Boston Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski acquired closer Craig Kimbrel last week and said that would probably be the biggest trade for the team this offseason. However, trade rumors continue to surround outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr.
Is it possible the Red Sox trade him to bring back some prospects lost in the Kimbrel deal?
Recently we wrote the Kansas City Royals, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets and Seattle Mariners were interested in Bradley Jr. Seattle just acquired Leonys Martin from the Rangers, so they're probably out of that discussion. That leaves the Royals, Cubs and Mets, but it remains to be seen if the Red Sox are still seriously considering moving the 25-year-old Bradley.
"I think the chances of Bradley getting dealt this offseason went way down once Craig Kimbrel was acquired from the Padres for prospects instead of Major League talent," writes Ian Browne of MLB.com. "There already has been one report that stated Bradley would have been part of a deal for Reds closer Aroldis Chapman. Given Bradley's elite defense, it's probably worth hanging on to him a little while longer, as the jury is still out on what type of hitter he can be. The torrid stretch Bradley went on last August left some intrigue of whether he can do that kind of thing more often."
Boston traded their top outfield prospect in Manuel Margot, so it's possible they are sticking with Bradley since they wouldn't have an immediate solution in left/right field if he were to depart (unless they received an outfielder in return or feel prospect Andrew Benintendi can be ready soon).
Nonetheless, the Royals are still among the teams interested in Bradley Jr., according to rumors, but it's unknown what they can offer Boston in return. They could be the best fit for him, but the Red Sox have one of the deepest (if not the deepest) farm systems in the MLB and the Royals traded three top prospects for Johnny Cueto at the deadline in July. However, the Royals are arguably the team most in need of a capable starting outfielder and might need to make this happen if they can't fulfill their needs in free agency.
"The Royals had their organizational meetings a day after their World Series parade in Kansas City," writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. "GM Dayton Moore met with his scouts to go over possible moves for next season. The concern is losing Alex Gordon and Ben Zobrist. The feeling is that Zobrist could re-sign, but Gordon is likely gone. The Royals are looking not only at Jackie Bradley Jr. but free agent Gerardo Parra as possible replacements. They don't feel they need to replace Gordon with a power hitter, given the dimensions of Kauffman Stadium, but rather a run preventer. Parra and Bradley would fit that description."
Kansas City is expected to lose Gordon and they'll absolutely need to replace his defensive presence, as it was a big aspect of the team's identity over the past few seasons. Bradley Jr. is a formidable defender and is regarded as one of the best despite playing in only 238 MLB games.
Could the Royals interest the Red Sox in prospects and/or an established reliever? Their deep bullpen that consists of Wade Davis, Luke Hochevar, Kelvin Herrera and Danny Duffy (although he is expected to rejoin the rotation) could entice Boston because they'll need some help behind Kimbrel and Koji Uehara. One of Dombrowski's biggest flaws in Detroit was the bullpen, so perhaps he's looking to turn that around in Boston.
Then again, the Royals might not be willing to do that since they're in danger of losing Franklin Morales, Chris Young and Ryan Madson in free agency.
All in all, Kansas City needs corner outfielders (they declined Alex Rios' 2016 team option and will probably lose him as well). The cost for Bradley Jr. might be steep, but he seems to fit the Royals' philosophy and he's under club control through 2020. If the Cubs and Mets are also seriously considering Bradley then the Royals will have tough competition because those two clubs arguably have deeper farm systems.
But if anyone can make it work, it's general manager Dayton Moore.
