Red Sox Rumors: Latest on Possible Jackie Bradley Jr. Trade, Free-Agent Talks

The Boston Red Sox are "actively trying to trade" veteran outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr., according to the Boston Globe's Pete Abraham. 

Abraham reported the Sox were working on a possible deal with the New York Mets before the Mets acquired Jake Marisnick from the Houston Astros.

Red Sox ownership made it clear in September that Boston was likely going to trim payroll this offseason in order to avoid the luxury tax.

Bradley would be a natural candidate to move. Spotrac estimates he could earn $11 million in arbitration this offseason, and he becomes a free agent in 2021.

Boston could've let Bradley walk this winter but decided to tender him a contract, presumably with the idea of flipping him to another team.

The market for the 29-year-old may not be all that robust, though, especially with one interested suitor going in a different direction. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal threw out the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago Cubs as possibilities as they look to strengthen their outfields.

Bradley is a solid defender but has a .409 slugging percentage and .314 weighted on-base average over his career, per FanGraphs. He appeared to turn a corner in 2016, when he hit 26 homers and drove in 87 runs while collecting his first All-Star appearance. His performance at the plate regressed in 2017 and hasn't improved since.

As the offseason lingers on, the Red Sox might either have to keep Bradley on the roster or deal him for pennies on the dollar because his underwhelming production at the plate is bound to limit Boston's realistic options.