Mets Sign Former Royals Outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. to Minor League Contract
The New York Mets, sitting at 51-48 on the season and a day removed from a series win over division rival Miami, have taken a flier on a former All-Star outfielder.
Jackie Bradley Jr., best known for an eight-season first stint with the Boston Red Sox from 2013-20 where he won a World Series, a Gold Glove and was named 2018 ALCS MVP, has signed a minor-league deal with the Mets. The news was first reported Tuesday by Designated Report founder Sean W. Alcide. Bradley has also spent time with the Brewers, Blue Jays and Royals.
A career .225 hitter in the majors with 109 long balls and 449 RBIs, Bradley is a strong glove-first player who's manned every outfield position and served as a plus defender for an extended period of time. Now 34, he didn't attract substantial interest last offseason following a June 2023 release from the Royals. He signed with the Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks this past April. In 40 games since, Bradley boasts an astounding .400/.476/.727 slash with a 1.204 OPS and 12 home runs. Ducks president Michael Pfaff confirmed the Mets' signing of Bradley Tuesday afternoon.
He’s also durable, having played in 130 games or more in every season (except 2020) from 2016 through 2022. During his lone All-Star campaign in 2016, he recorded 149 hits, 26 home runs and 87 RBIs in 156 contests. Bradley appeared in just 43 games for the 2023 Royals and had 14 hits prior to his release. During the aforementioned 2018 ALCS, he earned MVP honors courtesy of nine runs batted in on three extra-base hits. He signed the Mets deal while actively on a 28-game hitting streak, the longest in Ducks history, and will report to Triple-A Syracuse.
WILL MILLER