The Boston Red Sox continue to keep tabs on Jackie Bradley Jr.
Bradley, who spent his first eight seasons with Boston, is a free agent this offseason, but Red Sox general manager Brian O’Halloran on Monday left open the possibility of a reunion with the veteran outfielder.
“Jackie is definitely on our radar,” O’Halloran told reporters during a video conference. “We’ve all seen what Jackie’s been able to do over the years, so he’s certainly a guy that — to use your terminology — we’ll absolutely keep on our radar and see where it goes.”
Bradley is coming off a 2020 season in which he batted .283 with seven home runs, 22 RBIs and an .814 OPS in 217 plate appearances across 55 games. It was a solid campaign for the 2011 first-round pick, who’s had some up-and-down stretches offensively throughout his career.
Bradley, who will turn 31 in April, long has provided elite glove work in center field, and it’ll be interesting to see how the Red Sox go about replacing him should he sign elsewhere. Boston theoretically could slide either Andrew Benintendi or Alex Verdugo to center field if a worthwhile corner outfield target emerges, but the club probably would take a significant hit defensively with that alignment. As such, the Sox might prefer to pursue players with experience in center field.
Bradley earned an All-Star selection in 2016 and a Gold Glove Award in 2018. He was named MVP of the 2018 American League Championship Series, during which the Red Sox defeated the Houston Astros en route to winning the World Series.
