We Wish You Well Jackie Bradley Jr. (DFA 8.4.22)
- Thread starter CarolinaBeerGuy
- Start date
No one will pick him up, but it is possible that someone will trade for him, and take on slightly more than the minimum. For instance, someone might take JBJ for min for the remainder of the year, and a small amount of the buyout (as part of the cash or PTBNL), in order to keep the $4mm option for next year. Small risk for an unlikely upside.
It's possible that JBJ asked for his release, once Bloom told him he wasn't going to play much for the rest of the season. I will him well in all of his future endeavors, except against us of course.
I'm still on the Bloom train, but this deal was an epic fail. Nothing wrong with using the team's resources to buy prospects, but you can't do that while also leaving a major hole in the starting lineup of team that is hoping to contend, especially when we are talking about prospects who are miles away from the MLB top 100. Hopefully Alex Binelas pays off.
Godspeed to JBJ though. We'll always have 2018.
Godspeed to JBJ though. We'll always have 2018.
The trade deadline was a couple of days ago. It's either pick him up and pay the salary, or wait until the 14th when he clears waivers and is a free agent. Jackie could also accept an assignment to Worcester, but without being on the 40 man roster, there's not much hope of coming back from there.
Sorry, this move makes no sense. The Sox would rather have Jaylin Davis on the roster than JBJ? He's basically the definition of "fungible".
Lessons learned include that we got lucky there. Suzuki is providing one very expensive win over replacement this year.
Will always be a JBJ fan. Kinda glad for him that he'll have a chance to stick with someone for a stretch run.
Can close my eyes and still picture some of your great catches. And when you got on a hot streak with the bat it was a thing of beauty even if it was for a short time. You will always be a World Series Champion. God bless and all the best in your next endeavor.
I don’t think I’ve ever watched any OF with better spatial awareness than JBJ. Fenway is such a difficult OF to play, and he always seemed to know where he was, where the walls were, whether and how to make a play on the ball. Just remarkable.
Oh damn I forgot about JD
now I’m mad
I’ll miss JBJ
Hope I can watch him in Polar but it’s doubtful
So is JBJ at this point. We all kinda love him, but the skills are fading. Just cut bait and move on.
Best of luck again to JBJ. Sorry it didn't end better.
2018 will be remembered as one of the best teams in MLB history. That outfield was one of the best that I've seen for any extended and consistent period of time for the Red Sox. Yaz/Rice, Lynn, and Evans are certainly in the conversation.
JBJ's ALCS performance in 2018 was perfect timing for him to go hot at just the right time.
And those three with the highlight reel at the end of each win... love it or hate it, they had a lot of them together.
2018 will be remembered as one of the best teams in MLB history. That outfield was one of the best that I've seen for any extended and consistent period of time for the Red Sox. Yaz/Rice, Lynn, and Evans are certainly in the conversation.
JBJ's ALCS performance in 2018 was perfect timing for him to go hot at just the right time.
And those three with the highlight reel at the end of each win... love it or hate it, they had a lot of them together.
Yes, Jaylin can at least theoretically hit LH which is what they need out of a backup OF.
I wonder if in part this is a little gift to JBJ. Sox knew that he wasn't likely to see the field for them anymore, but rather than bury him on the bench, it will give him a chance to see if another team, that wasn't willing to give up anything of value at the deadline, is interested in giving him a chance as a risk-free flyer. Or, he is cooked and everyone knows it, in which case it's the right move from a baseball standpoint, given that he has been a net negative for the past two seasons.
JBJ, one gold glove. What a travesty. And, it wasn't all Kiermaier, who won 3 in the same years Jackie has played. Guess JBJ didn't hit enough. 
Of course he's fungible, he's the last man on the roster. When Refsnyder or even Kike' returns from the IL, Davis is the first one gone.
Is the bolded true? Everything I saw this year was that he was still great in CF (with obviously fewer chances) and solid in RF (albeit with Duran out there terrifying us to his right).
My sense is that Kike's injury really messed this up -- JBJ went from being a potential platoon guy to being an everyday starter.
I wish we'd been able to keep him for defensive purposes a la Gabe Kapler. My sense is that if Story doesn't get hurt, we don't need Yolmer and JBJ stays. Oh well.
Short answer...Yes. JBJ is at the end of his career and has little if anything to offer in Boston. I'm guessing there is a team or two out there that can find room for him at the end of the bench to provide some late inning defense as they make a run at the post season.
I just wanted to spend a couple minutes watching him do what he did. You should too.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SVXoiNKMgs
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SVXoiNKMgs
Seems crazy... but at the time, there was a lot of talk about dealing one of Betts or JBJ to the Mets for DeGroem or Syndegaard and it was actually debated. I was 50/50. I thought JBJ would have more power and I liked the defense more. Really one of my favorites... all those dumb-ass metrics that claimed JBJ was an "average" CF'er will forever make me roll my eyes at defensive stats.
Given how weak defensively the starting outfield is, and how the only true backup outfielder going forward will be Refsnyder, I'm a little surprised that JBJ's defense didn't keep him on the roster over Franchy's "potential."
Unless Davis stays on the roster when Refsnyder returns and Franchy is let go at that point.
Unless Davis stays on the roster when Refsnyder returns and Franchy is let go at that point.
Going by Defensive Runs Saved, in 915.1 IP he was +12. In 696.1 IP this year, he is +5. So he's still pretty good, but not as good as he was last year. His fielding actually dropped from +14 in 2017 all the way to +4 in '18, 0 in '19, and +5 in the shortened '20 season.
