MLB Trade Rumors: Boston Red Sox Turned Down Jackie Bradley Jr. for Yasiel Puig Trade

By Noriel See, Christian Post Contributor Thursday, January 11, 2018

It seems Jackie Bradley Jr. is still drawing a lot of interest in the trade market even though Boston Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has already refuted the reports saying they want to move the center fielder.

According to the Boston Globe's Alex Speier, the Los Angeles Dodgers have offered right fielder Yasiel Puig to the Red Sox for Bradley, but Boston turned it down.

"The Red Sox, according to the sources, quickly declined, so there were never any substantive conversations to advance a possible exchange," Speier said.

Bradley posted a 0.245/0.323/0.402 slash line in 133 games with the Red Sox last year to go with 17 home runs, eight stolen bases, 63 runs batted in and 19 doubles in 541 plate appearances.

In comparison, Puig posted a 0.263/0.346/0.487 slash line in 152 games last season, and he also recorded 28 home runs, 15 steals stolen bases, 74 runs batted in and 24 doubles in 570 plate appearances.

Puig's numbers last year are clearly better than Bradley's. The one-time All-Star struggled last season, partly due to injuries, but it's clear that the Red Sox still value him highly.

"At this stage of his career, there are questions about whether he makes offensive adjustments quickly enough to perform at a level that more closely approximates his ceiling than his floor. But even with those questions, his ability to contribute to a team with championship aspirations is established," Speier said in his report.

"Bradley is a valuable asset, and if the Red Sox do elect to trade him, they can get meaningful return for him," he added.

Well, the Red Sox clearly didn't think the Dodgers offer was good enough. They were just not interested in taking in a known headcase like Puig no matter how well he played last season.

In any case, Bradley is under club control through 2020 so they don't need to trade him right now.