Beating the expiring collective bargaining agreement and the start of a lockout and work stoppage by about 30 minutes late Wednesday night, the Red Sox reacquired outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. and two prospects from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for outfielder Hunter Renfroe.
Bradley, 31, remains an elite outfielder but was one of the game's worst offensive performers in 2021, slashing .136/.236/.261 in 134 games with the Brewers last year.
Meanwhile, in his only year in Boston, Renfroe slashed .259/.315/.501 with 31 homers and 96 RBI. He also had 16 assists, tied for the American League lead.
The deal, however, hinged on the Red Sox taking back Bradley's unwanted $12.5 million salary, allowing them to obtain two additional prospects -- corner infielder Alex Binelas and middle infielder David Hamilton. The two were considered among the Brewers' top 20 prospects in their system.
"This was one that, a few days ago, I wouldn't have thought would have been on our radar,'' said Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom. "But as things developed over the last few days, it was something that we thought made sense. Everybody here knows Jackie very well and true center fielders are hard to find. We feel we now have two of the best at that position (with KikΓ© Hernandez) and what he brings to our roster is a very hard thing to find.
"Obviously, removing Hunter leaves a hole. But we thought having two premium defensive center fielders is a huge boost to our roster and we're also excited about the minor league players that we got. So we felt this was something that we felt made sense to us, right now and also has a chance to help us down the road.''
Bloom said the Sox were "certainly optimistic'' that Bradley could be rejuvenated as a hitter.
"I think we all know that the ability that he has is better than what he showed this year,'' Bloom. "I think coming back here, we'll be able to get him back to what he used to do. Defense has always been his calling card, but we know that he's a better hitter than what he showed this past year and we're optimistic that we're going to be able to get him back to something resembling who he was here for so long.''
Bloom said he could "absolutely'' envision Bradley and Hernandez playing together in the outfield, with one in right and the other in center.
"It's a nice luxury to have,'' said Bloom.
Renfroe gave the Sox a power bat in the middle and lower-third of the order, but also struggled in right field, despite a powerful throwing arm. He graded out as a -1 in defensive runs saved in right field.
The Sox have a number of ways they could go with their outfield alignment. In addition to playing Bradley and Hernandez together as a center-right combination, they could move Alex Verdugo back to right field, leaving left field open for the return of Kyle Schwarber.
They could also have Bradley play the majority of the games in center, allowing Hernandez to return to second base where, for now, the Sox have only Christian Arroyo.
As with many baseball trades, economics played a factor here.
The Brewers had passed on Bradley's option for 2022 before the player himself exercised his own option, and the team was eager to move him. They took back Renfroe, who is projected to earn $7.6 million in arbitration for 2022.
In essence, the Red Sox absorbed Bradley's bloated salary in exchange for "buying'' two premium prospects -- not unlike when the Sox took on an unwanted salary in Adam Ottavino, and gained a pitching prospect (Frank German) for their trouble.
Binelas, 21, was a third-round pick of the Brewers in 2021 out of the University of Louisville. A lefty power hitter, he can play both first and third and responded well to his first exposure to pro ball, hitting .309 with nine homers and 29 RBI and a .973 OPS in 36 games split between rookie ball and Low A ball.
"The bat is really his calling card,'' said Bloom. "He's a good hitter with really special power. Obviously, it's early in his professional journey but he had a tremendous debut and really showed a lot in his acclimation to pro ball. He's a really nice lefthanded power bat to bring into the system.''
Hamilton, 24, was an eight-round pick by the Brewers in 2019 out of the University of Texas. He hit .258 with eight homers and 11 triples and 19 doubles and scored 66 runs in 101 games between High A and Double A in 2021, with 87 starts at shortstop and another 13 at second base.
"He has premium speed and is a really good middle infielder,'' said Bloom. "He was a highly touted high school, went to the University of Texas and had a tough injury and recovered from it. He has great speed and athleticism, a very exciting player to add to our system.''