This one hurts. I loved watching JBJ make difficult catches look easy and insane catches end up in his glove. I don't remember a smoother running defensive CF in my 3 + decades of watching the Sox. Yeah the bat was prone to big slumps but the glove was always there. Should have more Gold Gloves than he does. Seems like a genuinely good guy off the field so I can only wish him the best.
Franchy's already in Worcester. I think the choice of losing JBJ instead of Davis had to do with Davis hitting right-handed. They added two LHH (Hosmer, McGuire) and one RHH (Pham) to the roster while deducting an RHH (Vazquez) and a LHH (Cordero). Makes sense for the next deduction to also be a LHH to maintain the balance. When Refsnyder or Kike return, that will bump Davis.
I loved watching him, and I always loved his attitude. Not only was he an amazing defender, but he had a great arm, which has been a true rarity for the Sox centerfielders. And every now and then, he'd pound a ball way farther than I thought he was able.
I hope he catches on somewhere. Thanks for the memories, JBJ.
I hope he catches on somewhere. Thanks for the memories, JBJ.
Does shedding JBJ’s salary get the Sox under the tax threshold? (Assuming that once he’s off the 40-man what they are paying him no longer counts towards the tax.)
I think this is widely known, but don’t believe I saw it mentioned upthread - MLB got rid of the waiver trade deadline a few years ago, so there is no opportunity for the Sox to pick up anyone in a JBJ trade.
I think this is widely known, but don’t believe I saw it mentioned upthread - MLB got rid of the waiver trade deadline a few years ago, so there is no opportunity for the Sox to pick up anyone in a JBJ trade.
This is sad news. Time marches on, though. JBJ has been my favorite guy on the Sox since he came up, with the exception of the year he was away. The man is a class act, through and through. That outfield in 2018 was just sick.
JBJ is one of my favorite Red Sox ever and I wish him nothing but the best. I’ve been a fan long enough to have seen Fred Lynn, Ellis Burks, Johnny Damon Jacoby Ellsbury, Coco Crisp, and others. Defensively JBJ was the best. Jackie Bradley Jr. is a class act. Red Sox management could take a few lessons from him. I'm sure JBJ won't be unemployed for long. Some contender will pick him up and use him as a fourth outfielder, defensive replacement type. Sans the yankees I'll be rooting for whoever picks him up in the playoffs.
Speaking of outfield defense, who's going to catch the ball in the center and right field? Verdugo has the instincts of a puppy and Duran is not much better. I'd love to be a fly on the wall when Bloom meets with the players today.
Speaking of outfield defense, who's going to catch the ball in the center and right field? Verdugo has the instincts of a puppy and Duran is not much better. I'd love to be a fly on the wall when Bloom meets with the players today.
I just hope Alex Binelas turns into something, because otherwise two years of Renfroe for four months of JBJ is a contender for the worst Sox trade of the past decade. Hunter's 120 wRC+ would look really good in this lineup right now, and they didn't even get any savings aginst the luxury tax threshold.
Awesome.
Thanks for posting that.
What a wagon that team was, best team in MLB from wire to wire, my third favorite championship behind 2004 and 2013.
What a blessing as a fan to be able to say that.
That said; each one of the trades that shipped two of them out of town and brought one of them back were complete dumpster fires.
Thanks for posting those highlights. I was a boy when Yaz, Lynn, and Evans were Sox outfielders, and I loved watching them. As good as they all were in their own ways, Bradley exuded a kind of physical grace and confidence as an outfielder that was unparalleled. I was always confident he was going to get to it, and he just looked like a guy who always had it measured, someone who knew with the crack of the bat that "I got this." He also carried himself like a good guy. I always wished he could hit more (not just the wild streaks), but the Sox were lucky to have him.
There's no "shedding" the salary. All of his money is on the books unless someone claims him and his contract on waivers, which apparently did not happen. Sox aren't saving a dime on his deal now. The only benefit of DFA/release now is clearing his roster spot for someone who hopefully can be more productive.
Don't forget the $16 million we paid him!
This deal is Exhibit A for those that think that Bloom has an unfortunate tendency to outthink himself.
Probably a slight favor to JBJ by giving him more time to catch on with a team during the playoff eligibility period, since he was going to be gone when either Ref or Kike was back anyway.
Should he have seen Renfroe having a breakout season at age 30 coming? We also won't know if he outthought himself or not for at least several years.
Renfroe's OPS+ of 123 is a career best but he was 112 last year, I wouldn't call it a breakout season.
This deal was a colossal fail, there's no other way to put it. Hamilton and/or Binelas could turn it around but they are currently 19th and 40th on the Fangraphs Red Sox prospect board. It happens. I don't want Bloom to be fired. But paying such a premium for meh prospects while essentially punting on RF on a team with legit postseason hopes was a bad idea from the start, and worked out even worse.
By rWAR, Jackie Bradley, Jr. was the ninth most accomplished first-round pick in Boston Red Sox history. His 17.3 career rWAR trails only Clemens (duh), Rice, Garciaparra, Hurst, Ellsbury, Vaughn, Nixon and Sele, and is a tic ahead of Buchholz.
He was a tremendous ballplayer.
More like an excellent fielder and average hitter. Mike Trout is a tremendous ball player. Rafael Devers is, perhaps, a tremendous ball player. JBJ was not.