We are less than a week into the tenure of new Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. Dombrowski is entering the roster construction role rather later in the process. As the Winter Meetings take place virtually, we have our first rumor in the Dombrowski era involving a free agent player. It's someone with whom Dombrowski is well acquainted.
According to J.P. Morosi of MLB.com, the Phillies are interested in outfielder Jackie Bradley, Jr.:
Free agent Jackie Bradley Jr. is drawing interest from the Phillies, Cubs, and Blue Jays, among other teams, as I mentioned this morning on @MLBNetwork. Bradley, 30, is coming off a season in which he posted a 118 OPS+, his best since 2016. @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 15, 2020
Bradley would help the Phillies in center field, one question mark for the Phillies.
Bradley has played his whole career for the Boston Red Sox, including the entire Dombrowski tenure in Boston. Bradley has one Gold Glove and one All Star appearance on his resume. 2020 was, as Morosi noted, a solid season for Bradley, who compiled an .814 OPS while playing above average defense in center field.
The Phillies currently have Adam Haseley and Roman Quinn set to take the position. So far the Phillies have not seen starter-level production from Haseley, and Quinn's injury problems are well-documented, despite his immense speed and talent. Either player could have some trade value should the Phillies make a move.
What will be Dombrowski's first move? The Winter Meetings might provide the opportunity.
