*Photo from NBC Sports*
This was a move, that, as Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said, came out of nowhere. Yet, before the lockout began, the trade happened anyway. The Milwaukee Brewers have acquired OF Hunter Renfroe from the Red Sox in exchange for OF Jackie Bradley Jr, IF David Hamilton, and IF Alex Binelas, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. Both teams have confirmed the move.
Bloom started out his media meeting by saying "Especially want to thank Hunter Renfroe, who despite being here only one year, was such a huge part of what we did. I know Hunter loved Boston and it felt like Boston loved Hunter. And we wish him nothing but the best. Class act and a great teammate."
There is no salary retained in the trade, so the Brewers will have to worry about arbitration for Renfroe, and the Red Sox get Bradley Jr's contract along with two prospects in the Brewers top 30. Bradley Jr will make $9.5 million in 2022, and has a $12 million mutual option with a $8 million buyout for the 2023 season.
Last season, his first with the Brewers after signing in free agency, Bradley struggled immensely, hitting for just a .163 batting average with a .497 OPS, hitting just 6 home runs and driving in 29 runs in 134 games played for the Brewers. Bradley was only used as a defensive replacement in one game in the 2021 playoffs, never getting a plate appearance.
It's a return home for Bradley Jr, however, as he spent the first 8 seasons of his 9 in the big leagues with the Red Sox. Including an all star game selection in 2016, Bradley Jr has a career .230 batting average and a .705 OPS, hitting 104 home runs and driving in 405 of them, playing in 1,007 games. In 22 career playoff games, Bradley Jr has a .185 batting average with 4 home runs and 15 RBI, including the 2018 ALCS MVP award.
Bloom talked about calling Bradley to notify him of the trade, saying that "He seemed happy. He and his family mean a lot to his organization, and vice versa. So, I think he’s excited to get back here. I don’t want to speak for him. He certainly was surprised, but he certainly seemed excited."
After signing a one year deal with the Red Sox, that included two more years of team control, as Renfroe is still in his arbitration years, Renfroe thrived in Boston. He hit for a .259 batting average with an .816 OPS, mashing 31 home runs and driving in 96 runs, playing in 144 regular season games and all 11 playoff games for the Red Sox.
One prospect coming to the Red Sox is Hamilton, primarily a shortstop but can also play second, who was a draft choice of the Brewers in the 2019 MLB Draft. He was ranked 16th in the Brewers system according to MLB Pipeline, and is blazing fast, having stolen 52 bases while picking up a .761 OPS across two minor league levels last season.
The other prospect is Binelas, a Milwaukee area native who can play primarily 3rd base, but also the other side of the diamond in first base. He was a 3rd round pick out of Louisville in 2021, and was ranked 17th in the Brewers system. Across the Brewers ACL rookie league team and Low A Carolina, Binelas had a .309 batting average and a .973 OPS, hitting 9 home runs and driving in 29 in his first half season of pro ball, spending most of his time at Low A.
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