Jackie Bradley Jr.: ‘There was talk, for sure’ about staying with Red Sox
Jackie Bradley Jr. is excited for his new chapter with the Milwaukee Brewers, and in the end, a reunion with the Red Sox wasn’t likely to happen.
After eight seasons with the Red Sox, the center fielder signed a two-year, $24 million deal — including a player option for the second year — with the Brewers that was made official Monday. Bradley said that he received multiple offers, though it’s unclear if there was one from the Red Sox. When asked if there was a point he thought he would return to Boston, Bradley said he remained open to anything.
“I think as a whole, you want to stay open-minded,” Bradley said in a Zoom call on Monday. “Any time you start closing off different avenues, then you’re limiting yourself. I think as long as you’re pretty open-minded about listening and gathering all of the information, that’s going to give you the best opportunity to make the decision that you feel is best for you and your family.”
Red Sox officials were consistent in saying they remained in contact with Bradley and his representation throughout the winter, but it wasn’t in the cards. A source told the Herald that the Red Sox preferred to bring Bradley back on a one-year deal, and without much room under the luxury tax threshold and a slow market on the center fielder, they moved forward.
Pressed on if there were negotiations about actually staying in Boston, Bradley didn’t get into specifics.
“There was talk, for sure,” Bradley said.
Bradley spent months in free agency before finally agreeing to a deal two weeks into spring training. But that didn’t seem to frustrate the center fielder.
“This was an unprecedented offseason,” Bradley said. “This is my first free agency, so I don’t have anything to compare it with. I, personally, I guess enjoyed it. I didn’t really focus on the things that were going on around me. I was able to spend a lot of quality time with my family and kind of let that all figure out itself. I was just relaxing and just waiting for the opportunity, continuously staying ready, working hard and I got other offers and things like that, but I think with the offer now, I just wanted to trust myself and I believed in my ability and my talent. I felt like this particular deal offers me a lot of flexibility.”
Bradley’s departure from the Red Sox marked the official end to the team’s 2018 World Series-winning outfield after Mookie Betts was traded to the Dodgers last February and Andrew Benintendi was traded to the Royals last month. The popular trio made up the Red Sox’ outfield just 18 months ago, but though it may have been unexpected that they’re all already gone, it didn’t particularly surprise Bradley.
“Difficult decisions have to be made and you gotta be fully ready to embrace it, just because this is a short time window and not many players over the course of their careers are going to stay with one team,” Bradley said. “It’s just hard to do. A lot of things have to work out and we’re not all on the same team, but that’s OK, because we all have our own different opportunities and from talking to them, I think we’re all excited.”
Thank you, Jackie. You were a true champion by every definition.
From making impossible catches to the incredible impact that you and Erin have made on our community, you will forever be a part of Red Sox history. pic.twitter.com/Svm2aY5Gm7
— Red Sox (@RedSox) March 8, 2021
Bradley is certainly excited to be a Brewer, but he won’t forget the last decade of his career. He said a proper tribute to the Red Sox is in the works as he gathers his thoughts and emotions, but he’ll always cherish the relationships he created in Boston.
“I had some great memories,” Bradley said. “I developed a lot of great relationships that I will never forget. It’s one of those things that when you’ve been with an organization for so long, those bonds, they don’t go away. You’re knowing personnel, upper management, players obviously, their families. It’s deep and you start developing relationships with the community, the people that are around and helped you along the way and supported you throughout the good, the bad and you develop that understanding and that respect for one another. I’m thankful for it because it’s helped me be the person who I am today.”
Bradley said his deal with the Brewers materialized “pretty quickly.” It’s unclear exactly what his role with them will be — he’s expected to play in a right-field platoon — but he’s embracing his new opportunity.
“I think I knew right away, once they got in the mix, I was excited,” Bradley said. “You look at this team and a lot of great talent here and I was excited to finally be able to sign and get here. …
“I’m excited to be in the mix. The opportunity is going to present itself. I don’t have to worry about making the lineup. I’m here to help the team win and that’s my main focus.”
from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/38msFJG
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