The Milwaukee Brewers have not been overly active in free agency, but they have been surprising when they have made moves. Milwaukee had emerged as the unexpected destination for Kolten Wong, landing his prized glove to upgrade their defense at second base. This moved the defensively challenged Keston Huira to first, where his bat should play up.
Early Thursday morning, the Brewers made another move to upgrade their defense. They signed outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. to a two year deal worth $24 million, including an opt-out after the first year.
Source: Jackie Bradley Jr. is heading to the Milwaukee Brewers. Two-year, $24 million deal with a player option after the first year.
— Julian McWilliams (@byJulianMack) March 4, 2021
Jackie Bradley Jr. improves Milwaukee Brewers’ defense
This move gives the Brewers what could be a stellar defensive outfield. Lorenzo Cain is back, and is a Gold Glove caliber outfielder regardless of where he is slotted. Christian Yelich is also a former Gold Glove winner, and while he may not be the same player defensively, should improve after a disastrous 2020 season.
Bradley is also more than a brilliant defensive outfielder. While he has been inconsistent offensively, 2020 was one of his better years with the bat. He produced a solid .283/.364/.450 batting line in his 217 plate appearances, hitting seven homers and 11 doubles. His 118 OPS+ was the second best of his career, and marked the first time that he has been an above average bat since 2016.
That is the question with Bradley. His defense is certainly an improvement over Avisail Garcia, but will he hit for the Brewers? Bradley has a lifetime .239/.321/.412 batting line, and while he can get on base and has decent pop, his ability to make enough contact has been sporadic.
This signing also leads to the question of what the Brewers will do with Avisail Garcia. He could slot in as their fourth outfielder, given that he does have some experience in center, but has not exactly performed well defensively in his brief time there. It is possible that Garcia ends up on the trade block, especially as the DH will not be coming to the National League this year, but there may not be much of a market.
The Milwaukee Brewers have improved their defense by adding Jackie Bradley Jr. In doing so, they may have enough to contend for the NL Central title.