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Jackie Bradley Jr.

Red Sox Notes: Kim, Hernández, Arroyo, Bradley Jr.

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Before making San Diego his new baseball home, Ha-Seong Kim was courted by the Red Sox, per Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. The South Korean infielder ultimately signed with the Padres for four-years, $28MM, in part because he preferred the weather of a west coast team, writes Abraham. Blue skies and sunshine are a clear tiebreak in the Friars’ favor, not to mention the current competitive advantage the Padres hold over the Red Sox. He’ll have a shorter leash in San Diego with Jake Cronenworth pushing for reps, but with their rebuilt rotation, the Padres figure to be an exciting franchise for which to suit up in 2021, even on days when he has to watch from the bench.

For Boston, Kim would have fit nicely into their rebuilding efforts given his youth, versatility, and short-term fit at second base. They have been active in the international market thus far this winter, but without much to show for it. Kim would have found himself among peers by age in Boston, with Rafael Devers, Alex Verdugo, Michael Chavis, Bobby Dalbec, and Marcus Wilson all within a year of Kim’s 25.2 years of age. Alas, Chavis remains the likeliest volume producer at the keystone for Alex Cora’s squad, at least until Jeter Downs or someone else proves ready. Elsewhere…

  • Speaking of the Red Sox, they continue to make broad inroads into the free agent market, looking primarily for pitchers and a second baseman. Kiké Hernández is one target that remains a possibility, said Masslive’s Chris Cotillo on the IV The Love Of Sports podcast. Internally, Christian Arroyo continues to be a name of interest, notes Cotillo, but he’s unlikely to be the full-stop, number-one option at second base entering the season. On the pitching side, Cotillo suggests Boston could add two starters for the rotation before opening day.
  • They remain in contact with long-time centerfielder Jackie Bradley Jr., per Steve Hewitt of the Boston Herald. The Red Sox have filled their dance card in the outfield, at least in terms of name recognition with Alex Verdugo, Andrew Benintendi, and Hunter Renfroe on the roster, but all three carry some uncertainty – and none of the three are true centerfielders. Jarren Duran also figures to push for a big league role this season. Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom indicated that a resolution on this front probably isn’t coming in the near-term. A relative dearth of centerfield options on the open market gives JBJ a potentially robust collection of suitors to consider.

Red Sox Rumors: Outfield, Rotation, Second Base, Barnes

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The Red Sox signed Hunter Renfroe to a one-year deal earlier this week, adding a power bat to pair with Andrew Benintendi and Alex Verdugo in the outfield. However, general manager Brian O’Halloran said in an interview on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM this morning that the addition of Renfroe does not prevent the Sox from further adding to their outfield corps (Twitter link, with audio). “The door is definitely not closed on adding to the mix, and that could certainly be a traditional center fielder that has experience — a guy like Jackie Bradley Jr.” said O’Halloran. “We’ve said that Jackie remains on our radar, and nothing is foreclosed there.”

O’Halloran went on to note that at the moment, the likeliest in-house replacement for Bradley in center field would be Verdugo, not Benintendi. Presumably, the current group would line up with Benintendi in left, Verdugo in center and Renfroe in right. Bringing a center fielder into the mix could push the right-handed-hitting Renfroe into more of a platoon role, which could prove beneficial for Boston. Renfroe is a career .216/.268/.449 hitter against righties but has clobbered lefties at a .258/.339/.573 clip.

