The annual Jackie Bradley Jr thread (2019 Edition)

[Sox75]

Pike often identifies as a woman on this & other sites.

Have you loved him / her?

 

[cp176]

Kimmi wants to remind us that its defense, defense, defense that is an important or probably super important aspect of winning games but on the other hand, I think it is balance, balance, balance that requires runs to be scored and defense to be played to win games. When a player gets expensive, as JBJ is getting to be, he has to deliver both facets of the game. If not, we can find a FA for the same money who can deliver a better balance. JBJ's trade value, what other teams think he is worth, indicates something about his real ML value if one wants to monitize it. If we extend him for more than he is worth, shame on us.

 

I really think that the majority of regular posters here need no reminders of the importance of defense in baseball or actually in any sport. I think that we also know which positions have more defensive value than others. I bet that we have all played and have a great deal of experience in the game. If you are going to over emphasize the importance of defense, then you better have a pitching staff to match your expectations. I'm a believer in balance much as you but as long as you have ample run producers, I also think that a player like JBJ can be an incredible value to have. But - I also do not think that a team survives very well in the long run if you keep throwing non-hitters out there in abundance. Having a lineup that features Lin, JBJ, and Vazquez or Leon, does tend to make me think that defense might be over emphasized. Not to mention the fact that I'm still not sold on the defensive wizardry of Lin and either Vazquez or Leon. I would love to see the Sox keep JBJ but I would not overpay to hold on to him. He is very valuable but just like the rest of them at some point they are replaceable. All that being said, there is always a place for a defensive wizard which JBJ is close to being.

[devildavid]

Who’s the replacement? Chavis? The guy they moved off 3b because he was worse than Devers defensively?

 

Did you stop when you found one name? No. There is another one. Keep looking...

 

Who else is ready? Nunez? Dalbec?

 

The suspense is killing me. When will notin flip over all the cards to reveal the name?

[notin]

The suspense is killing me. When will notin flip over all the cards to reveal the name?

 

 

No reveals. But it rhymes with Dobby Balbec

[notin]

It is all about balance notin - balance. Most of us love JBJ but we would like to see him hit. Most of us love Devers but we would love to see him field. Why does it just have to be either or with us? - no balance.

 

 

That’s a good question.

 

In fact, it’s rarely “either/or” with most fans. Unless you mean “either the player hits or he gets traded out of here.”..,

[notin]

I dont. I have a real wife with 2 kids. I can barely deal with them loving me. Id rather you all hated me.

 

 

You don’t need to ask me twice

[kenmeister]

True, but my guess is several GMs would give something valuable to get him. They know he will not end up with a .400 OPS this year.

 

(Note: I do NOT waant JBJ traded.)

 

There's a lot of Sox players off to a slow start, and I'm sure by the end of the year JBJ will end up carrying his weight, but he and Devers are two of the most frustrating players I have ever followed.

[Station 13]

True, but my guess is several GMs would give something valuable to get him. They know he will not end up with a .400 OPS this year.

 

(Note: I do NOT waant JBJ traded.)

 

They already tried this. Years ago he was going to be traded for Charlie Furbush, but the other club turn him down. JBJ has almost no value with the FA closing. If there's a time to put up numbers, for his sake it is now.

[notin]

Who else is ready? Nunez? Dalbec?

 

 

Of course it’s Dalbec.

 

Sorry to leave you hanging, but then you know the Sox minor leaguers better than I do.

 

Dalbec has already made an impression with his defense. While he certainly doesn’t make your man-crush Devers expendable, he might be able to give the Sox an opportunity to deal Devers to fill another void or two.

 

This scenario is unlikely during the current season...

[notin]

They already tried this. Years ago he was going to be traded for Charlie Furbush, but the other club turn him down. JBJ has almost no value with the FA closing. If there's a time to put up numbers, for his sake it is now.

 

Hopefully interest will be as low when he’s a free agent...

[devildavid]

Who’s the replacement? Chavis? The guy they moved off 3b because he was worse than Devers defensively?

 

Did you stop when you found one name? No. There is another one. Keep looking...

 

No reveals. But it rhymes with Dobby Balbec

 

And you know he is a ready replacement how?

[notin]

And you know he is a ready replacement how?

 

Since the beginning of 2017, Devers has an OPS+ of 93 and has more errors than RBI this season. Think Dalbec can’t replace that?

 

After the year, trade Devers to fill a void somewhere and let Dalbec have third...

