Jackie Bradley Jr has been on Mets fans radar for quite a while now, and going into the 2021 season, it’s actually a realistic possibility that this could come to fruition. While it’s not ideal for an outfield to have three lefties, if spread throughout the lineup, it shouldn’t matter.

In 2020, Bradley actually had better numbers against left handed pitching which should automatically give him the green light to be an everyday starter over a platoon player. But if that doesn’t hold up, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to nab a right handed hitting centerfielder.

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Overall in 2020, the outfielder hit .283/.364/.450/.814 with 11 doubles, seven home runs, 22 RBI’s to go alongside five stolen bases in seven attempts. Not to also mention that Bradley is a top caliber defensive centerfielder.

Unfortunately, his offense hasn’t always been there to match up with his excellent defense, and it’s evident in his numbers. In his eight year career, Bradley owns a slash line of .239/.321/.412/.732 while averaging 30 doubles, four triples, 18 home runs and 70 RBI’s per 162 games.

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I’d imagine the Mets would want Bradley to lead off due to his speed, but his OBP doesn’t warrant the spot. That would drop him to the bottom third of the lineup and that’s an excellent spot for him to still be productive on hopefully what would be a winning club.

MLBTR has Bradley going to the Houston Astros on a two year deal worth $16MM, which seems a little low to me. Even if used as a platoon just against right handed pitchers, he’d still be seeing roughly 75% of action with league leading defensive abilities.

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Photo from The Athletic