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.
I see Hamels signing with the Angels.
Something attractive about budding arm injuries?
Something attractive about Hammels?
Answer is yes the guy is stupidly handsome
JBJ is overrated.
Angels need more than Hamels to keep Trout happy. Go get Bauer.
He’s a .239 hitter. how is that overrated ?
JBJ is under-rated. His combination of defense and cannon for a throwing arm makes him a top 3 CF defensively every year. While his offense is spotty, he can literally carry the team’s offense in 3-4 week spurts. I’d love to see him come back to Boston and continue his reign of terror on AL hitters.
I like him too but I doubt we resign him.
You never know. This is a new era in Boston where the goal is long term.
JBJ has never had a three-four week spurt and he certainly hasn’t carried the team for three weeks.. Take off the rose-colored glasses, Dorothy, Boston isn’t Kansas.
Actually, Bradley had 2 of the longest and hottest hitting streaks in baseball in 2016 which led him to being an all star.
He is an incredibly streaky hitter that can be one of the best hitters in the majors for a week and then be one of the worst for the next month.
I would never pay extra for his streaky bat when the majority of the time he isn’t hot. And all glove centerfielders are a dime-a-dozen…
With that said, don’t try telling anyone he doesn’t ever get hot and go on rampage.
Personally, I’d rather bring in Rosario and Greg Allen. Rosario plays left with benintendi moving to center. And Allen can play center with Rosario or beni moving to left in a platoon or with Allen as the strait 4th outfielder.
Rosario brings greater upside with the bat and Allen brings value as an all glove guy.
Combined salaries could be around what Bradley makes.
The article gives a great example of his latest 3-4 week hot streak in 2020! He’s done this at least 4-5 times in his career. As a season ticket holder, I’ve seen it first hand!
30Parks…It seems like he has underwhelmed offensively over several seasons. But as Adams pointed out, never having lower than 89 in OPS+ and WRC+ along with stellar defense make him a key component to Boston’s OF defense.
It will be shoddy if they lose him and don’t bring in another defender. Verdugo can likely handle CF as playing good defense in Fenway’s spacious RF isn’t dissimilar to playing CF (in terms of range). JDM in the OF will be giving up significant number of outs an runs.
Just for his defensive acumen, maybe Boston should sign Enrique Hernandez. He has the speed and the arm to likely handle any spot in the OF in Fenway.
They should sign Delino DeShields if they end up losing JBJ. He can play an above average CF and can keep the spot warm for Duran when he comes up in June or July. Let’s hope there is a MiLB season this year. Missing two in a row would be catastrophic to all prospects.
While the defense is good DeShields may actually be worse with the bat than Jackie.
But Dashields would be considerably cheaper. And the real value in Bradley is only the glove. There is no reason to overpay for a guy with a great defense and average to below average bat when you can get another guy that basically is a very strong defender with less pop for 10 mill less
Hardly overrated. Even Sox fans know his offense is meh and flashy in series long bursts. That arm doe! Really would love to see that throwing contest he and Bauer were tweeting about. Can’t remember the third guy…
Puig
Puig would be a great fit in Boston. Better offense than JBJ, strong RF defense and a cannon arm, and a bit of familiarity with Verdugo from LA. The only thing I’d worry about is how the fans will react when he gets demonstratively upset mid-game. Puig wears his emotions on his sleeve, and Boston fans, fairly or not, have a reputation for destroying guys like that.
Ah, the blind patriotism of Sox fans. You all sound like Habs fans, an unwillingness to be critical of your own team. JBJ can’t hit. He’s overrated. Go Habs – right? I will personally drive JBJ to any of the other 29 big league cities, I won’t even ask for gas money. Bye-bye, JBJ.
He blows
Yup, JBJ prob thinks that he is player during his infrequent hot streaks and is seeing now what the rest of MLB thinks his true value that he is.
Felix missed a golden chance this year. not sure who will offer him a great starting chance this year.
I don’t know how legitimate of a shot he had to make the Braves rotation. He signed a minor league deal with them after all. I could see a him in Cincinnati or Pittsburgh next year.
Did you see how many injuries the Braves had in their rotation? Not to mention how awful they were? I mean they traded for Tommy Milone at the deadline…
On the contrary, he had a great spring training and was going to make the MLB team out of camp before he opted out. He looked really solid in camp for a #5 starter. Let’s hope he still has something left in the tank.
Doubt it. He presumably opted out in part because the Braves told him he wouldn’t make the rotation.
