subpar offensive output. However, with those numbers, it’s tough to keep anyone on the field, as it becomes a gaping vulnerability.

While Bradley Jr. is a starting outfielder in the current Red Sox picture, the potential return of Kyle Schwarber or another inevitable acquisition will change that. This scenario—along with Alex Cora back in Bradley Jr.’s corner—should revive the 2018 ALCS MVP.

If the season were to begin today with Bradley Jr. in the starting lineup, the Red Sox would be regressing from everything they established in 2021. The vacancy left behind by Hunter Renfroe’s career-best season (.259 AVG, 31 HR, 96 RBI) is not one Bradley Jr. can fill and using him as such would be a detriment to both the Red Sox and Bradley Jr.

Bloom may be succeeding in stockpiling prospects to strengthen the pipeline with premium assets, but this vacancy—among several others—is a considerable piece missing from the immediate puzzle. After all, the Red Sox took on Bradley Jr.’s $9.5 million contract as a salary dump from the Brewers in order to acquire the prospects that Bloom coveted in David Hamilton and Alex Bineas. They are paying him more this year than Renfroe likely would have been paid coming off his one-year deal.

So, Bloom casts away one of his most productive power hitters to regain a slumping veteran for more money. That may sound counterintuitive, but the Red Sox can afford it and obviously Renfroe didn’t fit into Bloom’s long-term blueprint anyway. Plus, if you’re going to absorb a bad contract for a struggling player, it might as well be one with sentimental value that can serve as a clubhouse leader.

His reunion with the Red Sox comes with free mojo just in the fact that he returns as a seasoned professional with a World Series title under his belt. While his defensive acumen is his most attractive intangible for this Red Sox lineup, it’s more so how Bradley Jr. can groom the rising talents of this new generation in the short term.

As a utility player, Bradley Jr. can be deployed by Cora in the appropriate situations and subsequently alleviate pressure at the plate. Their familiarity with each other should prove dividends in providing Bradley Jr. favorable opportunities to step in and find a rhythm within a role tailored to him. For Bradley Jr. to find a pulse, he’ll need to find a way to beat the shifts and overcome his breaking ball woes—whether that means hitting more balls to the opposite field or capitalizing on the benefits that Fenway grants lefties.

For what it’s worth, there’s no doubt that Bradley Jr. will complement this Red Sox team with several things at the bare minimum: outfield versatility, world-class work ethics and an injection of poise in what should be a pivotal step forward into another window of championship contention. It’s a role carved out just for him.