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He is unserious about the job he holds.
Wait. Does Bradley DH or play OF? If the latter, doesn't this mean Griffey plays the OF everyday?
I would assume he splits time between the two with Griff and Michael Saunders.
Seriously, I can't think of a better opening act in a general manager's career.
It's 91-9 now.
Agreed, but the sine qua non of this particular deal is Jim Hendry's being really stupid.
FTFY.
What would you have them do? The Cubs simply must trade Bradley and, yet, they have made him virtually untradeable.
I'm not thrilled with them getting someone else's problem, but they really don't have a whole lot of great options here, unless they find that they can dump Silva on another team (and eat salary) easier than they could do with Bradley.
RDF
Cutting Bradley would've been cheaper, and wouldn't've saddled them with an awful player requiring either creative disposal or outright release.
EDIT: Thus, this trade makes no sense even from a PR perspective; you cut Bradley, you at least don't replace him with a soon-to-be-equally-vilified (for different reasons) player, and everyone eventually forgets about the money eaten (well, it'll still hamstring the budget to the tune of $21MM over 2 years, but that was inevitable anyway). Now, we get to experience fear and loathing over what the hell to do with Carlos Silva.
Unless money changed hands the Cubs added payroll. Just cut Bradley if its that much of an issue.
As I said in another thread, Hendry is more interested in demonstrating just how much he dislikes Milton Bradley than he is in improving the Cubs, either in terms of financial or on-field standing.
This was my thought. I think if I were the Cubs I would have preferred just to release Bradley and eat his contract rather than adding Carlos Silva, assuming they "had to get Bradley off the team."
As has been noted here many times, Bradley's having to play the field was a problem as well as his emotional problems. A relatively low-key place like Seattle where he can DH would seem to be the best shot to get some on-field value from him.
I'm not looking forward to watching Silva this year. Please, can someone at least tell me he works quickly?
I think he still works quickly; he certainly worked at a crazy fast pace with the Twins. Trouble is, he gives up so many hits that the innings still drag on forever.
Maybe the Bedard trade was a win-win trade after all, if that’s what got Bavasi fired.
(1) The Cubs couldn't keep Milton Bradley for 2010. Blame whomever you wish for the current situation, but there was no way that he was ever wearing a Cubs uniform again.
(2) Bradley had zero, or possibly negative, trade value. Hendry went to the winter meetings with the express goal of getting something back for Bradley (either talent or salary relief or both), and failed.
If you assume that (1) and (2) are true, then that leaves Hendry with the decision of either releasing Bradley or accepting this deal. He might have made the wrong decision, but maybe he thinks Silva is worth a flyer. I don't know, it's hard to defend this from the Cubs' perspective.
From the Mariners' perspective, they're taking on a sizable commitment in Bradley, more than I'd want my team to take on. It's great from a talent perspective, but this could blow up in their faces. This could easily end up being a lose-lose trade.
Well, I don't figure a start lasting two thirds of an inning should take that long, even if he works like Steve Trachsel.
Levi, you know anybody who wants to buy my seats?
You can at least take some solace in your unusual dual rooting interest, and the knowledge that some of his work will be done against the Cardinals.
So the Cubs come out $2 million ahead in the deal.
I still kinda like Milton Bradley.
Even with the loss of Harden and the substantial likelihood that Gorzelanny's a total POS, I can't imagine who Silva beats out for a rotation spot.
Then again, I've seen what I get for underestimating this organization's stupidity.
Now it makes more sense for the Cubs, and less for the Mariners. They can now release Silva and come out ahead.
They wouldn't hold onto Bradley for the same reason, though. Yes, I realize one of these things is not like the other...
So the Cubs come out $2 million ahead in the deal.
Still doesn't justify it, but it's better than nothing.
Perhaps this was Hendry's idea of a joke--he was looking for the only contract that'd require the OTHER team to send cash. If so, mission accomplished.
Good, now cut Silva.
All right, check that, it might make some sense, especially if it's 9MM they're getting. Talking myself out of self-immolation here...
Pitching coach: “Hey Carlos, you don’t look so good. Is it your elbow?”
Silva: “I saw a fan eating a hamburger. *gets animated* I didn’t know we HAD those here. ”
Pitching coach: “You know you just gave up a 3 run homer to Kelly Shoppach right?”
Silva: “… I mean, you could probably put the garlic fries right inside the bun with the meat!”
From USS Mariner
(just found out.)
Yup, and that minimum salary would go to the Cubs.
If Hendry got $6 million in salary relief for Bradley, that's more than I expected he'd get, even if Silva doesn't provide anything for them.
Silva does work quickly, but you'd be surprised at how much time it takes for a team to send 10 men to the plate.
The amazing thing about this is its sheer elegance and simplicity. Yeah they sent some money, but still. Carlos Silva was somewhere below the ocean floor of a sunk cost.
So...DH Bradley and sign a LF for the short term until Saunders is ready? Damon? Sign a cheap first baseman? Too bad Johnson is gone.
Depending on the dollar figures, somewhere between $2-$6 million.
If the Cubs save money on this deal, they did just fine.
The fewest BB/9 leaderboard is pretty funny. 24 of the top 25 seasons were between 1876 and 1884... Silva's 2005 is the extreme outlier.
Given that they have a year of Cliff Lee, they might as well go for broke.
Why?
That helps his wallet.
He's interesting.
I pretty much agree, but the MAriners could cut Milton if it blows up on them - or should I say when he blows up?
