We Wish You Well Jackie Bradley Jr. (DFA 8.4.22)
- Thread starter CarolinaBeerGuy
- Start date
Nope... Hence the "so far" leading my post.
Mostly, so far I have been highly critical of the decision to go with Bradley as more than a defensive replacement or emergency spot starter.
He hasn't been terrible, and that's all I acknowledged.
Tomorrow is another data point.
Count me in this camp: I was sure they would have JBJ as defensive replacement/emergency OF starter. I was quite wrong of course, and maybe JBJ seizes this opportunity and never lets go, but I still think the trade partners are on speed dial just in case.
Completely agree. It's far too small of a sample size and, as you've noted, Bradley's streakiness is well-established and if this turns out to be a "hot streak" then it's a pretty sorry excuse for one.
Still. In the same way that his early season returns aren't proof that he's NOT cooked, they at least aren't also proof that he IS cooked, which is all we can hope for at the moment. If he started the season with one of those .110/.170/.150 slash lines I think the torch-and-pitchfork crowd would be ready to stick a fork (pitch- or otherwise) in him. At this stage in the season and in his career, I'll settle for "we can't prove he's cooked yet."
Agreed. However, it is encouraging to see that he's been able to more than just hang in there thusfar. I think you're underselling his batting, given that batting overall seems depressed: today's MLB average OPS is .689.
I don't expect that will hold up all year, but enjoy it while it's happening, whatever the reasons are.
Also, today's his birthday.
FWIW, Franchy has 50 PA in AAA, now, and is flat out crushing it. .348/.400/.674, with 3 HR and 6 2B, but also with 16 K to 4 BB.
Duran had another COVID positive, so he barely has any sample.
Duran had another COVID positive, so he barely has any sample.
He's been an above average hitter so far this year. Yeah it's only 10 games, but if he puts up his current line over a full season then he's absolutely not cooked and the trade was a home run.
JBJ just missed seeing the birth of his third child
https://www.masslive.com/redsox/2022/06/boston-red-soxs-jackie-bradley-jr-just-missing-third-childs-birth-an-example-of-different-life-for-big-leaguers-with-newborns-it-aint-easy.html
Julian McWilliams
@byJulianMack
9m
Red Sox riding with Jarren Duran. Jackie Bradley Jr. has been designated for assignment, according to a source
@byJulianMack
9m
Red Sox riding with Jarren Duran. Jackie Bradley Jr. has been designated for assignment, according to a source
I mean it is no surprise that he was cooked as a hitter. But, he's been worse as a defender as well. Not to say he's a bad defender, but he's not what he once was. It was assumed that he'd be a backup OF for this team which would have been fine, but to put him a position where he'd fail is on Bloom. There's no way at this stage of his career that he should have been a starter.
This must be the move to elevate Hosmer (currently listed as MiL on the 40) onto the 26 man roster.
I think Bloom had his chips on Suzuki and never had a backup plan after it fell through. Hopefully a lesson learned.
Oh boy, this makes me sad. I guess someone will pick him up? I also think that there will be times when we say, "JBJ would have had that." Especially if Cora plays Verdugo in RF until Refsnyder is all better. The idea of Duran in RF is scary, also.
Yup 100% agree - he was in on Suzuki and all signs pointed towards him coming.... but there was no plan B after didn't happen
This is sad news. But we’ll always have the 2018 ALCS and so many defensive highlights over the years. Best of luck, JBJ.
Worthwhile gamble to see if a familiar situation would get him back to the player he used to be and it sort of worked - at Fenway (288/317/468). Of course, he hit 129/196/167 on the road which is really hard to figure out. Stuck too long with him, but better late than never, giving Duran the at bats is the right move. Sox will still pay him $8M next year.
Wish him luck, an important part of the Sox success in the past decade.
Wish him luck, an important part of the Sox success in the past decade.
This is mostly my reaction. Watching JBJ play CF at his peak was a true joy and made every fly ball to center field an experience worth sitting forward and perking up for. His heroics in the 2018 ALCS are the cherry on top for me.
An exciting, home grown prospect that made good many times over. Best wishes, JBJ.
I also sort of agree with this, actually. Maybe the plan was Suzuki, maybe it was someone else. But it needed to be someone other than simply starting JBJ at this point in his career.
For instance, even if Suzuki was Plan A, I hoped Michael Conforto (who remains a free agent, so maybe there's some reason?) was at least Plan C or D? A Hunter Renfroe type with a career 120 OPS+ -- and, to be fair, bad defense -- who it seems unwisely turned down the Mets qualifying offer.
My definition of, "hope springs eternal," was based on the hope that JBJ would be able to stabilize his ability to take outside pitches to the opposite field on a consistent basis. Sadly, although he would have little hot streaks of doing that, his knuckelhead baseball self would always revert back to 4-3 groundouts. Best of luck, Jackie - you will always pop into my head when discussing the greatest defensive outfielders I have every seen.
Watching him patrol centerfield defensively was an absolute pleasure and his play in the ALCS in 2018 was a huge reason for the Sox success. Wish him the best.
I wish him all the best. He's the greatest defensive outfielder I've had the pleasure of watching on a regular basis and I will miss seeing him patrol center field (or right). Shame he couldn't hit.
Yup, but I get the call. I was lucky enough to be there in person for his last(?) game at Fenway and he made an absolutely vintage catch in CF. I'll miss him.
