Yankees: 2021 Free Agent Replacements for Brett Gardner

3. Yankees Target: Jackie Bradley Jr.

We know, we know, but Jackie Bradley Jr. could be an excellent Brett Gardner replacement.

If you’d like to skip to the next slide, that’s OK, but an aging Jackie Bradley Jr. is almost perfectly suited to a relief role in the Bronx next summer, beyond-adequately filling in space for Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, or Aaron Hicks.

His power will almost certainly play up in the Big Ballpark in the Bronx in his age-31 season, with the ability to hook it to the short porch, and his defense is nothing short of spectacular (come on, you can admit it). Bradley’s been treated as a non-star and de-prioritized these past few years in Boston, even though his clutch hitting was more often than not a monstrous factor throughout the 2018 World Series run.

Bradley for $6 million or so on a one- or two-year deal would be perfection (he seems bound to get Brock Holt-ed during the next free agency cycle), and he could join the extended list of Sox who chose the right side when given the opportunity.