Should Jackie Bradley Jr be traded?

[dgalehouse]

With JBJ , objectivity is hard to find. In fact , it is hard to find objectivity in baseball or in almost anything you can mention. Partiality is a part of human nature. In business , it is important to be as objective as possible. You need to be results oriented. The old " bottom line " , if you will. However , there are people , who if they don't like the bottom line , will search for anything to try and discredit and explain away that bottom line. That does not work. You have to be objective and results oriented. As for JBJ , he should be given more time to improve. His track record warrants that. But improve he must. What he has done so far this year is not acceptable.

[harmony]

JBJ is not even watching the ball hit the bat ....dudes flying blind ....he is not even close to turning it around matter a fact I'd say he's definetly in a conversation to be dealt ....The Marlins have an interesting Reliever who's doing very well ....

If the “dudes flying blind,” why would the Marlins consider trading an interesting reliever for Jackie Bradley?

[moonslav59]

With JBJ , objectivity is hard to find. In fact , it is hard to find objectivity in baseball or in almost anything you can mention. Partiality is a part of human nature. In business , it is important to be as objective as possible. You need to be results oriented. The old " bottom line " , if you will. However , there are people , who if they don't like the bottom line , will search for anything to try and discredit and explain away that bottom line. That does not work. You have to be objective and results oriented. As for JBJ , he should be given more time to improve. His track record warrants that. But improve he must. What he has done so far this year is not acceptable.

 

Well said.

[Natick to NC]

If the “dudes flying blind,” why would the Marlins consider trading an interesting reliever for Jackie Bradley?

 

Hard to say why the Marlins do anything ?

[dgalehouse]

Hard to say why the Marlins do anything ?

The Marlins do things for a reason. Mostly to shed salary , save money and build for the future. Trading for JBJ would not fit in their plan. Not going to happen.

[moonslav59]

The Marlins do things for a reason. Mostly to shed salary , save money and build for the future. Trading for JBJ would not fit in their plan. Not going to happen.

 

It would have to be a 3-way trade.

[harmony]

The Red Sox should STICK the Mariners with Bradley

In his Sunday Baseball Notes, Boston Globe columnist Nick Cafardo suggested Seattle as a potential destination for Jackie Bradley.

 

I don’t see it.

 

The Mariners would likely offer no more than the expiring contract of veteran lefty reliever Marc Rzepczynski, with a 2018 salary of $5.5 million, who has matched the 2018 negative 0.2 fWAR of Jackie Bradley, who has a 2018 salary of $6.1 million.

 

Of course the Red Sox would receive better offers.😁

[Slasher9]

Red Sox record with JBj starting: 25-11. .694 winning %

Red Sox record without JBj starting: 7-4. .636 winning %

[Sox75]

Red Sox record with JBj starting: 24-11. .685 winning %

Red Sox record without JBj starting: 7-4. .636 winning %

 

And that small sample size tells us almost nothing.

 

But... you still make a good point. It does tell us that many of us are over-reacting every time we lose, and it's easy to blame the worst producing offensive players for those loses. There is NO DOUBT that 1 player alone in isolation doesn't really effect the overall big picture. Now 3 or 4 s***** producing guys, giving us next to nothing offensively, night after night? Yes. We can and should blame them collectively and individually. They flat out need to start hitting, or be given some time to watch.

 

BUT......

 

Anybody who watches the Celtics knows by now what a difference a Defensive player can make, simply by watching the D of Markus Smart.

 

JBJ is much the same. With him, we have perhaps THE BEST mlb outfield. Without him, Beni is average at best in CF, and JDM is somewhat of a liability. I personally think the GAP in CF with Beni vs. JBJ is HUGE!! Often a game changer. So there in lies the conundrum. He needs to sit & watch, but doing so hurts our D big time!

 

Anyway, it's tough! if JBJ had an option, I would send him down to get right. In fact, I might find an injury he needed work on, with a long rehab assignment in Pawtucket to follow?

 

I'm a huge JBJ fan, but right now he needs to sit, & work things out. I can deal with the .049% winning percentage difference without him. We will be fine with JDM, but I would put Mookie in CF, Keep Beni in LF, and move JDM to RF.

 

One thing is for sure, although Beni did ok in CF coming up, he IS NOT a great CF'r!!! He becomes a liability there.

Edited May 21, 2018 by Sox75

[Yaz Fan Since 67]

Again that stat 2 posts up just shows how deceiving the WAR stat is. This is not basketball where a defender can make a difference every trip down the court. JBJ simply does not have the opportunity to show his defense by making difficult plays nearly as often, I will never believe he takes a hit away a week that other CF don't take away. Again that's a function of opportunities and respect for the other ML center fielders who can all make great plays, not a knock on JBJ.

