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Philadelphia Phillies: Jackie Bradley Jr would be a great fit

By Nick Stevens

FORT MYERS, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 27: Jackie Bradley Jr. #19 of the Boston Red Sox looks on against the Philadelphia Phillies during a Grapefruit League spring training game at JetBlue Park at Fenway South on February 27, 2020 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
FORT MYERS, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 27: Jackie Bradley Jr. #19 of the Boston Red Sox looks on against the Philadelphia Phillies during a Grapefruit League spring training game at JetBlue Park at Fenway South on February 27, 2020 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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The Philadelphia Phillies are reportedly interested in bringing in Jackie Bradley Jr to patrol center field in 2021.

According to MLB.com’s Jon Morosi, the market for Jackie Bradley Jr.appears to be growing as we approach the holiday season, with the Philadelphia Phillies now on the list of teams who are interested in signing the 30-year-old outfielder out of Richmond, Virginia.

Per Morosi, the Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, and Chicago Cubs have all expressed a desire to sign Bradley, along with the Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros who have been previously linked to him.

While the recent signing of Hunter Renfroe doesn’t knock the Red Sox out of contention for bringing back Jackie Bradley Jr. it seems more and more likely that he finds a new home for 2021.

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Signing Jackie Bradley Jr.would be a great fit for the Phillies if they can lock down a deal soon. The market could continue to grow as teams pull out of the race for George Springer and look to Bradley as a fallback option.

Other than the obvious connection between Bradley and Dave Dombrowski the new president of baseball operations for the Philadelphia Phillies, Bradley fits a few different needs in the Phillies lineup.

Philadelphia has a duo of outfielders set to take on centerfield duties in 2021, but it’s a position that can be greatly improved.

Roman Quinn hit .213 with six extra-base hits and a 54 wRC+ in 41 games with the Phillies last season (0.1 fWAR), while Adam Haseley slashed a respectable .278/.348/.342 but hit no home runs and posted just a .063 ISO.

Across his career, Jackie Bradley Jr.has been a league-average hitter with a career .239 average and .732 OPS but there’s pop in his bat (58 home runs over the last four seasons) and the Gold Glove-caliber defense he would bring to an outfield already consisting of Bryce Harper and Andrew McCutchen.

Bradley won a Gold Glove Award in 2018 and has recorded 22 Outs Above Average over the last three seasons in Boston, which among the league leaders among center fielders. For reference, Quinn and Hasely were worth -1 OAA last season.

While Bradley’s 2020 offensive outburst may not have lasted across a full 162-game season, the Phillies could use a left-handed bat in their lineup which is currently dominated by right-handed hitters. Harper is the only lefty on the current depth chart. If he can find a happy medium between his 2020 numbers and his career-averages, he’s a boost to Philadelphia’s lineup.

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We’ll hopefully see exactly where the Philadelphia Phillies decide to go this offseason soon, but Jackie Bradley Jr.seems like a great fit.

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