The Milwaukee Brewers signed outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr (JBJ) to a two-year, $24M contract in March of 2021. Prior to that he had spent his entire career with the Boston Red Sox, was an All-Star in 2016, a 2018 World Series Champion, and was a Gold Glove winner in 2018.
Unfortunately, his first and only season with the Brewers did not go well. Defensively he was sharp as ever, but offensively he had one of the worst offensive seasons of his career as over 134 games he slashed .163/.236/.261 with a 35 OPS+. Following that 2021 season, David Stearns magically pulled off a trade that sent him back to Boston.
Hour before Major League Baseball initiated a lockout, David Stearns dealt Jackie Bradley Jr, David Hamilton, and Alex Binelas to the Red Sox in exchange for Hunter Renfroe. Hunter Renfroe also spent one year in Milwaukee before being traded to the Los Angeles Angels for Elvis Peguero, Janson Junk, and Adam Seminaris.
Unfortunately for JBJ, a return to Boston did not bust him out of his slump at the plate and he was released by the Red Sox that summer. The Toronto Blue Jays ended up giving him an opportunity for the remainder of the 2022 season and then he spent a portion of 2023 with the Kansas City Royals. Now it appears he may be ready to hang up the cleats.
Jackie Bradley Jr, a former Milwaukee Brewers outfielder and gold glove winner with the Boston Red Sox, is reportedly expected to retire.
MLB Insider and baseball columnist Jon Heyman indicated in a recent publication that Jackie Bradley Jr is expected to retire. If true the excellent defender will finish with 11 big league seasons and just over eight years of big league service time. He is 33 years old and at this point is best utilized as a defensive replacement.
No official word has come from Jackie Bradley Jr, so for now he remains a free agent. It is possible that he may be waiting to see if he gets any offers. If that is the case then an official announcement may not be made until spring or shortly after Opening Day.
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