Red Sox sign LHPs Hill, Paxton, trade Renfroe for JBJ

By: The Associated Press Posted: 11:46 PM CST Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021 Last Modified: 10:35 AM CST Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021

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BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox signed free agent left-handers Rich Hill and James Paxton on Wednesday night and reacquired outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. from Milwaukee in a trade that sent outfielder Hunter Renfroe to the Brewers.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/12/2021 (1718 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The flurry of moves came just a few hours before the 11:59 p.m. expiration of baseball’s collective bargaining agreement, which ushered in a lockout and halted all transactions. Hill received a one-year deal worth $5 million, and Paxton was signed for one year and $10 million guaranteed, including a player option for 2023.

The Red Sox also received two minor leaguers from the Brewers, infielders David Hamilton and Alex Binelas.

FILE - Boston Red Sox center fielder Hunter Renfroe makes a catch for an out on a fly ball hit by Washington Nationals' Alcides Escobar during the seventh inning of a baseball game Oct. 2, 2021, in Washington. The Red Sox reacquired outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. from Milwaukee in a trade that sent Renfroe to the Brewers on Wednesday, Dec. 1. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)

Renfroe, 29, adds power to Milwaukee’s lineup after Avisail Garcia left for the Marlins and Eduardo Escobar went to the Mets in free agency. He will be part of a Brewers outfield that includes Christian Yelich, Lorenzo Cain and Tyrone Taylor.

In his only season in Boston, Renfroe had career highs with a .259 average, .315 on-base percentage, 89 runs, 33 doubles and 96 RBIs. He tied for the major league lead with a career-high 16 outfield assists.

Bradley, 31, played the first eight seasons of his career in Boston, establishing himself as one of the best defensive center fielders in the game. In 2018, when the Red Sox won a franchise-record 108 games and the World Series, he was the AL Championship Series MVP.

A lifetime .230 hitter never known for his offense, he struggled even more at the plate in Milwaukee, batting .163 last season with six homers in 134 games.

Binelas is a 21-year-old third-round draft pick who batted .309 with nine home runs and 29 RBIs in the low minors last season. Hamilton, 24, hit .258 eight homers and 43 RBIs in 101 games at Class A and Double-A.

Paxton has a $6 million salary next season, and the deal includes team options for 2023 and ’24 at $13 million plus performance bonuses earned, with a decision to be made simultaneously on both options.

Paxton’s player option for 2023 is at $4 million.

He could earn $1 million in bonuses next year for starts: $250,000 each for 12, 14, 16 and 18.

FILE - Milwaukee Brewers' Jackie Bradley Jr. heads toward first during the team's baseball game against the Colorado Rockies on June 18, 2021, in Denver. The Boston Red Sox acquired Bradley from Milwaukee in a trade that sent outfielder Hunter Renfroe to the Brewers on Wednesday night, Dec. 1. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

If the team options are exercised, he could earn $250,000 in each of those years for 20, 22, 24 and 26 starts — less any bonuses earned next season.

Hill could earn $3 million in performance bonuses for innings: $250,000 each for 110 and 120, $500,000 apiece for 130 and 140, and $750,000 each for 150 and 160.

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