Some more notes out of Boston…

  • The rotation remains a priority for the Sox, with Alex Cora telling reporters Thursday that Halloran and chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom have been “relentless” in their exploration of the market for starting pitching upgrades (link via Christopher Smith of MassLive.com). It’s perhaps notable that Cora specifically referred to an “intriguing” crop of starters that are available on the international market. The Red Sox have already been connected to Yomiuri Giants ace Tomoyuki Sugano, who has been posted for MLB clubs, and the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters have also posted righty Kohei Arihara. The Sox will hope to have a trio of Chris Sale, Eduardo Rodriguez and Nathan Eovaldi healthy by this summer, but each has his own slate of health concerns and the organization is thin in terms of upper-level rotation depth.
  • Speaking of the international market for players, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe lists Ha-Seong Kim as a fit for the Red Sox in looking through their need at second base. While the connection to Kim here is framed a bit speculatively, Speier writes that “in all likelihood,” he’s the only free-agent option at the position to whom the Red Sox would be willing to commit more than two years, as his youth and upside fit with the team’s long-term goals. Most other options are likely to be viewed more as stopgaps or bridges to prospect Jeter Downs. Via Speier, Bloom suggested that the Red Sox are open to adding an established, everyday option at second base but aren’t dead-set on doing so. A multi-position piece who could leave some opportunity for in-house options like Christian Arroyo and Michael Chavis to seize regular playing time remains a possibility as well. For what it’s worth, Cora spoke highly of Arroyo in today’s call with reporters, praising his “upside” and noting that he’d previously recruited him to play for team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic.
  • While Cora was reluctant to discuss specific roles for players, he called right-hander Matt Barnes someone the team “should consider” for the closer role in 2021 (link via Steve Hewitt of the Boston Herald). Cora emphasized that it’s unfair to any player to speak as though he has a defined role now, with months of offseason transactions still to come, but he also praised the manner in which Barnes handled ninth-inning duties in 2020. “If the season starts tomorrow and we have the lead in the ninth inning and we haven’t used Matt in the seventh or eighth, I flip him the ball and I believe he can get the three outs and get us to the next day,” Cora said before going on to call Barnes one of the game’s best relievers over the past few seasons. Some may raise an eyebrow at that description, given Barnes’ 3.83 ERA since 2017. It’s worth noting, though, that of the 232 pitchers with 200-plus innings thrown over the past four seasons, only six have struck out a higher percentage of opposing batters than Barnes (34.1 percent), and only 22 have a lower FIP than Barnes’ 3.30.

Cubs, Phillies Interested In Jackie Bradley Jr.

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Jackie Bradley Jr.’s market continues to percolate, as MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi tweets that the Cubs and Phillies are the latest teams to be linked to the free agent outfielder.

Bradley is a known quantity to Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski from their time together with the Red Sox, and Bradley would address a big need for the Phils in center field.  The tandem of Roman Quinn and Adam Haseley are penciled into the center field job at the moment, but installing an everyday veteran like Bradley would both solidify the position and provide a big defensive upgrade.  Bradley’s left-handed bat would also be useful in a Philadelphia lineup that leans to the right.

Ian Happ provided both strong offense and some decently respectable (+1 Outs Above Average, -2 Defensive Runs Saved, -1.6 UZR/150) glovework as the Cubs’ regular center fielder in 2020, but Bradley obviously offers a lot more defensive value up the middle.  Now that Kyle Schwarber has been non-tendered, Happ could easily be shifted over to left field to accommodate Bradley in center.  Given the number of former Red Sox personnel within the Cubs organization, Bradley would also find a lot of familiar faces in Wrigleyville — to name two, manager David Ross and assistant general manager Craig Breslow were both former teammates in Boston.

Beyond Philadelphia and Chicago, four other clubs (the Blue Jays, Red Sox, Astros, and an unknown AL Central team) have also reportedly shown interest in Bradley’s services at various points in the offseason.  Toronto has also been heavily linked to George Springer, while the Astros haven’t yet ruled out a reunion with Springer, and the Red Sox and Phillies could also potentially be in the mix, though it isn’t yet clear how much money either of those teams are willing to spend this offseason.  Bradley could be seen as a “plan B” type of center field options for many Springer suitors, and he could be more of a primary target for a team like the Cubs that isn’t thought to have much payroll space available.  While not exactly an inexpensive sign, Bradley’s projected price tag could be as much as $100MM less than Springer’s next contract.

Free Agent Rumblings: JBJ, Hamels, King Felix, Marlins, Anderson

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The Red Sox aren’t ruling out a reunion with Jackie Bradley Jr., as general manager Brian O’Halloran told reporters yesterday that the longtime Sox center fielder is “definitely on our radar” (link via MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith). Bradley has been linked to Toronto (who hasn’t?) and Houston thus far in the offseason, and the center fielder himself told former teammate Will Middlebrooks in a recent podcast appearance that he’s heard from multiple clubs in free agency. Bradley, 30, is a perennial defensive standout who posted a quality .283/.364/.450 slash this past season, although as is often the case when looking at a small sample of 2020 data, that output was fueled by a frenetic hot streak to close out the year. Bradley hit .248/.316/.352 through his first 117 plate appearances before exploding with a .326/.420/.570 slash in his final 100 plate appearances. Bradley hasn’t been the most consistent hitter, but over the past six years he hasn’t seen his wRC+ or OPS+ dip lower than 89 in a full season. From 2015-20, Bradley has been a roughly league-average hitter by those same measures (.247/.331/.438 in 2751 plate appearances).

