JBJ in 2021

nvalvo

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Jackie Bradley, Jr. is a free agent.

The 30 year-old has a career 92 OPS+, a sterling defensive reputation that is backed up by only some of the statistics. But as we all fondly remember, he had two All Star caliber seasons in 2015 and 2016, a two-year span in which he posted a line of .262/.345/.489. And an ALCS MVP!

Baseball-Reference has him at 16.2 career WAR. Fangraphs is more skeptical at 13.4, and UZR actually thinks he is a tic below-average as a CF this season. But the new Statcast outfield statistics love him. Over the life of the statistic, Outs Above Average has him as a top-tier OF, trailing only Inciarte, Cain, Hamilton, Betts, Kiermaier and Buxton, and only by a handful of runs over 3 seasons. There's no 2020 leaderboard yet, but he is labeled as 99th percentile in that stat; it's safe to say he'll rank well when that comes out. People (among them me) have looked at that disparity and speculated that something about the way the Sox set up their OF might hurt him on the DRS/UZR methodology, and his sprint speed is nothing special and unlikely to improve in his 30s.

Either way, 16 or 13 WAR is pretty great return on a supplemental first-round pick. He was a super 2, and has about $40m of earnings in his four arb-eligible seasons.

I think we all hope that Jarren Duran is our CF of the future, and that the future is soon. But I would be very happy to offer Bradley a two-year deal, with the expectation that he serves as the mentor/veteran presence to our young outfielders (Duran and Verdugo), starting for the first year and then stepping back to a fourth OF role when Duran is ready.

On a personal note, Bradley is my favorite active player, and I'll miss him if he goes.

(Literally, as I am typing this, he just made a great play against the fence to take a double away to try to drag Mike Kickham through this inning.)

In comments a few days ago, Chaim Bloom seemed to suggest the team was open to retaining Bradley after this season.

But...

https://twitter.com/alexspeier/status/1301256089506320384
 
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edoug

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Playing tonight like wants a lot of money from somebody.
 

grimshaw

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I hope he gets paid, he is truly one of the easiest guys to root for, but his timing for free agency couldn't be any worse. The bat is pretty much the same (even worse) as the past 2 seasons and center field defense doesn't get better into your 30's.
 

BroodsSexton

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I LOVE JBJ. I love him. And I hope he goes elsewhere and thrives because he won't thrive here.
I hate to say it, but I agree with this sentiment—and I’ve never felt it for another player, i.e., “Huge fan. Hope he goes elsewhere.” In my opinion, JBJ has never earned the recognition he deserves for his all-around value to the team, whether that’s because the stats somehow don’t capture it, or for some other reason. He’s so easy to root for, and I hope he gets paid and has a fantastic Phase II of his career.

The political situation doesn’t help.
 

Sandy Leon Trotsky

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I'm on the fence..... his streakiness is maddening and it's unavoidable. But when he's on, I love the guy. Way back after Betts first season, there was discussion about dealing either JBJ or Betts to the Mets for one of their SP's (neither of which I can remember their names right now) and I was leaning more towards Betts as the player in said hypothetical deal as I thought JBJ's 2nd half explosion was going to be his midline going forward. His defense is going to slow down.... I don't think he really loves Boston.... I'm not sure what the cost will be... and not sure what sort of demand he'll see for his services.
 

gryoung

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Never have been a big fan. I’ve been looking for the Sox to move Bradley for a couple of seasons. Top-tier defensive CF certainly. But those are not a rare breed. Streaky hitter with average baserunning. Always is hitting in bottom half/third of the order. And he’s expensive and looking to get more-so.

I think he overvalues himself and believe he will leave Boston after the season for several reasons. I was hoping for something solid in return during the trade period, but either Bloom didn’t get the offers back he wanted or he pulled back due to the potential backlash given the current environment.
 

