After the New York Yankees made the defining move of the offseason by trading for Marlins’ slugger Giancarlo Stanton, all eyes turned to the Boston Red Sox to see how they would respond.
While Boston hasn’t made a marquee transaction yet, the Red Sox are considered the odds-on favorite to land free agent power-hitter J.D. Martinez, who would provide the franchise with the opportunity to compete home run for home run atop the American League East.
If the Red Sox are able to add Martinez in free agency, Boston would have a glut of outfielders and could be looking for trade opportunities to address other areas of concern. Should that be the case, KNBR’s Marty Lurie thinks the Giants could become one of the primary beneficiaries, as San Francisco has been linked to Boston center fielder Jackie Bradley, Jr.
“As soon as the Yankees do something, the Red Sox have to,” Lurie told P-Con. “The Red Sox were like the Giants, they couldn’t hit home runs, they were like the Giants last year. They need J.D. Martinez and here’s Scott Boras, having the stand-off with Dombrowski until somebody blinks and it will probably be the Red Sox but if J.D. Martinez goes there, then it does free up Jackie Bradley, Jr. And that’s my hope is that the Giants can go after Jackie Bradley, Jr.”
Bradley, Jr. hit .245 with an on-base percentage of .323 last season, but played tremendous defense in Fenway Park and has the range to cover significant ground at AT&T Park as well. With the Giants looking to upgrade their outfield defense and Boston potentially looking to add a young power-hitting prospect like local kid Chris Shaw, San Francisco could be the best match.
The 27-year-old Bradley is under team control through the end of the 2020 season, and could help San Francisco add speed at the top of the order over the next few seasons. With the Giants looking to stay under the competitive balance tax threshold of $197 million next season, trading for Bradley might be among the best solutions left for general manager Bobby Evans.
Full audio of Lurie’s interview with P-Con on KNBR will be posted when it becomes available.