CENTER OF ATTENTION
Why the Sox can’t trade Bradley Jr.
It sounds great, looks great, on paper.
Trade Jackie Bradley Jr. right
now because he’s hitting the cover off the ball ... because he’s a streaky hitter who’ll eventually get cold again . . . because his value never will be higher than it is ... right now.
So listen up, lastplace New York
Mets: If you send ace right-hander
Jacob deGrom to the Red Sox right
now, Jackie Brad- ley Jr., is ready to be your toolsy, everyday center fielder for years to come!
OK, just kidding about deGrom. Even the Mets, a team with no light bulbs burning atop the heads of anyone at the ownership level, wouldn’t be dumb enough to trade deGrom. And if they did trade him, they’d be looking for enough can’t-miss prospects to fill a Flushing-bound No. 7 subway car and not some streaky big league veteran who’ll be hurtling into free agency in a few years.
I don’t think any big league club, not even the Mets, is going to get caught napping on Jackie Bradley Jr. If we all know Bradley is a streaky hitter who’s headed for an inevitable market correction, the guessing here is that the other big league clubs also know.
In other words, the following make-believe conversation is not going to become a reality any time soon:
One of the few big league scouts who hasn’t been replaced by a computer: “Hey, (insert name of general manager here), this Bradley kid clocked a threerun homer against the Tigers on Sunday, and he’s hitting .314 in his past 20 games. Since we’re already 87 games out of first place and we’re dumping all our veterans. I say we go get him.”
General manager: “Sounds good. Is he streaky?”
One of the few big league scouts who hasn’t been replaced by a computer: “Hmmmm . . . don’t think so.”
General manager: “I’m calling the Red Sox right now!”
Moral of the story: If you know Jackie Bradley Jr. is a streaky hitter, chances are the few scouts who haven’t been replaced by a computer know it as well.
On May 19, when Bradley was hitting .161, there was plenty of clamoring to “just get rid of him,” the idea being Andrew Benintendi or Mookie Betts could shift to center and big J.D. Martinez could play a corner position.
On June 23, when he was hitting .178, same thing.
Now it’s late July, and going into last night’s series opener against what’s left of the Baltimore Orioles, Bradley was hitting .211. And .211 is no great shakes, but it’s better than .161.
Now rumors are making the rounds that the Sox are interested in veteran center fielder Austin Jackson, a free agent since being released by the Texas Rangers a couple of weeks ago, which has sparked this scenario: Include Bradley in a deal for some kind of pitching help (starter or reliever), and insert Jackson in center.
One of the reasons the Red Sox entered last night with 70 wins is because their lineup is stacked with brawny sluggers. They annihilate people. But that’ll change once the playoffs start and they’re facing good teams with quality pitching. That’s when one bad play can alter the course of an entire postseason series. Ask fans of the aforementioned Mets about second baseman Daniel Murphy’s key error in the 2015 World Series, or how in that same Fall Classic the Kansas City Royals’ Eric Hosmer sprinted home from third because their scouting reports revealed first baseman Lucas Duda comes off the bag like an 18-wheeler trying to turn onto a side street.
This sudden interest in transforming the Red Sox into the best softball team on the planet is scary. They’re already subpar defensively at third and second, right? And while Martinez made a nice running catch in right field the other day, they simply aren’t as good defensively when he’s anywhere in the lineup other than designated hitter.
I’ll spare you another round of sermonizing about how much fun it is watching Bradley play center field, since Major League Baseball isn’t really in the fun business any more. (Unless your idea of a big night out is watching umpires huddle for four minutes while replay kids back in New York try to determine if a runner’s leg came off the bag by one-sixteenth of an inch after a slide into second.)
So let’s leave it at this: Jackie Bradley Jr. is more important to the Red Sox than you think.
Well, and this: They’re a better team with him than without him.