[devildavid]

Since the beginning of 2017, Devers has an OPS+ of 93 and has more errors than RBI this season. Think Dalbec can’t replace that?

 

After the year, trade Devers to fill a void somewhere and let Dalbec have third...

 

Dalbec has zero major league experience. I have no idea if he can perform at that level. Devers has a World Series ring and has proven he can contribute positively to a winning team. So there's that.

[Larry33]

JBJ is 29 year old he's been in the league for 7 yrs now. He's no rookie by all means I think it's safe to say with what we've seen over his span in the MLB is that he's a good defender with limited offensive capabilities. Let's face it guys he's one dimensional player time to give it a rest nothing is going to change.

[moonslav59]

Dalbec has zero major league experience. I have no idea if he can perform at that level. Devers has a World Series ring and has proven he can contribute positively to a winning team. So there's that.

 

I doubt notin is advocating trading Devers before finding out if Dalbec is the real deal or not.

 

He just suggested him as a possible call-up and maybe eventual 3Bman. (Maybe Devers will be moved to 1B next year and not traded.)

[SoxnCycles]

None of the choices the OP gave.

He should stay exactly where he is...patrolling CF for the Boston Red Sox.

 

Yup.

There are only a couple of players hitting well at the moment, singling out JBJ is silly.

[devildavid]

I doubt notin is advocating trading Devers before finding out if Dalbec is the real deal or not.

 

He just suggested him as a possible call-up and maybe eventual 3Bman. (Maybe Devers will be moved to 1B next year and not traded.)

 

He is flat out stating that Devers is no better than a replacement level player at 3b. How will moving him to 1b change his value so dramatically? Is 1b a non defensive defensive position? And to be ready means to be ready. So it absolutely means Dalbec could be thrown out there at third now with no harm done to the team's ability to win games. That is the definition of replacement level.

[notin]

Dalbec has zero major league experience. I have no idea if he can perform at that level. Devers has a World Series ring and has proven he can contribute positively to a winning team. So there's that.

 

The same can be said about Bradley, with the additional comment about him having an ALCS MVP award to his credit. Yet here we are on another “Trade Bradley” thread.

 

Oh and another big difference is the Sox having anyone in the minors to replace Bradley. Going to bring up Rusney Castillo? Cole Sturgeon? Or give more at bats to Steve Pearce at DH and re-arrange to outfield to accommodate him?

[notin]

I doubt notin is advocating trading Devers before finding out if Dalbec is the real deal or not.

 

He just suggested him as a possible call-up and maybe eventual 3Bman. (Maybe Devers will be moved to 1B next year and not traded.)

 

 

It’s a bit early to make changes for 2020 yet. But the Sox will have an undetermined number of holes to fill and a limited budget to do so.

 

A trade or two will become a necessity, especially since the Sox really lack a lot of upper tier prospects. And even then, how many rookies can this team count on?

 

So if you’re going to look for actual trade fodder, why are people focusing on struggling players with minimal time left on their contracts? What will they bring back? Bradley at best would be dealt in a deal that resembled the Ian Kinsler trade from the other side. Yes we can get back the 2019 version of Ty Buttrey and hope for the best!!

 

But if the Sox want to get anyone with any real chance of contributing, Devers does offer much more in the way of potential (and dirt cheap salary) and is easier for the Sox to replace internally...

[devildavid]

The same can be said about Bradley, with the additional comment about him having an ALCS MVP award to his credit. Yet here we are on another “Trade Bradley” thread.

 

Oh and another big difference is the Sox having anyone in the minors to replace Bradley. Going to bring up Rusney Castillo? Cole Sturgeon? Or give more at bats to Steve Pearce at DH and re-arrange to outfield to accommodate him?

 

I don't want to trade Bradley. He is a proven elite level defensive MLB center fielder. That has nothing to do with Dalbec's ability to perform at the major league level. The only legitimate debate with Bradley is whether or not his defense makes up for his lack of offense. No question that his defense contributes toward winning games. But does his lack of offense contribute toward losing games?

[notin]

He is flat out stating that Devers is no better than a replacement level player at 3b. How will moving him to 1b change his value so dramatically? Is 1b a non defensive defensive position? And to be ready means to be ready. So it absolutely means Dalbec could be thrown out there at third now with no harm done to the team's ability to win games. That is the definition of replacement level.

 

Let’s take that argument.