Some more free-agent chatter as the virtual Winter Meetings continue…

  • There are “several teams” that have shown interest in southpaw Cole Hamels, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets. The soon-to-be 37-year-old is coming off a season almost fully lost to arm injuries, so he was unable to live up to the $18MM contract the Braves handed him last winter. However, as someone who has been a terrific starter for most of his career, Hamels could be an interesting buy-low pickup for someone if he’s healthy. Hamels would consider throwing a showcase for teams if it’s possible, according to Heyman.
  • More from Heyman, who writes (on Twitter) that there is interest in righty Felix Hernandez. Although King Felix, then with Atlanta, opted out of last season, it’s “likely” he’ll return to the mound next year. While the 34-year-old Hernandez had to settle for a minor league contract last winter, the longtime Mariner and former AL Cy Young winner had a legitimate shot at earning a Braves rotation spot before he decided not to play.
  • Right-hander Brandon Kintzler and the Marlins have mutual interest in a reunion, SportsGrid’s Craig Mish reports (Twitter links), but the Fish might not be eyeing him as a closing option this time around. While Kintzler notched a dozen saved for Miami last year, Mish notes that Miami is hoping to add a hard-throwing option to take up ninth-inning duties in 2021. The 36-year-old Kintzler posted a 2.22 ERA in 24 1/3 innings this past season but managed just 14 strikeouts against 11 walks. Kintzler’s hefty 57.3 percent grounder rate helps to offset his lack of missed bats, but his 91.3 mph average velocity on his sinker doesn’t really align with the Marlins’ apparent desire to add a power arm for the ninth inning.
  • There is plenty of interest in lefty Tyler Anderson, per Heyman (Twitter link). Anderson became a free agent last week when the Giants non-tendered him. The 30-year-old had been projected to earn anywhere from $2.4MM to $4.3MM in arbitration, but the Giants decided that was too rich for someone who has historically been a back-end starter. Also an ex-Rockie, Anderson has posted a 4.65 ERA/4.46 FIP with 8.04 K/9 and 2.94 BB/9 in 456 2/3 innings.

Blue Jays Interested In George Springer, Jackie Bradley Jr.

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Fresh off their first playoff season since 2016, the up-and-coming Blue Jays may be in position for an aggressive winter. With that in mind, they’re already showing interest in a couple of the game’s premier free-agent outfielders. The Astros’ George Springer and longtime Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. are on the Blue Jays’ radar, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network (h/t: Tim Kelly of WEEI.com).

[RELATED: Blue Jays Offseason Outlook]

Either Springer or Bradley could take over in center for Toronto, which relied on Randal Grichuk in 2020. Grichuk had a nice offensive season, hitting .273/.312/.481 (112 wRC+) with 12 home runs in 231 plate appearances. However, Grichuk had difficulty in the outfield, where he managed minus-eight Defensive Runs Saved and a minus-three Ultimate Zone Rating. With Teoscar Hernandez and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in the corners, Toronto could either try to trade Grichuk, who’s due $29MM through 2023, or move him around the outfield/DH if it signs either Springer or Bradley.

Of Springer and Bradley, the former will command the far richer contract. MLBTR predicts a five-year, $125MM contract for Springer, who has blended high-end offense with very good defense throughout his career. There’s a case that the 31-year-old Springer is the No. 1 position player on the open market (it’s him or catcher J.T. Realmuto). With the Astros having given Springer an $18.9MM qualifying offer, which he’s sure to reject, the Blue Jays would have to surrender draft compensation to add him.

Bradley isn’t on Springer’s level, but JBJ has been a valuable player during his career, in which he has combined fantastic defense with passable offense. This past season, although abbreviated, was one of the 30-year-old’s best at the plate. He wound up with a strong line of .283/.364/.450 (119 wRC+), seven homers and five steals across 217 PA. MLBTR expects Bradley to land a two-year, $16MM contract before the 2021 campaign, but the Jays or another team will have to beat out the likes of the Red Sox and Astros, who have shown interest early this offseason.

Red Sox, Jackie Bradley Jr. Have Been In Contact

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The Red Sox have reached out to Jackie Bradley Jr.’s camp since free agency opened, reports Rob Bradford of WEEI. The 30-year-old has also drawn interest from the Astros and an unidentified team in the AL Central, Bradford adds. (Speculatively speaking, the Royals and Indians seem the most likely teams in that division to pursue centerfield help this offseason).

Bradley joined the Red Sox when the organization selected him with the 40th overall pick in the 2010 draft. He had cemented himself as the team’s everyday center fielder by 2015, a role he’s held ever since. Bradley has had his share of highs and lows at the plate, but he’s consistently been among the game’s best defensive outfielders.