Maybe Hendry wanted Milton as far from NL Central radar as possible. The other league, on the West Coast, in a lesser media center, that all helps. Having him play against the Cubs this year -- couldn't you see the media circus clamoring for Milton's quotes about Hendry?
(Checks 2010 Interleague schedule) Oops. Mark your calendars for June 22rd through 24th. At least the games are in Seattle.
I guess saving a few million is better than nothing, but aren't they hurting themselves by committing innings to Silva?
Given that they have a year of Cliff Lee, they might as well go for broke.
Sure, and getting Bradley (while ridding themselves of Silva) is a good risk to take in this situation. My point is just that there's a good chance that this could turn out pretty badly.
Silva's already got a track record with injuries and Hendry already has a track record of DL'ing players with phantom pitching injuries. I'm sure they can work something out to where Silva won't be in danger of pitching too many innings.
MON->CLE->LAD->OAK->SDP->TEX->CHC->SEA
It's like the NL and AL have to take turns dealing with him.
This is how bad Carlos Silva is.
Cubs fans, my condolences.
Was it a game of Hungry, Hungry Hippos?
Trading Bradley, with two years and $23 million left on his contract, for the worthless Silva, who has two years and (after all things are considered) $19 million left on his contract.
Yeah, they're just going to bury him somehow in the roster, but this has been an absurd series of events. As fireable an offense as you will ever see from a GM.
I was just wondering if moving to the NL might help him regain some effectiveness. I know that is often a mirage, but it can effect pitchers differently. I wouldn't be surprised if he bounces back and looks somewhat useful for the Cubs. He'd have to be able to keep the ball in Wrigley, and rely on lots of pitchers to hit into double plays, but it could happen.
Actually, maybe this is a sneaky strategy. Silva could tax the other teams bullpen.....the opposing starters will constantly be coming up with the bases loaded, and the other manager will be tempted to pull them earlier for a pinch hitter.
Hell, I'd even take Wells/Silva at this point.
Jim Hendry is a raging buffoon.
Seattle threw in money to get Bradley. The Jays would have had to throw in something like $75M to get the deal to work.
What's the fireable offense? Signing Bradley in the first place, letting the situation get to the point where they had to dump him, or not being able to get more in trade?
I guess that's one way of putting it...
This, I think, was Hendry's biggest mistake in the whole thing - he jumped out and made a bunch of transactions after the 2008 season without waiting to see what the market would bear. He overpaid not only for Bradley, but for Dempster and Miles as well.
No, his biggest mistake was trading for the worst ####### player in baseball because Milton Bradley hurt Paul Sullivan's feelings.
Was Bradley on the DL at the end of 2009?
Safer than betting that the Royals and Blue Jays will not be making the playoffs? I highly doubt that.
In my opinion, the Soriano contract is even worse than any of the Bradley dealings. Good luck getting rid of that one...
He was not. He was under team suspension.
The DL clause was for the specific knee injury that he struggled with before he got to the Cubs, and didn't cover other injuries.
It goes way beyond Paul Sullivan. Bradley had to go.
Vernon Wells is available....
With Texas and Oakland treading water, and the Angels slowly sinking, I'm inclined to disagree.
Well yeah, it's worse, but at least there was logic and reasoning behind it (The Cubs were a terrible team in '06 and he felt the need to overpay to get a "star")
There was no vesting; it was a guaranteed contract. There were some provisions where 2011 would be converted to a club option rather than being guaranteed.
No, he was on the restricted list (suspended), if I recall correctly, although I'm not certain that he was "formally" placed there.
WHY? Everyone keeps saying this (especially the braindead morons on sports radio, but why did he have to go? Because the buffoon in charge said so? Because the buffoons in the stands said so? Because the buffoons in the media said so?
Milton Bradley was not going to lose the Cubs money, losing baseball because you actively made your team worse all offseason certainly were.
Oh good lord, Zduirencik is really Randall Flagg.
Mainly because he had no place on the team any more. It's no secret that he had no friends in that clubhouse. I'm one that believes that "chemistry" issues are overblown, but the Bradley situation is different. You don't put someone on team suspension at the end of the season if there aren't major, major problems.
Blame whoever you want (Bradley, Hendry, Piniella, the media, the bleacher bums) for the situation, that doesn't change the fact that Bradley had to go. There were no other options.
If they re-sign Felix before spring training I think my heart will probably give out.
I wonder; Junior of course was not much of a mentor early in his career, but now he seems to be grateful for a chance to hang around the game and still be a kid. I doubt Bradley will change dramatically at this stage of his life, but it's entertaining to imagine how his career might have gone if he had Junior's personality.
At the very least, with Ichiro being chased by a tour bus full of Japanese reporters, Griffey telling stories for his old pals, and Lee and Hernandez campaigning for Cy Young votes, there will be some opportunity to fade into the background occasionally.
So that's something.
Jake Fox said he got along great with Bradley, and that Bradley was a big help to him. Ryan Dempster said he'd welcome Bradley back to the team next year. There was no uptick in play once Bradley was suspended. There was no big celebration. There were comments you'd expect a player still employed by the guy who suspended Bradley to make. Nobody was out there saying good riddance. I'd bet most of the players would prefer having Bradley back to the fat piece of #### they just picked up.
When's the last time you saw the Cubs cut bait and eat a $21MM obligation? You really think that a new owner paying a crapload to buy the team would do this?
What is the "record" for the most money a team has eaten by cutting a player? I cant think there are too many $20MM+ obligations that teams have eaten.
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