Boston Red Sox: Three trade fits for Jackie Bradley Jr.
Where could the Boston Red Sox flip Jackie Bradley Jr. to if they decided to deal him this off-season?
2019 was a huge disappointment for the Boston Red Sox. Coming off a World Series title, big things were expected out of the club. Injuries to their starting rotation, an ineffective bullpen, and steps back by some key players led to an 84 win season and missing the playoffs. It also led to the firing of their president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski in September.
Whoever becomes the leader of baseball operations for the Red Sox is going to have some solid building blocks to work with. They are also going to have some bloated contracts, a farm system lacking impact pieces and luxury tax issues.
Per Cot’s Contracts, the Red Sox have around $56 million in tax space heading into this off-season. However, Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., Eduardo Rodriguez, Brandon Workman, and Andrew Benintendi are all arbitration-eligible. If J.D. Martinez opts out, that creates more room but will leave a gaping hole in the lineup. Rick Porcello will be a free agent, so they will have to figure out a way to replace him in the rotation.
One thing they could do is make Bradley available for a trade. He hit .225 with a .738 OPS. He is also one of the better defensive center fielders in the game, even though he had a -1 DRS this past season. MLB Trade Rumors projects Bradley to make $11 million next year. The Red Sox could use those savings and move Benintendi to center field or even Betts should they keep him and decided not to move him either.
So where could the Boston Red Sox flip Jackie Bradley Jr.to? What could they get back for him? Let’s take a look at some options for them.
Chicago White Sox
Jackie Bradley Jr.would have to change his sox color, but he would make some sense for the rebuilding club in a trade with the Boston Red Sox. Outside of Eloy Jimenez, the Chicago White Sox didn’t get much production out of their outfield. Adam Engel and Ryan Cordell didn’t offer much production and look more like fourth outfielders moving forward.
The White Sox top prospect could play centerfield for them next season in Luis Robert. Robert played three levels of the minors last year and hit .328 with an OPS over 1.000. However, if they don’t want to rush him, Bradley could provide the perfect stopgap for a year, or less, in a trade. Maybe the White Sox even put Robert in right field when he comes up to help him ease into the major leagues.
With all the young pitching the Chicago White Sox have, having excellent defense behind them can only help their development. The White Sox have one of the top farm systems in the game and they wouldn’t have to sacrifice any of their top prospects in order to land Bradley Jr for next season.
A little left-handed pop and good defense in center field it wouldn’t be a bad thing to have.
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds haven’t made the playoffs or been above .500 since the 2013 season. They do have some of the ingredients to become a contender, even in a tough division like the NL Central. They have a solid rotation, as Luis Castillo is starting to gain the form that made him a big prospect. Sonny Gray was one of the best pitchers in the NL and they added Trevor Bauer.
They have some impressive bats like Eugenio Suarez and some promising young players like Jesse Winker and Nick Senzel. A big question they have is what to do in center field and a trade with the Boston Red Sox for Jackie Bradley Jr. could answer that.
If the Cincinnati Reds decide they want to move Senzel back to second to get more production out of the position than what Jose Peraza gave them, that creates a hole they have to fill in center field. Enter Bradley, who could patrol center for them and enable them to fill second base as well.
For the Red Sox, this would get Bradley out of the league and to a team that could maybe part with a young pitcher or two, or a prospect that would help the Red Sox with some depth.
New York Mets
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The New York Mets have what feels like 17 different guys who can play in the outfield. The problem is none of them can play center field, or should be there on a regular basis. Michael Conforto is a much more productive player when he’s playing an outfield corner. Brandon Nimmo is better in the corners than in center field. Jeff McNeil is a super-utility player who should be used like Ben Zobrist in his prime. J.D. Davis? Dominic Smith? No. Yoenis Cespedes? This isn’t 2015.
Juan Lagares spent a lot of time in center field this season, and while he’s an excellent defender, much like Bradley, his OPS+ of 63 left a lot to be desired. Like the Reds, the New York Mets are built on their starting pitching, and they need to upgrade their defense, including in center. Making a trade with the Boston Red Sox for Jackie Bradley Jr.would make some sense.
The Mets are in a win-now mode and Bradley’s contract would be coming off the books after 2020 like Marcus Stroman, Cespedes, Wilson Ramos, Jed Lowrie, and other veteran players. The issue for the Mets is they don’t have a ton of prospect collateral to work with and with what they do have, would the be better off served using that to help fill other needs, including the possibility of Zach Wheeler leaving.
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With a weak outfield free-agent class, the Boston Red Sox should have no problem finding a suitor for Jackie Bradley Jr.should they decide to move him. These are just three options that they could use. It’s sure to be an interesting off-season in New England and Bradley will be a part of that.