Oppo

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They got great defense and streaky hitting through his age 30 season for less than $40 million? (Spotrac lists career earnings of $25 million but regardless). That’s a great investment for a flawed player that does one thing at an elite level but not someone you want to invest big in moving forward.
 

sean1562

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I like the guy for all he did in 2018 but he has always been such a frustrating player. Thanks for the time here but I would prefer they go some other route moving forward. He is a great CF but not the best one in the league. As he gets older, I wouldnt be shocked to see his streaks get less frequent and less dominant. Thanks for the time you were here Jackie but I think it is time to move on.

Can Beni be a league average defensive CF? His poor hitting is easier to swallow if he can be a competent defensive CF. We have been spoiled with the OF defense the last few years but it doesn't have to be a permanent feature of our team. Spend the money on pitching depth.
 

nvalvo

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Never have been a big fan. I’ve been looking for the Sox to move Bradley for a couple of seasons. Top-tier defensive CF certainly. But those are not a rare breed. Streaky hitter with average baserunning. Always is hitting in bottom half/third of the order. And he’s expensive and looking to get more-so.

I think he overvalues himself and believe he will leave Boston after the season for several reasons. I was hoping for something solid in return during the trade period, but either Bloom didn’t get the offers back he wanted or he pulled back due to the potential backlash given the current environment.
They really are a rare breed, though, if you limit things to people who can approach league average with the bat like Bradley does.

Most of the guys who can field the position comparably to Bradley (.314 2019 wOBA, also his career mark) hit like Mallex Smith (.278 wOBA), Adam Engel (.296 wOBA), Harrison Bader (.293 wOBA), Kevin Kiermaier (.284 wOBA), Billy Hamilton (.251 wOBA), Albert Almora (.271 wOBA), Jake Marisnick (.297 wOBA), Delino Deshields (.295 wOBA), or Jarrod Dyson (.281 wOBA). How about Manuel Margot (.296 wOBA) or Guillermo Heredia (.291 wOBA)?

People complain about Bradley's bat, but he's considerably better offensively than most of these guys, mostly because he takes walks at a decent clip. Kevin Pillar (.298 wOBA) just had a good month for us — and Statcast says he's at best an average defender — but he posted an OBP 25 points above his career average.

Those guys are indeed a dime a dozen. Bradley hasn't posted a sub-.300 wOBA since 2015. Cain (.302 wOBA), Robles (.317 wOBA), and Inciarte (.318 wOBA) are really Bradley's comps in terms of league-average-ish offense (better in some seasons, especially from Cain) and plus-defense over a multi-year sample.

The CFs who can play the position well and hit considerably *better* than Bradley are... well, they're superstars: Trout, Betts, Springer, Acuña, etc.
 

nvalvo

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I like the guy for all he did in 2018 but he has always been such a frustrating player. Thanks for the time here but I would prefer they go some other route moving forward. He is a great CF but not the best one in the league. As he gets older, I wouldnt be shocked to see his streaks get less frequent and less dominant. Thanks for the time you were here Jackie but I think it is time to move on.

Can Beni be a league average defensive CF? His poor hitting is easier to swallow if he can be a competent defensive CF. We have been spoiled with the OF defense the last few years but it doesn't have to be a permanent feature of our team. Spend the money on pitching depth.
Statcast has Benintendi as a bad defender (-10 OAA) in left, but who knows how they're handling the Monster.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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They got great defense and streaky hitting through his age 30 season for less than $40 million? (Spotrac lists career earnings of $25 million but regardless). That’s a great investment for a flawed player that does one thing at an elite level but not someone you want to invest big in moving forward.
I don't think any team is going to invest "big" in JBJ this winter. At best, he's probably looking at a 2-3 year deal max. 2/22 or 3/33 or in that neighborhood isn't a significant investment for what he brings defensively and at the plate (even if it is maddeningly inconsistent). If I'm Bloom, I probably offer 2/18 with an option to make it 3/30 and have a little bit of room to negotiate up to that 2/22, 3/33 range. If Jackie can get better elsewhere, more power to him.
 