100% wrong –
“He did exactly what we asked him to do, which is get guys out,” Snitker said. “He didn’t do anything to not warrant making our club in the spring.”
How good could have the Braves rotation been last year if fully healthy and if no one opped out? Had the potential to be Unrealisticly good. Maybe Soroka, Hamels, and King Felix would have been the difference in the NLCS?
@Tim_Buck-Two
Yes those 3 combined with Fried would have been great throughout the season and maybe kept the bullpen stronger and fresh for the playoffs.
Although I am not positive having those 3 necessarily get them past the Dodgers. With those 3 we wouldn’t have seen what Andersen could do and Wilson doesn’t pitch his gem.
Maybe the Braves win game 3 (Wright’s implosion) and win the series. Really the only major difference is they go deeper into games during the regular season and save the bullpen which looked tired (still a great unit) toward the end of the NLCS.
Who knows how it would’ve gone. The one thing that would have been fun to see is the Dodgers who swing out of their ass trying to deal w/ two dudes who throw 90mph and have movement. Everything now a days is so geared to hitting hard throwers that being finesse guy is a literal change-up from what they’re used to seeing.
Thats a pipe dream… have they ever been injury free?
Yeah, and if the Braves had Spahn and Sain, they might have taken it all. Oh, and Aaron and Mathews.
Tim_B_2 It would be hard to find a bigger Felix fan than me- I’m 350lbs!! Just kidding! Jokes aside, hard core M’s fan here. I remember the buzz when he was coming thru our farm system, his CG 1H shutout over shadowing Dice-K’s coming out party at Fenway in 07’, his G Slam (to R Center btw) the next year in NY off Johan Santana. His immaculate inning that same year.
I remember Beltre looking like Bugs Bunny corkscrewing down onto one knee as he became just one more victim of IMO at the time, the filthiest change-up on the planet. I remember his 16 straight games of 7+ inn allowing 2ER’s or fewer. His ERA crown. His lone Cy Young, which should be 2 btw but for one (Sept) start in TOR and Kluber’s late heroics. Lastly, His Perfecto!!!
Alas The King has lost his crown. It was clear from 2017 onwards that he had simply put too many miles on that Right arm. Injuries have taken their toll and 10+ years of pitching in the same division caught up to him. Not to mention his FB velo and the speed on his off-speed pitches are too close to deceive.
No-one (rhetorical) wanted him to resuscitate his career in ATL more than me. Who knows, maybe the 60 g season would’ve been just the right number of games for him to empty his tank? I think it was more likely that he wouldn’t see 6 starts in a Braves uniform before he was issued an ultimatum of BP or Minor Leagues.
I can see (if I strain really hard) an outside chance of a possible return to the NL. He has a better chance there since hitters haven’t faced his circle change and wicked curve. I really want him to have one more year in a rotation but my gut says his ceiling is now a middle RP with a ceiling of a set-up role if he changes his approach. He still approaches hitters like he is a strike out pitcher. I really hope he re-invents himself but the realist in me thinks he won’t make a rotation in 2021. I hope I’m wrong. Long live King Felix
Worst winter meetings ever.
Everything else is being postponed so this should have been postponed too–maybe until next year’s All-Star break?
Indeed. You can barely tell it’s Winter Meetings week!
I’ve never been so bored during Winter Meetings. I get the virtual aspect and it’s not as easy as face to face but the last few years have been dreadfully slow offseasons.
hot stove aint what it used to be
I just hopeJBJ resigns in Boston.
He was 100% going to make the roster. The braves had two pitchers injured and he was pitching well in ST
Is either Hernandez or Hamels a hall of famer?
ive wondered this a few times myself. i think it has a lot to do with how he does going forward and how one weighs his postseason numbers.
Looking at JAWS I have seen some real surprises. That biggest of which being Anibal Sanchez. He’s above the likes of Lincecum, Darvish, Arrieta, Ervin Santana, and AJ Burnett.
Hamels falls at 80th on the all time JAWS list.
Hernandez falls at 109 all time.
I seriously think Hamels has a shot to get in. He doesn’t have the accolades of some of the other guys, but he’s in front guys like Sandy Joufax, Jack Morris, Catfish Hunter, and Whitey Ford in JAWS. Not to mention that his career stats go as follows: 123 era+, 3.68 FIP, 1.183 whip, and a career era of 3.43. His collective stats are also impressive: 2500 SO, 163 wins, and over 2500 IP.
Hernandez is essentially Hamels + more accolades. He has a CY, and way more CY votes in general. Look at how similar these stats are: 117 era+, 3.52 FIP, 1.206 whip, and a career era of 3.42 (one off of Hamels). As for the collective stats; 2500 SO, 169 wins, and 2700 IP.