To his credit, Bradley hits the open market on the heels of one of the better offensive showings of his career. He slashed .283/.364/.450 with seven home runs over 217 plate appearances in 2020, rebounding from a .225/.317/.421 line the season before. That strong showing positions Bradley well in a free agent center field market that’s otherwise quite thin behind George Springer. The MLBTR staff forecasts Bradley for a two-year, $16MM deal this winter, with Houston pegged as his most likely landing spot.

Latest On Future Of Jackie Bradley Jr.

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Pending free-agent center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. was a trade candidate for the Red Sox leading up to the deadline, but he didn’t move and will stay with the out-of contention club until at least the end of the season. It turns out that the Red Sox were willing to entertain proposals for Bradley, but they didn’t receive any offers that convinced them to deal him, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

With the Red Sox sure to miss the playoffs, Bradley could be in his final month as a member of the franchise, which drafted him 40th overall back in 2011. The Red Sox do have interest in keeping the 30-year-old Bradley in the fold past 2020, though, according to chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom.

“We’d love to have him here for a long time,” Bloom said.

For his part, however, Bradley said Wednesday that the Red Sox haven’t expressed interest in a new deal to him, and he expects to reach the open market in a couple months, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe relays.

“I made it this far. Might as well become a free agent,” Bradley stated.

Unfortunately for Bradley, if he does reach the open market, it appears he’ll enter it on the heels of a lackluster platform year. High-end offense hasn’t often been a calling card for Bradley since he debuted in 2013, but the 80 wRC+ he has posted across 117 plate appearances this season ranks among the worst of his career. In all, Bradley has batted .248/.316/.352 with two home runs.

To Bradley’s credit, he has typically combined passable offense and above-average defense, so he should be in line for a guaranteed contract prior to 2021. It’s anyone’s guess whether that payday will come from the Red Sox, however.

Jackie Bradley Jr. Drawing Trade Interest

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Jackie Bradley Jr. of the Boston Red Sox is eliciting trade interest from teams around the league ahead of Monday’s trade deadline. There’s no clear indication whether the Red Sox are offering their centerfielder up in trade discussions, but both the Giants and Indians are curious, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.

Bradley has long been considered a standout defensive outfielder. He’s lost a step in the outfield by metrics like Defensive Runs Saved (2 DRS this season, -2.0 UZR), but he nonetheless remains a viable option to man the middle of the grass. Just last season, Bradley Jr. was worth 6 Outs Above Average by the Statcast metric, ranking as the very best in majors in reaction time. On his defensive prowess alone, Bradley Jr. could easily carve out a role on any number of contenders.

The offensive end tells a different tale. He’s long been a confounding presence at the plate, and this season hasn’t been Bradley’s finest with the stick. A triple slash of .253/.317/.363 still holds value when paired with his glove, however. It would be a little surprising for the Red Sox to hold onto him given that Bradley is a free agent at year’s end, and they’re one of the few teams in the majors all but guaranteed to miss the playoffs. Still, the Red Sox might see value in having his veteran voice in the clubhouse. Before prorating for the shortened season, JBJ was owed $11MM for the season, his last before free agency.

The Indians probably have enough bodies to man the corners of the outfield, but they’re thin in the middle after Oscar Mercado’s somewhat shocking sophomore season (-29 wRC+). Delino DeShields (84 wRC+) is their primary option in center with Greg Allen (48 wRC+) backing him up. The need is clear, but frankly, Bradley Jr. (82 WRC+) fits the mold of the players already on the roster. The Giants, meanwhile, would be surprising buyers, but their offense has kept them within striking distance of the wild card. Mike Yastrzemski has done an admirable job in center, but the Giants must prefer to keep him in a corner if possible. Steven Duggar has returned to the roster, but he’s struggled in limited action thus far (-7 wRC+).

Speculatively speaking, the Cubs or Brewers would be another pair of contenders that could potentially seek outfield help. The Brewers have been forced to play Avisail Garcia in center after Lorenzo Cain opted out for the season. The Brewers have been a disappointment this season on the whole, but they’re a perfect fit should Boston decide to deal Bradley. The Cubs are fairly well stocked in the outfield, and Albert Almora Jr. offers a similar option in terms of skillset, but they still have room for another outfielder on the roster and will definitely look for ways to upgrade. Team President Theo Epstein obviously has a history with Boston and should have no trouble getting his former club on the line, should they have interest.

Red Sox Notes: Weber, Verdugo, Moreland, JBJ

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Just what are the Red Sox thinking by tying up a 40-man roster spot on righty Ryan Weber? Chad Jennings of The Athletic explores (subscription link). The club sees Weber as a clear candidate to take the fifth starter’s role or at least to serve as valuable depth. (He can still be optioned.) While his stuff isn’t eye-popping, it seems the org’s talent evaluators were wowed by Weber’s “command and execution.” And new chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom evidently hasn’t seen cause yet to disagree. Weber doesn’t throw hard and owns only a 5.04 ERA in 114 1/3 MLB innings over the past five seasons. It’ll be interesting to see whether the Sox can help him find a path to contributing value in 2020.