The Gray Eagle

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I think Bloom's plan is to let him hit the market and if/when Bradley's best offers are, say, one-year deals at less than 10 million, consider making a similar offer then. If someone offers him a lot more than that, we don't try to beat it and move on.

Bradley wouldn't sign an offer like that now, so there's no point in making one (other than to spin it to the media that "Hey we made him an offer but he turned it down.")

I love JBJ and would love it if he signed here next year on a cheap deal, similar to how Moreland did last time. (He'll get a lot more money than Moreland did, but similar in how it goes down.)

I expect the market for mid-level veterans this offseason is probably going to be pretty bad, and I doubt Bloom would want to end up paying over the market rate for JBJ.
 

nvalvo

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I don't think any team is going to invest "big" in JBJ this winter. At best, he's probably looking at a 2-3 year deal max. 2/22 or 3/33 or in that neighborhood isn't a significant investment for what he brings defensively and at the plate (even if it is maddeningly inconsistent). If I'm Bloom, I probably offer 2/18 with an option to make it 3/30 and have a little bit of room to negotiate up to that 2/22, 3/33 range. If Jackie can get better elsewhere, more power to him.
I don't think anyone really has a sense of what the FA market will be, but we can go through with the exercise.

As for terms, here's Bradley's rWAR numbers, starting with his partial 2013 season:

-0.2, 0.7, 2.0, 5.8, 3.5, 2.2, 1.9, 0.4 (33 games of 2020). Let's imagine he finishes 2020 with 0.8 rWAR, which we could prorate up to 2.2 on a full season basis.

3-2-1 averaging yields 2.1. He's 30, so the back-of-the-envelope projections call for losing half a WAR a season: 1.6, 1.1. I would offer him something very close to what you suggested. So yeah, we're trying to buy 2.5-3 WAR over two seasons. 2/20, maybe as high as 2/25, and perhaps a club option/buyout for a third year. If the bidding goes much above that, well, we could grab Manuel Margot or somebody for cheap, wish Bradley well, and hope Duran gets here fast.

Again, I'm envisioning Bradley as the starter for 2021, hopefully introducing Duran in the second half after he shows that he can make his new rebuilt swing play in games in AAA, and then serving as a mentor/veteran presence/transitional figure/fourth OF in 2022.

But I'm not sure who is likely to beat that. The teams with the worst OFs in 2020 (by WAR) are:
  • The Pirates, unlikely to bid on a FA.
  • The Rangers, who I think are rebuilding.
  • The Indians, who are an otherwise a contending team and could really use him. But they have a decent prospect in Oscar Mercado coming, and will likely either find a one-year fill-in/stick with Deshields Jr., or just give Mercado the job.
  • The Angels, somehow. Imagine having Mike Trout in your outfield and still being fourth worst in OF WAR in 2020.
  • The Nationals, who have a comparable player in Robles pre-arb.
Just looking around the league for teams who could maybe use a two-win CF:
  • Colorado might be interested, and it would be amazing to see what he could do in that OF.
  • The Mets should be interested. Nimmo is not a CF, and Hamilton/Marisnick can't hit.
  • Probably not the Cardinals? Bader is hitting pretty well in the tiny sample of the 2020 season.
  • I think SF has settled on Yaz as their CF.
  • Chicago has Happ doing well in CF after Almora's disappointment, but Happ is nothing special with the glove.
  • The Phils? How far away is Moniak?
So I think his market is us, the Tribe, the Rockies, and the Mets, perhaps the Phillies. I don't see any of those teams beating 2/$20, or maybe even offering multiple years.

It really might play out that he goes out and gets a 1/$8m offer from the Rockies or someone, and we beat it with like 1/$9m and an option/buyout. That would be perfect IMO.
 

chawson

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I don't see how you can pay big money for Bradley when this team is at the point they are in terms of being a contender.
The counterthesis to this would be that the Sox will need a strong defensive center fielder (if JBJ is no longer elite) to help its young and developing pitching staff during a rebuild.
 

