Bradley starts anew, can’t let go of past
PHOENIX – This was hardly the money or contract Jackie Bradley Jr. envisioned when he hit the free agent market, much less the destination.
Yet with only three weeks remaining before opening day, Bradley found himself Monday wearing a uniform other than that of the Red Sox for the first time in his major league career, signing a two-year, $24 million contract with an opt-out after the season.
“It was a breath of fresh air to finally be out here and moving around. I’m glad to be here,” Bradley said after his first workout with the Brewers. “I’m going to have a lot of fun with these guys.”
Well, truth be told, it would have been a lot more fun staying in Boston, playing in the outfield with Mookie Betts to his right and Andrew Benintendi to his left, trying to win a third World Series ring.
The Red Sox instead opted for a rebuild, and after trading away Betts a year ago to the Dodgers and Benintendi last month to the Royals, it made no sense to retain Bradley, who turns 31 next month.
“Difficult decisions have to be made, and you got to be fully ready to embrace it because this is a short time window,” Bradley said. “Not many players over the course of their careers are going to stay with one team. It’s just hard to do. A lot of things have to work out.”
While Betts is in Los Angeles on a 12year, $365 million contract and Benintendi is earning $6.6 million in the final year of his two-year, $10 million contract with another year of salary arbitration, Bradley’s stay might be short.
He will earn $13 million this year and has the option of returning in 2022 for $11 million or becoming a free agent again.
“The truth is we don’t know if this is a one-year commitment or a two-year commitment,” Brewers President David Stearns said. “That’s part of the structure of the deal; it’s in the player’s hands. What we do know is we’re very happy to have him here for this year. I think he’ll see how the year goes, see what the environment looks like heading into next offseason.
“There will probably be some uncertainty heading into next offseason as well.”
The collective bargaining agreement is set to expire on Dec. 1, and if players thought it was a cold market this winter, it will be a deep freeze if MLB and the union don’t reach a settlement before free agency gets started.
Bradley hit this year’s market seeking at least a four-year deal in excess of $60 million with teams such as the Giants, Mets and Astros showing early interest once George Springer signed his six-year, $150 million contract with the Blue Jays.
There were offers, but in the end the Brewers had the best deal on the table, allowing him the opportunity of seeing whether next year’s market looks any more appealing.
“I try to focus on the things that are in my control,” Bradley said. “It’s a difficult topic. A difficult conversation to have.
“It’s going to be one of those things that are going to be talked about in coming years.”
Certainly, it will behoove Bradley to have a strong offensive year to go along with his brilliant defense, but there’s no guarantee he’ll even be playing center field. Manager Craig Counsell said last week that Lorenzo Cain will remain his primary center fielder, providing he is healthy.
Cain, who opted out last season, still hasn’t played a spring training game with a strained quadriceps and remains questionable for opening day.
“I’m not here to make out the lineup,” said Bradley, who has started only 43 games in right field in his MLB career. “It’s not something I have to worry about. We’ll leave that up to Craig and the people who are running the show.
“I’m just here to help the team any way I possibly can, and wherever I’m playing, it’s a go.”
The Brewers, who still owe Cain $35 million over the next two years, insist everything will work out, and they’re certainly not going to stress having too much outfield depth.
The Brewers already have 2019 National League MVP Christian Yelich anchored in left field, with right fielder Avisail Garcia now likely relegated to a fourth outfielder.
“We always care about depth regardless of the circumstances,” Stearns said. “If we look at three outfield positions, conservatively there are 2,100 plate appearances. That’s a lot of playing time. That’s a lot of plate appearances. We want as good of players as possible to consume all of those.”
For that depth to include Bradley, a Gold Glove center fielder who hit a career-high .283 with a .814 OPS last season, the Brewers have a legitimate shot for their fourth consecutive postseason berth.
“Once they got into the mix,” Bradley said, “I was excited. You look at this team. A lot of great talent here.”
No one is going to confuse the Brewers with those World Series championship clubs Bradley was part of in Boston, but the memories will last forever.
Bradley was asked the message he wants to send back to Boston, particularly without ever having the chance to say goodbye after being with the organization since 2011.
Sorry, he’s just not ready.
It’s going to take a lot of thought. And it will be emotional.
“I’m working on it,” Bradley said. “I don’t want it to just be some short thing. I feel like the years that you invest and play, I don’t think it would do it justice for me to just give like a little tidbit over this.
“So I will gather all of my thoughts and emotions and I’ll be able to put into words soon.”
Yet even when he and his wife come up with the words, he said, it won’t adequately convey his sentiments toward a city and a community that he fell in love with.
“I had some great memories,” he said, “I developed a lot of great relationships that I will never forget. It’s one of those things that you’ve been in an organization for so long, those bonds, they don’t go away.”
Bradley’s legacy, on the field and in the community, won’t end now that he left Boston.
It simply has a new address.