In other news out of Boston, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com rounds up a series of interesting stories on the Sox. We’ll take a brief look at those of particular hot stove relevance …

  • There’s some good news on the progress of recently acquired outfielder Alex Verdugo, but also some added questions. Bradford writes that the 23-year-old has made major strides just since camp opened — but also that he may miss a month or more of the regular season. “The fact it is taking this long is frustrating,” says Verdugo. “What keeps me positive is that all the players, the staff, the trainers, they all support me. They all want me to wait until I’m fully healthy and get back.” Verdugo spoke about the lingering back and related issues that have plagued him for some time now, saying that he had been on a “regular workout plan” from the Dodgers that (it now seems) may not have been the best approach.
  • Regardless whether this lengthy recovery process could’ve been shortened, it’s certainly disappointing that the Boston organization is dealing with this sort of uncertainty surrounding the key player acquired in exchange for Mookie Betts. And Verdugo’s potential also makes for a key component of the team’s 2020 outlook. Even without Betts, the club is certainly at least a plausible Wild Card contender. Fans feeling down about the situation may at least be buoyed somewhat to learn of Verdugo’s unabashed affinity for legend David Ortiz (Twitter link).
  • Returning veteran first baseman Mitch Moreland spoke of his most recent stint on the open market. While he again ended up inking with the Sox, it wasn’t an obvious outcome for much of the winter. Moreland, a Mississippi native, says he fielded interest from a number of other clubs, including some “really close to home that were enticing.” Ultimately, the Red Sox re-engaged — and Moreland says he was happy to work it out to remain in Boston. The Sox will be pleased if they get a repeat of Moreland’s 2019 output; he slashed .252/.328/.507 (112 wRC+) after putting up only league-average offensive output in his first two years with the club.
  • The free agent process can certainly have its twists and turns, but center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. sees it in a positive light. Bradley, who’ll hit the open market next winter, tells Bradford that he’s looking forward to having the ability “to finally make a choice for yourself.” There are ways in which nearing free agency can be stressful, he acknowledged, but that’s all a matter of perspective. For Bradley, there’s nothing but upside: “Why not be excited about it?” he queried.

Diamondbacks Notes: Marte, Second Base, Arbitration

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Ketel Marte is likely ticketed for heavy usage in centerfield this season, per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. The Diamondbacks stated preference for Marte is twofold: they’d like to return him to the infield, and they’d like not to bounce him between positions (in 2019, Marte appeared in 96 games in center, 83 at second, and 11 at shortstop). But unless they make a move on the trade market, GM Mike Hazen is unlikely to satisfy both criteria.  They could have their cake and eat it too by trading for the Pirates’ star centerfielder of the same surname. Speculatively speaking, Starling Marte and Jackie Bradley Jr. are both available, and there aren’t many options beyond those two to upgrade in center. A year after picking 8 times in the first 100 selections of the 2019 draft, the Diamondbacks have the prospect capital to make such a move if they want to cash in. If not…

  • …the organization is much better off in the second baseman department, with Eduardo Escobar, Andy Young, Ildemaro Vargas, Domingo Leyba and Josh Rojas all capable of winning the spot with a strong spring. Eduardo Escobar’s handling of the keystone only becomes likely if Jake Lamb stakes his claim to the hot corner with some authority. That’s not out of the question for the 29-year-old, though given last year’s .193/.323/.353 performance, Lamb would need a very strong spring to gird himself against any kind of early season slump. Otherwise, the Diamondbacks appear comfortable letting a host of options work their way through second base. Escobar is likelier to play third most of the time, as he did last year, with one of their younger options such as Rojas or Young chunking their time up the middle. With Kole Calhoun in right and Stephen Vogt brought in to back up at catcher, the centerfield/second base slot remains the last significant variable for the Diamondbacks to solve on offense before Opening Day. 
  • Regarding arbitration, the Diamondbacks reached one-year accords with four arb-eligible players yesterday: Robbie Ray, Andrew Chafin, Matt Andriese and Jake Lamb. The D-backs also locked up their left fielder David Peralta with a three-year, $22MM deal. Incumbent closer Archie Bradley and consecutive gold glove winner Nick Ahmed are the only two players headed for the arbitration panel as of right now. Figures for both players have been filed.
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