RedOctober3829

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Define "big money" because ~$10M/year is not that big in the MLB economy.
That is big money to a team that is trying to trim down payroll to have a all glove no bat CF. I would not be interested in a long-term agreement for that kind of money for Bradley when they should not have trouble finding somebody that can play 75% as good of defense and hit better for less than that(they found Pillar on a 1-year deal).
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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That is big money to a team that is trying to trim down payroll to have a all glove no bat CF. I would not be interested in a long-term agreement for that kind of money for Bradley when they should not have trouble finding somebody that can play 75% as good of defense and hit better for less than that(they found Pillar on a 1-year deal).
Why are they still trimming payroll at this point? The payroll trimming was done in February. The tax has been reset. They haven't been out of the top 5 in total salary in a decade. They're #3 this year (per Spotrac). There should be no expectation that they're going to pinch pennies to a significant degree moving forward.

JBJ at roughly his pre-prorated 2020 salary ($11M) should not be a backbreaker for the 2021 Red Sox.
 

RedOctober3829

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Why are they still trimming payroll at this point? The payroll trimming was done in February. The tax has been reset. They haven't been out of the top 5 in total salary in a decade. They're #3 this year (per Spotrac). There should be no expectation that they're going to pinch pennies to a significant degree moving forward.

JBJ at roughly his pre-prorated 2020 salary ($11M) should not be a backbreaker for the 2021 Red Sox.
I just don't value JBJ at that salary and think they can find somebody cheaper to do a lot of what he does. Why would you want a 3 or 4 year deal at that kind of money on the books for somebody who hits .230 to .240 and plays good defense? You can find that kind of player off the scrap heap like they did with Pillar for cheaper than that. I would much rather somebody else pay Bradley big money. The Red Sox have much bigger needs for the long-term than signing Jackie Bradley Jr. to that kind of contract.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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I just don't value JBJ at that salary and think they can find somebody cheaper to do a lot of what he does. Why would you want a 3 or 4 year deal at that kind of money on the books for somebody who hits .230 to .240 and plays good defense? You can find that kind of player off the scrap heap like they did with Pillar for cheaper than that. I would much rather somebody else pay Bradley big money. The Red Sox have much bigger needs for the long-term than signing Jackie Bradley Jr. to that kind of contract.
Who's saying 3-4 year deal? My proposal was start at 2/18 with an option and maxing out at 2/22 with an option. If you don't value him like that or think they can get the same for cheaper elsewhere, that's fine. But by the numbers, it's a reasonable deal.
 

RedOctober3829

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Who's saying 3-4 year deal? My proposal was start at 2/18 with an option and maxing out at 2/22 with an option. If you don't value him like that or think they can get the same for cheaper elsewhere, that's fine. But by the numbers, it's a reasonable deal.
I like what Jackie brings to the table defensively, but to spend like that on a player like him is a luxury that a contending team can do. If they can get him for a good chunk less than what he was making this year(less than what you're starting with), I'll think about it. But I'm not interested in him unless that is the case. By his comments yesterday, he seems intent on testing the market and I hope he finds what he's looking for but not here.
 

grimshaw

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Why are they still trimming payroll at this point? The payroll trimming was done in February. The tax has been reset. They haven't been out of the top 5 in total salary in a decade. They're #3 this year (per Spotrac). There should be no expectation that they're going to pinch pennies to a significant degree moving forward.

JBJ at roughly his pre-prorated 2020 salary ($11M) should not be a backbreaker for the 2021 Red Sox.
I would argue that by not pinching pennies where they could is a major contributor for where they are at now. It should be very doable to replace JBJ's production without throwing 10 million dollars away regardless of being well under the luxury tax. At some point they will spend and probably be very glad to have the extra cushion.