[cp176]

With JBJ , objectivity is hard to find. In fact , it is hard to find objectivity in baseball or in almost anything you can mention. Partiality is a part of human nature. In business , it is important to be as objective as possible. You need to be results oriented. The old " bottom line " , if you will. However , there are people , who if they don't like the bottom line , will search for anything to try and discredit and explain away that bottom line. That does not work. You have to be objective and results oriented. As for JBJ , he should be given more time to improve. His track record warrants that. But improve he must. What he has done so far this year is not acceptable.

 

I think for sure that JBJ will get more time but I doubt very much that it has anything to do with his prior track record. He is one of the few options that we have to use in our outfield and he is virtually untradeable unless he is given away. He certainly can field his position more than adequately but his "hot streaks" when they occur or if they occur again may not be enough to justify keeping him around a whole lot longer. We all hope that he starts to hit.

[FredLynn]

Red Sox record with JBj starting: 25-11. .694 winning %

Red Sox record without JBj starting: 7-4. .636 winning %

 

Irrelevant

[OH FOY]

Career wise JBJ's best Months have been in June and July.

[Station 13]

JBJ is whiffing at 90-92 fastball down the middle. Hit the f***ing BP machine till he correct his flaws. If he lost bat speed, he is f***ed.

[Bellhorn04]

JBJ is whiffing at 90-92 fastball down the middle. Hit the f***ing BP machine till he correct his flaws. If he lost bat speed, he is f***ed.

 

I don't see how a guy his age without getting injured lost bat speed.

 

It's somewhere between his mechanics and his mind IMO

[mvp 78]

I don't see how a guy his age without getting injured lost bat speed.

 

It's somewhere between his mechanics and his mind IMO

 

He's struggled with his swing mechanics for a long while. I believe the loopiness of his swing makes it harder for him to hit fastballs. Right now, he's getting killed by fastballs. https://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=12984&position=OF#pitchvalues

[mvp 78]

http://www.providencejournal.com/sports/red-sox/content/20140822-jackie-bradley-jr.-not-worried-about-addition-of-rusney-castillo.ece

 

This is what he had to say the last time his swing was broken:

 

Jackie Bradley, Jr. has heard the analysis about his swing. He has heard that it is broken, that it can’t succeed at the major-league level, that it needs to be shortened.

 

 

He is sick of hearing all this.

 

 

″‘Shorten the swing.’ I’ve heard that so many times. The swing is short when you make contact and long when you miss it,” he said. “This whole so-called ‘shorten the swing,’ it’s just talk, I feel like.”

 

 

It’s talk coming from outsiders and insiders alike. Most every Red Sox coach asked about Bradley’s swing mentions its length.

 

 

“He’s floating a little, a little late being on time with the front side, creating a long swing,” assistant hitting coach Victor Rodriguez said two weeks ago, when Bradley’s struggles were deepening.

 

 

“His swing at times can get a little lengthy,” manager John Farrell said then. “That’s what forces him to commit early to certain pitches.”

 

 

Minor-league hitting coordinator Tim Hyers, when asked Friday what might be different about Bradley’s swing now compared to when he was tearing up Double-A two years ago, pointed to its length.

 

 

“He probably has a swing maybe just a hair longer than he probably would want it to be,” said Hyers, who also spent considerable time with the major-league club this season when Greg Colbrunn was out sick. “He can come down here and shorten some things up and get back in a groove.”

 

 

Bradley isn’t quite buying all the criticism. He feels like his swing is “very similar if not the same as in the past,” and thus “there’s nothing saying that it can’t work.”

 

 

 

“I’m continuing to make adjustments and just doing it. Stop trying to make it so much more complicated than what it really is -- mechanical this, mechanical that,” Bradley said. “I’m getting back to just doing it, what I’ve always done my whole life and when I was successful. You don’t need to think. You don’t have time to think when you play this game. You just do it.”

 

 

“You’re just trying to help Jackie feel comfortable in the batter’s box,” said Hyers. “We know he has talent, we know he can hit. It’s just getting to that position consistently.”

 

 

Bradley said earlier this week that his confidence hasn’t flagged during this trying season and that it “will never waver as long as I’ve got breath in my body.” The line between self-confidence and stubbornness, though, can be thin.

 

 

This is, after all, the first time Bradley has endured a slump of this depth. He entered the system as a polished college hitter, and he experienced almost non-stop success until reaching the major leagues.

 

 

“You have to go through things,” Hyers said. “That’s the reason experience is a valuable commodity. You learn something about your swing each time you go out and compete. To me, the more he has experience, the more he plays, he’s learning about himself.”

 

 

Bradley is trying not to get bogged down by outside analysis of his swing.

 

 

“It’s so much easier to analyze it when it’s in slow motion. You stop, replay and pause it. I can see the same things, as well,” he said. “Outside voices or not, it’s just you as a person being able to tune it out regardless. I’m never one to blame anything or anybody or outside voices. I just focus on what I have to do in order to help the team.”

