stayed around 3.00 for his career until 2004, when mounting back pain forced him on to the disabled list. Boston Red Sox On July 13, , the Boston Red Sox acquired Bradford from Oakland in a trade for outfielder Jay Payton. Bradford, on the disabled list since undergoing lower back surgery March 7, was activated after the All-Star break. In 31 appearances with Boston, Bradford went 2–1 and had a 3.86 ERA with a 1.414 WHIP in innings. After the season, he became a free agent. New York Mets On December 27, 2005, Bradford signed a one-year, $1.4 million contract with the New York Mets, where he was reunited with Rick Peterson, his pitching coach from the Athletics. He had a very solid year in as a right-handed specialist out of the bullpen, going 4–2 with a 2.90 ERA in 70 games. Baltimore Orioles On November 28, 2006, Bradford signed a three-year, $10.5 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles. On May 31, 2008, Manny Ramirez hit his 500th career home run off of Bradford. Tampa Bay Rays On August 7, 2008, Bradford was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays for a player to be named later. With a lot of postseason experience under his belt, Bradford shone in the 2008 playoffs and played a big part in Tampa Bay's World Series run. Bradford pitched in the 2008 World Series, allowing only one hit in two innings for Tampa Bay. Bradford remained with the Rays into 2009; however, he began the season on the disabled list after injuring his elbow in spring training. Bradford returned in June but shortly thereafter returned to the disabled list, this time after injuring his back while warming up. Bradford was sidelined again at the end of the season with various pains. When on the mound, he was of questionable effectiveness, allowing 22 hits in 10 innings. Largely because of recurring injuries, Bradford told the St. Petersburg Times after the season that he was considering retirement. With no media attention and no interest from MLB clubs, Bradford retired and went to work as a coach in Mississippi. In 24 career postseason games, Bradford posted a 0.39 ERA, allowing just one run. Pitching style Bradford was a finesse pitcher who specialized in pitching to contact, posting low strikeout and walk rates. Bradford's fastball, never faster than 85 mph, averaged a relatively low 80 mph in the later