I'd ultimately be ok with future ticket prices not bloating because of our payroll too.
 

nvalvo

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I just don't value JBJ at that salary and think they can find somebody cheaper to do a lot of what he does. Why would you want a 3 or 4 year deal at that kind of money on the books for somebody who hits .230 to .240 and plays good defense? You can find that kind of player off the scrap heap like they did with Pillar for cheaper than that. I would much rather somebody else pay Bradley big money. The Red Sox have much bigger needs for the long-term than signing Jackie Bradley Jr. to that kind of contract.
No one else in the thread is proposing a three-year offer.

The month of Pillar we just got was a top ten month of his career. His career line is .261/.297/.407, and his two preceding years he's had OBPs of .282 and .287. So sure, you can find a good defensive CF with a sub-.300 OBP on the scrap heap.
 

RedOctober3829

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No one else in the thread is proposing a three-year offer.

The month of Pillar we just got was a top ten month of his career. His career line is .261/.297/.407, and his two preceding years he's had OBPs of .282 and .287. So sure, you can find a good defensive CF with a sub-.300 OBP on the scrap heap.
No one in here is proposing it for whatever unknown reasons, but someone will give it to him on the open market.
 

nvalvo

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No one in here is proposing it for whatever unknown reasons, but someone will give it to him on the open market.
Just curious, but who do you think that will be?

Earlier in the thread I ran through a bunch of the likely contenders that people have talked about as needing OF help (Cleveland, SF, the Mets, the Rockies, the Pirates), and I must say, the exercise did not leave me confident that he was about to get a huge offer.

I guess we'll see.
 

RedOctober3829

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Just curious, but who do you think that will be?

Earlier in the thread I ran through a bunch of the likely contenders that people have talked about as needing OF help (Cleveland, SF, the Mets, the Rockies, the Pirates), and I must say, the exercise did not leave me confident that he was about to get a huge offer.

I guess we'll see.
I could see the Mets giving him 3 years and $30 million. If they got him and if the NL gets the DH next year, you have an OF of Nimmo/JBJ/Conforto and put Dom Smith at DH. With Cohen taking over the team, they will spend more than the Wilpon-led team would have.
 

chawson

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I expect there will be a lot of teams looking to shed payroll this winter for pandemic-related reasons, so the free agent market could likely be suppressed. The potential availability of guys like Starling Marte, Kiermaier, Pham, Piscotty, David Peralta, Gregory Polanco and others (just to name the bigger contracts) might affect whether a team gives 3/$30 to JBJ.

Part of me thinks even Yelich could be available in a Stanton-like deal, but that’s a different matter.
 

Papelbon's Poutine

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I expect there will be a lot of teams looking to shed payroll this winter for pandemic-related reasons, so the free agent market could likely be suppressed. The potential availability of guys like Starling Marte, Kiermaier, Pham, Piscotty, David Peralta, Gregory Polanco and others (just to name the bigger contracts) might affect whether a team gives 3/$30 to JBJ.

Part of me thinks even Yelich could be available in a Stanton-like deal, but that’s a different matter.
Yelich is $26M/yr, with $4M per year of that deferred for 7 years, he's about as far away from a Stanton dump as you can get. He won't go anywhere.
 

nvalvo

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Since I posted this thread, Bradley has played 16 games and posted a very nice .317/.393/.448 line, raising his season line to .274/.346/.423.

Seems pretty good.
 

JBJ_HOF

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If they don't sign Springer, and JBJ walks away, they are going to need to trade for a center or right fielder.
 

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JBJ has been JBJing again. Currently on one of his 2-3 week hot streaks to end the year, it will be interesting to see what his decent looking numbers bring him in FA. We’ve discussed his defense. Still seems solid but no longer elite, and unlikely to improve or even maintain for long. I could see a 2 year deal, which I’d think the Sox would consider at the right price. Partially depends on what they think of Duran (or of moving over Beni or Verdugo, which doesn’t seem ideal).