Both have a really good chance to get in IMO.
I think Felix makes it but Hamels does not. The problem with Hamels is that although he has had a really long career where he has consistently put up good numbers, he has never had a season where he was truly among the best pitchers in the game.
With Felix, while his career did kind of fall off of a cliff, he had a stretch where he was one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. That should qualify him for the hall in my opinion.
Number 1 similarity score for Hamels is King Felix. Apropos of nothing, just interesting.
Dan 55- I agree with that assessment and for people who don’t think Felix belongs in the HOF just Google (Schoenfield’s) “Felix is the unluckiest pitcher of all time.” That article is from 2016.
Up until that year Felix had 45 starts where he allowed zero R’s or one Run and didn’t get credit for the Win. That’s 317 innings w 340 K-outs and an ERA of 0.88 with an avg of 7 inn pitched in every game over that stretch.
Absolutely criminal. Schoenfield’s brilliant closing line says it all- King Felix has been supported by a lineup of Serfs.
I would say Felix yes, Hamels no. Felix was a great pitcher for quite a while who just played on bad teams. Hamels feels like Andy Petite. Very good pitcher, but just not quite HoF.
I don’t think so, especially not Hamels. I know the definition for HOF is different based on who you ask, but being elite and the best in the span of a 5+ year time period I think is important for voters. You could argue Felix had a few elite seasons where he was the best in the game, but not sure that’s enough.
I look at Felix as 6 AS appearances, 1 CY, 2 second place finishes, a 4th, a 7th and an 8th. For a span of probably 7-8 years he was at least a top 10 pitcher and was top 2 for 3-4 of those years. He put up a ton of innings and just played for terrible teams. I would say yes, but I could see where people would say no as well
Eh, Felix pretty similar to Johan Santana as far as having a decent 7-8 year run and then falling off a cliff. Santana didn’t get a sniff from the HOF, I think Felix stays on the ballot for a few years but ultimately doesn’t get in because dominance wasn’t long enough. Hard to believe he’s still only 34, seems like he’s been in the league forever!!!
I think Hamels longevity has to be considered. Like Jack Morris or Craig Biggio if you can be maybe never in that first tier of the best in the game, but your consistently right in that second tier for 10-15 years, that means something to me.
Yeah, 36 yr old closers are not real popular.
Phillies should safe face to the fanbase and bring back Cole
They could use a lefty in the rotation. 12 mil + incentives is fair
Indians should target jbj
No one should sign Hamels, as I said last year. He is John Lackey now.
I would give Jake Marisnick a shot. Outstanding D and I think with consistent ABs he can hit .275 with 15-20 Bombs. Probably get him for $3m a season too. Great buy low as JBJ will want at least $8m per.
To say that Hamels “didn’t live up to the 18 million dollar contract is a FAST understatement. He pitched a few innings in 1 game all yeat. Luckily the contract was prorated but still horrible. I waited all season for him to pitch, kept thinking once back he could help us tremendously, only to be disappointed time and time again. This year’s rotation should be much better. We desperately need that big bag behind Freeman. I have been pining for Ozuna like many but I’m starting to back off a little. With DH not probable, I’m a little nervous. Having Pache and Ronald in OF with him should help so I still want him. I just won’t be terribly upset if we don’t. As long as we get another big bat. Who knows if Ozuna puts up those numbers again. He was great in our club house too though and if he gets close to that production i’d be stoked. Time will tell.
So the Marlins may get Kintzler back for a cheaper rate. If that happens, obviously a good job.
Very good job. Interestingly enough, the Marlins might actually be one of the teams in a good position to spend money this year. People forget but that awful Chen contract that they paid over 20 million on this year is now off the books. They are also in the middle of negotiating a new tv deal that should pay significantly more moving forward. They dont have any big contractual obligations moving forward AND they probably sustained fewer revenue losses than most teams since their stadium is usually empty anyways. Not to say that I think they’ll spend money, but they absolutely should seeing as they should have money to spend and players will be going for cheap rates this winter.
Can’t see Boston offering Bradley much but I can’t rule out a team friendly deal.
I suspect Boston will let him see what he can get elsewhere and then if he gets lousy offers he may be open to a short term inexpensive contract with Boston.
I find this headline ODD.
“Red Sox Not Ruling Out Re-Signing Jackie Bradley Jr.”
Are writers going to write an article on everyone each team is NOT GOING TO RULE OUT?