 

 

 

For the time being, he’s also ignoring the ramifications Boston’s imminent addition of outfielder Rusney Castillo will have on his future in the organization. The team’s aggressive pursuit of Castillo and long-term commitment -- through the 2020 season -- would almost certainly not have happened had Bradley performed better offensively this year.

 

 

With Castillo, Yoenis Cespedes, Allen Craig, Shane Victorino and Daniel Nava all on the roster as outfielders, there isn’t a lot of room for Bradley, who this time a season ago was one of the most prized prospects in the system.

 

 

“I’m not worried about it,” he said. “I’m worried about what I’ve got to take care of. That’s it.”

 

 

Has he thought at all about what the move says about his standing in the organization?

 

 

“I focus on what I can control. I lay the rest elsewhere. Them signing an outfielder, it’s not affecting me,” Bradley said. “Everyone has their own paths. You’ve got to run your own race. Sometimes if the race needs to be I guess altered, it just happens. I’m just going to focus on what I can control and let the chips fall where they may.”

 

JBJ never comes across as a guy who can take criticism well (see the Eck controversy). Interesting to note that his AAA hitting instructor in 2014 is his instructor again this year. Maybe there's tension between the two?

[FredLynn]

http://www.providencejournal.com/sports/red-sox/content/20140822-jackie-bradley-jr.-not-worried-about-addition-of-rusney-castillo.ece

 

This is what he had to say the last time his swing was broken:

 

Jackie Bradley, Jr. has heard the analysis about his swing. He has heard that it is broken, that it can’t succeed at the major-league level, that it needs to be shortened.

 

 

He is sick of hearing all this.

 

 

″‘Shorten the swing.’ I’ve heard that so many times. The swing is short when you make contact and long when you miss it,” he said. “This whole so-called ‘shorten the swing,’ it’s just talk, I feel like.”

 

 

It’s talk coming from outsiders and insiders alike. Most every Red Sox coach asked about Bradley’s swing mentions its length.

 

 

“He’s floating a little, a little late being on time with the front side, creating a long swing,” assistant hitting coach Victor Rodriguez said two weeks ago, when Bradley’s struggles were deepening.

 

 

“His swing at times can get a little lengthy,” manager John Farrell said then. “That’s what forces him to commit early to certain pitches.”

 

 

Minor-league hitting coordinator Tim Hyers, when asked Friday what might be different about Bradley’s swing now compared to when he was tearing up Double-A two years ago, pointed to its length.

 

 

“He probably has a swing maybe just a hair longer than he probably would want it to be,” said Hyers, who also spent considerable time with the major-league club this season when Greg Colbrunn was out sick. “He can come down here and shorten some things up and get back in a groove.”

 

 

Bradley isn’t quite buying all the criticism. He feels like his swing is “very similar if not the same as in the past,” and thus “there’s nothing saying that it can’t work.”

 

 

 

“I’m continuing to make adjustments and just doing it. Stop trying to make it so much more complicated than what it really is -- mechanical this, mechanical that,” Bradley said. “I’m getting back to just doing it, what I’ve always done my whole life and when I was successful. You don’t need to think. You don’t have time to think when you play this game. You just do it.”

 

 

“You’re just trying to help Jackie feel comfortable in the batter’s box,” said Hyers. “We know he has talent, we know he can hit. It’s just getting to that position consistently.”

 

 

Bradley said earlier this week that his confidence hasn’t flagged during this trying season and that it “will never waver as long as I’ve got breath in my body.” The line between self-confidence and stubbornness, though, can be thin.

 

 

This is, after all, the first time Bradley has endured a slump of this depth. He entered the system as a polished college hitter, and he experienced almost non-stop success until reaching the major leagues.

 

 

“You have to go through things,” Hyers said. “That’s the reason experience is a valuable commodity. You learn something about your swing each time you go out and compete. To me, the more he has experience, the more he plays, he’s learning about himself.”

 

 

Bradley is trying not to get bogged down by outside analysis of his swing.

 

 

“It’s so much easier to analyze it when it’s in slow motion. You stop, replay and pause it. I can see the same things, as well,” he said. “Outside voices or not, it’s just you as a person being able to tune it out regardless. I’m never one to blame anything or anybody or outside voices. I just focus on what I have to do in order to help the team.”

 

 

 

For the time being, he’s also ignoring the ramifications Boston’s imminent addition of outfielder Rusney Castillo will have on his future in the organization. The team’s aggressive pursuit of Castillo and long-term commitment -- through the 2020 season -- would almost certainly not have happened had Bradley performed better offensively this year.