I’m not loving a long term Springer deal. He looks like a RF moving forward, and a guy who does not have a long history of durability. I think we’d feel about him the way many did about JD Drew - a little underwhelming for the price. (Note: I’m not trying to trigger another Drew discussion!)
 

mauf

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JBJ has been JBJing again. Currently on one of his 2-3 week hot streaks to end the year, it will be interesting to see what his decent looking numbers bring him in FA. We’ve discussed his defense. Still seems solid but no longer elite, and unlikely to improve or even maintain for long. I could see a 2 year deal, which I’d think the Sox would consider at the right price. Partially depends on what they think of Duran (or of moving over Beni or Verdugo, which doesn’t seem ideal).

I’m not loving a long term Springer deal. He looks like a RF moving forward, and a guy who does not have a long history of durability. I think we’d feel about him the way many did about JD Drew - a little underwhelming for the price. (Note: I’m not trying to trigger another Drew discussion!)
There’s a certain logic to spending money during what’s likely to be the worst free-agent market in almost two decades, on a position where the Yankees and Dodgers don’t have a need. So while I’m aligned with your view of Springer, I can imagine his market falling off to a point where I’d be excited to see the Sox jump in. If someone is going to give him $100M+, however, then I fervently hope that it’s someone else.
 

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There’s a certain logic to spending money during what’s likely to be the worst free-agent market in almost two decades, on a position where the Yankees and Dodgers don’t have a need. So while I’m aligned with your view of Springer, I can imagine his market falling off to a point where I’d be excited to see the Sox jump in. If someone is going to give him $100M+, however, then I fervently hope that it’s someone else.
Agreed. If he’s looking at Castellanos money, the Sox should be in. But I’m guessing Houston will be willing to pay him more, something in that $100m range (Brantley and Redding are also FAs). More than I’d want the Sox to pay. Of course, the Astros suddenly need pitching next year, so who knows what their spending focus will be.
 

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Advanced defensive stats have shown that players peak defensively in their early 20s and decline from there, especially in the post-PED era. Knowing that, is it even possible to sign a free agent centerfielder anymore? It's right at the top of the defensive spectrum, so by the time someone reaches free agency, they're likely no better than average in the field. It seems like you're going to have to develop or trade for someone if you want elite defense in center.
 

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I can see JBJ going to the Yankees and, naturally, turning into Curtis Granderson 2.0.

If his market isn't great and he is priced at 12 million/year for 3 years, it would make some sense for them to get him as a Gardner replacement (and at worst a 4th outfielder/spot starter/late inning defensive sub with a chance to be a full time starter).
 

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Advanced defensive stats have shown that players peak defensively in their early 20s and decline from there, especially in the post-PED era. Knowing that, is it even possible to sign a free agent centerfielder anymore? It's right at the top of the defensive spectrum, so by the time someone reaches free agency, they're likely no better than average in the field. It seems like you're going to have to develop or trade for someone if you want elite defense in center.
Well, JBJ is a known quantity. Is there anything about his defensive game that might indicate a different decline than most? Is there a floor of serviceability the Sox would accept before his inconsistent offense becomes something they actively try to replace?
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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Well, JBJ is a known quantity. Is there anything about his defensive game that might indicate a different decline than most? Is there a floor of serviceability the Sox would accept before his inconsistent offense becomes something they actively try to replace?
I can't imagine anyone signing JBJ to a contract long enough that his defense would become such a significant liability that they'd be looking to bail before his deal is up. If, say, 33 year old JBJ can't be expected to hold up enough defensively, no one will sign him for more than a two-year deal.
 

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I can see JBJ going to the Yankees and, naturally, turning into Curtis Granderson 2.0.

If his market isn't great and he is priced at 12 million/year for 3 years, it would make some sense for them to get him as a Gardner replacement (and at worst a 4th outfielder/spot starter/late inning defensive sub with a chance to be a full time starter).
Zero chance of this, they have Hicks locked up long-term plus Judge in RF and Clint Frazier has now won the LF spot, plus Stanton at DH, plus the enigma of Mike Tauchman (3.8 bWAR in 2019 in just 296 PAs in his year 28 season, -0.3 BWAR this season in 109 PAs with zero power) plus Andujar potentially in LF as a backup. Gardner has already been replaced, especially if Tauchman rebounds.

