Never mind that he is left handed. He plays nearly every game every year. He has broad based skills with mid-range power, terrific OBP and even decent base running. His one weakness is defense, which is common to all the available DH free agents and may not matter much. Even as his home runs have settled in around 15-20 or so, his doubles remain in the 35-45 range. And at 34, even a 3 year contract would not be overly risky.

As for being left handed, he has a .372 career OBP, and in 2008 had a better line across the board hitting lefties than righties. Not a problem, and especially as the Rays probably are not as vulnerable to lefties as many seem to think.

Bradley has all kinds of talent, but it is not very useful if he is not on the field. He has not gotten 500 ABs since he was 26, and that was the only year he did. Since that year, when he still missed 21 games, he has managed to get into 75, 96, 61 and last year 126 games. (Before that he made 98 and 101 games.) So even in his terrific 2008 he missed over 22% of the season. Why do we think, even with a DH (but also on turf) that he will be more durable after he reaches 31?

Incidentally, Giambi also presents an injury risk. He will be 38 in January, and while he managed 145 games in 2008, since he turned 33 he has gotten into 80, 139, 139 and 83 games otherwise. I am sure being a full-time DH will help, but even on a 1 year deal, that is risky for such a non-athletic type player. I wouldn’t be upset if the Rays sign him, and recognize his power gives him an advantage over Abreu, but lean towards the player with a better chance to be out there every game.

be careful what you wish for