MLB trade rumors: Giants interested in Red Sox’ Jackie Bradley Jr.

The Giants are interested in acquiring center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. from the Red Sox to shore up their shaky outfield, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

The Giants’ 2017 center fielder Denard Span was the worst in baseball in defensive runs saved last year, so the defensive minded Bradley would be an obvious and drastic upgrade.

Bradley has an exceptional glove in center field, but his offensive numbers dipped last season with the Red Sox. After solid seasons at the plate in 2015 and 2016, Bradley hit .245 with an OPS of .726, his lowest since his rookie season.

The Giants have also been named as one of the teams willing to work out a trade for Marlins’ superstar Giancarlo Stanton, and given the haul Stanton alone would require, a deal for both wouldn’t be possible. Still, if the Giants settled for Bradley and got a deal done, he would be significant improvement for the Giants.

The Red Sox will be looking to improve their offense during the winter, finishing the regular season ranked 26th in team slugging percentage and 27th in home runs. Boston has also been rumored to be in the Stanton sweepstakes, so dealing Bradley and going after a bat like Stanton makes sense.

Bradley has three years of arbitration ability remaining, which further boosts his value.