Will Jackie Bradley Jr get Lengthy Contract?

There is no question that the MLB free agency period has been slower than usual. This could be due to the fact that teams suffered a great loss of revenue last year due to the shortened season with no fans in attendance. There are still some top free agents available, one of which is Jackie Bradley Jr, who appears to want a significantly lengthen contract.

A great deal of noise has been made about potential teams that could land Bradley, but the type of contract is still up in the air. Bradley’s agent Scott Boras is famous for trying to leverage strong demand into longer than anticipated deals for his clients, and Bradley could be no exception.

A deal in the range of four or more years would be remarkable in the light of today’s market.  Bradley is great fit for several rosters, but most people were in agreement that a two or three year contract was the most likely scenario.

Looking at Bradley’s career, he was an All-Star in 2016 when he hit .267 with 26 home runs and 87 RBI. The 31-year-old won a Gold Glove Award in 2018 and hit .283 with seven home runs and 22 RBI last season.  His defensive ability is more to the forefront than his offense, as his career .239 batting average indicates.

His baserunning ability is very good and is a plus outfielder, but he is likely projected as a role player later during a four-year contract.  If Bradley was a few years younger, the prospect of a four-year contract makes much more sense. It’s possible that Bradley could take a longer contract for a lower average base salary. Within only a few weeks before Spring Training is scheduled to open, it appears the interest is there in Bradley. 

The question is, who will make an offer, what kind of offer will be made and will Bradley be on Major League roster come Opening Day?