The Boston Red Sox made a mess of the 2022 MLB trade deadline, acting as both buyers of aging veterans while also offloading some key pieces. The unclear nature of the team's trajectory continued on Thursday after it was reported that the Red Sox had decided to DFA veteran center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. The move was first reported by Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe.

Bradley Jr. has endured a miserable season at the plate in 2022. He had a .578 OPS with three home runs on the season and was batting just .210. Despite his prowess in the outfield, the Red Sox felt that his bat was simply insufficient to warrant a roster spot any longer.

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The Red Sox re-acquired Jackie Bradley Jr. this offseason in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers. He was due to make $9.5 million in 2022 and had a mutual option on his contract for the 2023 season. Rather than even get to that point where they'd consider paying him the $12 million he'd be owed if on the roster next season, the Red Sox cut bait altogether on Thursday.

With Bradley Jr. out of the picture, the Red Sox will continue to deploy Jarren Duran in center field. The rookie outfielder is slashing .232/.280/.384 with 2 home runs, 10 RBI, and 7 stolen bases across 39 games. While he's only recorded a -0.2 bWAR, the Red Sox are seemingly more confident in his ability to produce on both ends than they were in Bradley Jr.

Xander Bogaerts was openly critical of GM Chaim Bloom's trade deadline strategy, particularly the move that sent Christian Vazquez to the Houston Astros, in what was a rather heartbreaking decision. So, fans can only wonder how he'll feel about the decision to move on from Bradley Jr without getting any semblance of a return.