TORONTO, ON – APRIL 27: Jackie Bradley Jr. #19, Alex Verdugo #99, and Enrique Hernandez #5 of the Boston Red Sox celebrate defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in their MLB game at the Rogers Centre on April 27, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)
The Boston Red Sox recently parted ways with their veteran outfielder, Jackie Bradley Jr. He’s now reportedly joining one the Blue Jays.
The Boston Red Sox recently parted ways with outfield veteran Jackie Bradley Jr.. Bradley Jr. is now reportedly being signed to the Toronto Blue Jays, one of Boston’s biggest rivals in the AL East.
Bradley Jr. began his career in 2013 with Boston and played all but one season there. In 2021, he played for the Milwaukee Brewers before returning to the Red Sox this season.
He was underperforming this season offensively, but Boston may quickly regret giving up on him. Bradley Jr. is a Gold Glove-caliber outfielder at his best, and that’s where Toronto intends to deploy him, with offensive production being a distant second focal point.
Red Sox decision to part ways with Jackie Bradley Jr. may come back to haunt them
Though Bradley Jr. was underperforming at the plate this season, he’s had a lot of achievements over the years in Boston. He won two World Series with the Red Sox, earned ALCS MVP and won a Gold Glove award. This season, he’s hit a low .210/.257/.321 for an OPS of .578.
JBJ was replaced in Boston by Jarren Duran, who just made his MLB debut last season and hasn’t had any notable accomplishments yet. Duran is hitting .227/.280/.374 with an OPS of .654 this season. Though his numbers are overall better than Bradley’s offensively, his performance each month has gotten significantly worse.
The Red Sox are also still paying out Bradley’s contract, and they may be helping the Blue Jays beat them because of that. Toronto currently sits second in the AL East standings and are above .500.
Bradley will face Boston as a Blue Jay toward the end of August at Fenway Park.