I thought this whole deal was about getting minor league depth with Binelas and Hamilton? At least that from what I read.
I don't think people thought of JBJ as a bench player when the season started. Prior to 2022, his only real bad year was 2021, right? Bloom's supposed to know he was cooked after 1 season in Milwaukee? I thought he would turn it around coming back to a familiar team. OK, I was wrong there, but I don't think too many people had him regressing further as he has.
So if you want to blame Bloom on using him as a starter and not putting him on the bench, OK. IIRC, we only had Plawecki, Arroyo and Arauz as our bench in April. The other option I guess was break camp with Duran and have one less bullpen guy. Not a lot of great options, but I guess that was the reality in April.
The best defensive outfielder I've seen play, and yet still probably underrated because he was such a natural and often camped under or casually jogging to meet a ball at its final destination where others wouldn't pick it up off the bat and thus have to do a stupid dive to get there.
Always had a soft spot for him. Home grown guy, elite defender, and a few very well timed hot streaks. But as noted, cooked as a hitter now. And defense no longer enough to make up for that. But a decade of wow plays in center, and the 2018 post season forever his legacy. Hope he lands somewhere.
Some day, on my deathbed, I will think of what baseball and the Boston Red Sox meant to me. This is what I'll be picturing:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYTjCc7Uw_c
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYTjCc7Uw_c
Such a great outfield trio. I loved the three Bs and their celebrations. JBJ was a pleasure to watch patrol center for the Red Sox and an important player on maybe the best Red Sox team and run we have seen.
I get the move but I'll miss Jackie every time I see Duran take a bad route to a fly ball.
Duran probably has between now and Kike's return to show the Sox he belongs in their long-term OF plans.
Bradley is my favorite active ball player. Well, I hope he’s still active. Amazing defender, great dude, streaky hitter.
Y’all on here that are SoSH lifers have taught me so much about baseball numbers and analysis and hidden trends and long view strategies…
But this… this is baseball. There’s no better narrative than the right players finding each other at the right time. Each of these three individually have their stat lines that measures their worth, projects their future… determines their end. How do you measure what is in this clip, though? Each of their worse stats was needed on this run to create each of the best stats. The statistically improbable grand slam becomes… inevitable. Foretold. The narrative demands it.
Sad to see this chapter close with the others. It hasn’t been a satisfying epilogue.
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I wish my reaction was sadness. But Jackie's streaky offense and the fact that hitting about Mendoza was a benchmark for him...made me crazy.
I also noticed that he wasn't quite what he was in earlier years defensively but he was still way better than most in my eyes.
BUT with Duran often looking over matched at the plate and totally lost in the field, I'm shaking my head a little on this one. (Though not as much as the Vazquez trade, which I still find really hard to explain in light of the prospects they got back, but I seriously digress).
Is there an economic angle that I am missing? I'm guessing that the answer is yes.
I also noticed that he wasn't quite what he was in earlier years defensively but he was still way better than most in my eyes.
BUT with Duran often looking over matched at the plate and totally lost in the field, I'm shaking my head a little on this one. (Though not as much as the Vazquez trade, which I still find really hard to explain in light of the prospects they got back, but I seriously digress).
Is there an economic angle that I am missing? I'm guessing that the answer is yes.
Okay Bradley was a great outfielder in his hayday, but right now he brought nothing to the table. His exploits in center field, years ago is worthy of accolades but right now he is just another bad decision in Bloom's folder. Making things even worse is the 17 plus million still owed him. Does anyone think another major league team will pick him up? Highly, and I emphasis "highly" unlikely!
It was not only the difficult plays. His entire style in the outfield was cool, relaxed, effortless. I loved watching him move under a routine fly ball. There would be this moment of stillness, and then he'd calmly put it away.
Of course, his hitting, especially when he was not 'on' was painful.
He was a class act. Like with Vasquez, I completely get why it had to happen, but it's just sad.
Of course, his hitting, especially when he was not 'on' was painful.
He was a class act. Like with Vasquez, I completely get why it had to happen, but it's just sad.
Like mentioned above, JBJ's the best defensive player I've ever had the pleasure of seeing in person. Sad the reunion didn't work out, but nothing for JBJ to be ashamed about. A terrific Sox career. Thanks for those absolutely great 2016-2018 years, JBJ!
I think it's around $11M, not $17M, $3M for the remainder of this season and the $8M buyout for next year assuming no one picks him up off waivers (which of course they will not given the money).
I absolutely love JBJ.
But if the Sox are trying to make the postseason, they needed to lengthen the lineup, and JBJ was understandably low on the 26 man totem pole, given his abyssal road game numbers.
I am a little surprised the Sox couldn't find a fit on one of the teams looking for a defensive OF. I mean, I'm not saying the deal would have been great, but they likely could have gotten something more than the ML minimum in return.
Regardless, I hope he catches on somewhere.
But if the Sox are trying to make the postseason, they needed to lengthen the lineup, and JBJ was understandably low on the 26 man totem pole, given his abyssal road game numbers.
I am a little surprised the Sox couldn't find a fit on one of the teams looking for a defensive OF. I mean, I'm not saying the deal would have been great, but they likely could have gotten something more than the ML minimum in return.
Regardless, I hope he catches on somewhere.