 

 

With Castillo, Yoenis Cespedes, Allen Craig, Shane Victorino and Daniel Nava all on the roster as outfielders, there isn’t a lot of room for Bradley, who this time a season ago was one of the most prized prospects in the system.

 

 

“I’m not worried about it,” he said. “I’m worried about what I’ve got to take care of. That’s it.”

 

 

Has he thought at all about what the move says about his standing in the organization?

 

 

“I focus on what I can control. I lay the rest elsewhere. Them signing an outfielder, it’s not affecting me,” Bradley said. “Everyone has their own paths. You’ve got to run your own race. Sometimes if the race needs to be I guess altered, it just happens. I’m just going to focus on what I can control and let the chips fall where they may.”

 

JBJ never comes across as a guy who can take criticism well (see the Eck controversy). Interesting to note that his AAA hitting instructor in 2014 is his instructor again this year. Maybe there's tension between the two?

 

He isn't a particularly coachable player.....he should be able to work out his swing on his own....in Pawtucket or Lowell.

[FredLynn]

Bradley isn’t quite buying all the criticism. He feels like his swing is “very similar if not the same as in the past,” and thus “there’s nothing saying that it can’t work.”

 

This says it can't work: .165/.519/41

[Bellhorn04]

Irrelevant

 

What is relevant, though, is that he was in the starting lineup the last 4 games.

 

The team obviously hasn't given up on him getting batter with the bat.

[OH FOY]

Playing the Orioles just as good as Demotion to Pawtucket or very close to it. haha Baltimore Pitchers are allowing Opposing Batters to hit .282, only KC (.283), is worse in entire Majors. Edited May 21, 2018 by OH FOY!

[Bellhorn04]

Playing the Orioles just as good as Demotion to Pawtucket or very close to it. haha

 

Buck's Bastards have been pretty hard on us in recent years.

[Station 13]

I don't see how a guy his age without getting injured lost bat speed.

 

It's somewhere between his mechanics and his mind IMO

 

He has battled mechanics since day 1. Now he is not hitting telegraphed pitches. Maybe it's both, he never had good bat speed to begin. That swing is long.

[moonslav59]

Bradley isn’t quite buying all the criticism. He feels like his swing is “very similar if not the same as in the past,” and thus “there’s nothing saying that it can’t work.”

 

This says it can't work: .165/.519/41

 

No it doesn't.

 

"This" says what he has done in his recent past, and short sample sizes of past performances does not work as a good projection model.

Edited May 21, 2018 by moonslav59

[illinoisredsox]

Buck's Bastards have been pretty hard on us in recent years.

 

Yeah, but the O's had halfway decent teams a few of those years. This year isn't one of them.

[mvp 78]

More on the Red Sox, who’d “likely want bullpen help and/or a prospect” in a trade for center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr., Cafardo observes. Boston spurned teams’ interest in Bradley in the offseason and has since gotten off to one of the majors’ best starts, though the 28-year-old hasn’t contributed to that as much as expected. Bradley has posted an ugly .165/.267/.252 line in 146 trips to the plate, leading Alex Speier of the Boston Globe to wonder if the Red Sox could consider demoting him despite his $6.1MM salary when second baseman Dustin Pedroia comes off the disabled list soon. While it’s a long shot, Speier concedes, a Bradley-less Red Sox team would still feature the enviable outfield trio of Mookie Betts in right, Andrew Benintendi in center and J.D. Martinez in left.

[OH FOY]

If I'm Manager I'm playing him, at this point. I'd tell him, your going to sit against real tough Lefties. I'm sticking with you until All-Star break, then re-evaluate.

Take all the pressure off, him, and see if he responds. His best Month has been June, in his career, see if the case this year.

Again .240-.250 avg. I'm good.

Edited May 21, 2018 by OH FOY!

[mvp 78]

If I'm Manager I'm playing him, at this point. I'd tell him, your going to sit against real tough Lefties. I'm sticking with you until All-Star break, then re-evaluate.

Take all the pressure off, him, and see if he responds.

Again .240-.250 avg. I'm good.

 

If he was hitting 250, we'd all be good with him.

[FredLynn]

No it doesn't.

 

"This" says what he has done in his recent past, and short sample sizes of pat performances does not work as a good projection model.

 

That is incorrect. Past performance is a far better indicator of what a player will do in the future than some made up projection. How are his projections working out for you now? Its no longer a small sample size-this started at the end of August last year. It encompasses about 250 PAs between last Sept and this year, and his OPS is remarkably similar last year (.517) as this year. Its not a small sample size any more. Its not huge, but its significant. Furthermore, if you are watching him at the plate its very clear that he is lost up there. He cannot even hit fastballs thrown right down broadway. He has lost the ability to hit....it happens. He needs to be demoted until he can find an acceptable level of performance, if that ever happens.

[OH FOY]

Benni is no bargain against Lefties either.