 

Are you saying Devers isn’t playing at replacement level?

 

Fangraphs has him at 0.1 WAR and B-R has him at 0.3 WAR. That’s pretty much replacement level...

[notin]

I don't want to trade Bradley. He is a proven elite level defensive MLB center fielder. That has nothing to do with Dalbec's ability to perform at the major league level. The only legitimate debate with Bradley is whether or not his defense makes up for his lack of offense. No question that his defense contributes toward winning games. But does his lack of offense contribute toward losing games?

 

 

His defense does.

 

Every metric says so and he is damn fun to watch in CF.

 

I hope every MLB GM is dismissive of him because of his offense and Dombrowski is able to bring him back...

[devildavid]

Let’s take that argument.

 

Are you saying Devers isn’t playing at replacement level?

 

Fangraphs has him at 0.1 WAR and B-R has him at 0.3 WAR. That’s pretty much replacement level...

 

Devers has played at above replacement level for his career. A positive number is above replacement. And that is just a number on paper. It does not mean that a very specific player such as Dalbec can perform at replacement level just because he "replaces" Devers. It just means that in theory Devers is easier to replace if you find another MLB level player.

[notin]

Devers has played at above replacement level for his career. A positive number is above replacement. And that is just a number on paper. It does not mean that a very specific player such as Dalbec can perform at replacement level just because he "replaces" Devers. It just means that in theory Devers is easier to replace if you find another MLB level player.

 

 

0.1 and 0.3 are pretty much 0.

 

Granted, the season is only about 1/8 over. But even at this pace, Devers would pace for 1.8 fWAR. Of course, WAR can go down, too.

 

Devers really isn’t a good third baseman. And when the off-season rolls around, the Sox will need to add some players. Free agency will be tough, especially after extending Sale and Bogaerts . So if they have to trade, who should it be? The best options are the ones that can be replaced internally.

 

Devers tops that list...

[mvp 78]

Let’s take that argument.

 

Are you saying Devers isn’t playing at replacement level?

 

Fangraphs has him at 0.1 WAR and B-R has him at 0.3 WAR. That’s pretty much replacement level...

 

It's 4/22. Take WAR season stats with a grain of salt please. Extrapolated over the year he's about 2 bWAR.

[mvp 78]

0.1 and 0.3 are pretty much 0.

 

Granted, the season is only about 1/8 over. But even at this pace, Devers would pace for 1.8 fWAR. Of course, WAR can go down, too.

 

Devers really isn’t a good third baseman. And when the off-season rolls around, the Sox will need to add some players. Free agency will be tough, especially after extending Sale and Bogaerts . So if they have to trade, who should it be? The best options are the ones that can be replaced internally.

 

Devers tops that list...

 

When 1.8 fWAR is basically 0 WAR... Ok...

[notin]

When 1.8 fWAR is basically 0 WAR... Ok...

 

 

That’s not what it says and you know that...

[Maxbialystock]

It's 4/22. Take WAR season stats with a grain of salt please. Extrapolated over the year he's about 2 bWAR.

 

A "grain of salt" is essential in JBJ's case because his WAR right now is -.9 and his DWAR is -.2. JBJ continues to start because Cora and DD know he has been better in the past. He inherited the CF job from Ellsbury in 2014 and was so bad he ended up in Pawtucket and started there in 2015. Then came August when he was brought up and caught fire which continued into 2016, but with ups and downs. Since 2016, he has slid backward to between the horrendous 2014 and the amazing 2015-16.

[notin]

It's 4/22. Take WAR season stats with a grain of salt please. Extrapolated over the year he's about 2 bWAR.

 

 

All the more reason to consider him the Sox most valuable trade chip.

 

He’ll probably switch over to 1b next season. But when the Sox go trying to replace 1b, CF, SP to replace Porcello, RP (always a need) and possibly 2b, and only so much can be spent on free agents, who is better to offer around to other teams? The Sox don’t have much depth anywhere else...

[mvp 78]

All the more reason to consider him the Sox most valuable trade chip.

 

He’ll probably switch over to 1b next season. But when the Sox go trying to replace 1b, CF, SP to replace Porcello, RP (always a need) and possibly 2b, and only so much can be spent on free agents, who is better to offer around to other teams? The Sox don’t have much depth anywhere else...

 

He's young and cheap, so I agree that he's the most valuable trading chip. I wouldn't trade him, but yes he's the most valuable trading chip right now.