Also NY has to be careful where they spend money, JBJ would definitely be a defensive upgrade in CF for them but I'd be stunned.

The Mets however have been trying to find a real defensive CF for years...
 

nvalvo

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Zero chance of this, they have Hicks locked up long-term plus Judge in RF and Clint Frazier has now won the LF spot, plus Stanton at DH, plus the enigma of Mike Tauchman (3.8 bWAR in 2019 in just 296 PAs in his year 28 season, -0.3 BWAR this season in 109 PAs with zero power) plus Andujar potentially in LF as a backup. Gardner has already been replaced, especially if Tauchman rebounds.

Also NY has to be careful where they spend money, JBJ would definitely be a defensive upgrade in CF for them but I'd be stunned.

The Mets however have been trying to find a real defensive CF for years...
Teams that are pretty clearly not in the market for a FA center fielder, either because they already have a long-term solution at the position or are just at the wrong point in the success cycle to sign FAs:
18: LAA, STL, LAD, SDP, NYY, OAK, CWS, MIN, TBR, ATL, SEA, DET, WAS, CIN, PIT, BAL, TEX, KCR.

Teams that might be interested, depending on what other moves they make:
7: CHC, HOU, MIL, MIA, SFG, ARI, TOR.

That leaves:
5: BOS, CLE, NYM, PHL, COL.
 

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Dec 22, 2002
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I've seen reports on Duran's bat this year but not his glove. I'm not sure the Sox are all that interested in bringing JBJ back especially if Duran looks passable in CF. Has anyone seen anything on Duran's defense this year?

Last I saw, he projected to be average in CF with his speed currently covering up a lot of his inexperience and bad routes (which could be caused by the inexperience). His arm is average at best. That's a year dated tho.

I'm not very high on Duran but if the power is legit, I'd change my stance. I think he succeeded at the lower levels due to his game changing speed.
 
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Red(s)HawksFan

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Jan 23, 2009
20,676
Maine
I've seen reports on Duran's bat this year but not his glove. I'm not sure the Sox are all that interested in bringing JBJ back especially if Duran looks passable in CF. Has anyone seen anything on Duran's defense this year?

Last I saw, he projected to be average in CF with his speed currently covering up a lot of his inexperience and bad routes (which could be caused by the inexperience). His arm is average at best. That's a year dated tho.

I'm not very high on Duran but if the power is legit, I'd change my stance. I think he succeeded at the lower levels due to his game changing speed.
Seems to me that if they viewed Duran as JBJ's immediate heir apparent (as in, Opening Day 2021 center fielder), he'd have gotten some run the last few weeks. I don't think Duran's status is going to impact what the team decides to do with regard to JBJ.
 

Heating up in the bullpen

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Nov 24, 2007
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I don't see the Pirates trying to get JBJ. MLB needs relegation to get the Pirates out of the majors.
The Pirates finished second in the NL Central in 2013-15, with a 98 win season in 2015. They finished third in 2016. They won 82 games in 2018. And they're "only" 5 games behind the Red Sox this year, a year which most of us here agree doesn't much matter. I don't see the evidence for relegating them.
 

Sox Puppet

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Dec 7, 2016
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Any chance Verdugo could handle CF? I noticed that the Sox tried him there for one game last week.
 

nighthob

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Jul 15, 2005
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Seems to me that if they viewed Duran as JBJ's immediate heir apparent (as in, Opening Day 2021 center fielder), he'd have gotten some run the last few weeks. I don't think Duran's status is going to impact what the team decides to do with regard to JBJ.
I don't think they'd start the arb contract running on Duran if they viewed him as a core player going forward. Better to let him work on his game at the alternate site and then bring him up next season when it’s more advantageous. Given his age I doubt they have any interest in Duran beyond his cheap years.