Bradley Signs with Cubs 3/$30 million (p. 33)

[UMFan83]

Agreed, except that Bradley + Peavy while keeping DeRosa would be mine. Or if we gave up DeRosa, anyone but stupid Rich Aurilla would be to replace him. I can handle selling high on DeRosa, but boy thats a big loss in the order.

[UMFan83]

"Bradley is Option A for the Cubs"

"Cubs/Mets frontrunners for Ibanez"

 

Damn you offseason.

 

Meh, the Cubs can't throw all their eggs in one basket. They can be frontrunners for Ibanez but still have Bradley as their number 1 option.

[RammyFanny]

Agreed, except that Bradley + Peavy while keeping DeRosa would be mine. Or if we gave up DeRosa, anyone but stupid Rich Aurilla would be to replace him. I can handle selling high on DeRosa, but boy thats a big loss in the order.

Fontenot hammers righties and Aurelia hammers lefties...makes sense to me.

[Butterscup1679666578]

Agreed, except that Bradley + Peavy while keeping DeRosa would be mine. Or if we gave up DeRosa, anyone but stupid Rich Aurilla would be to replace him. I can handle selling high on DeRosa, but boy thats a big loss in the order.

 

Rich Aurilia+Mike Fontenot in a strict platoon wouldn't be bad though. Aurilia has an .836 career OPS vs. lefties.

[RammyFanny]

Agreed, except that Bradley + Peavy while keeping DeRosa would be mine. Or if we gave up DeRosa, anyone but stupid Rich Aurilla would be to replace him. I can handle selling high on DeRosa, but boy thats a big loss in the order.

 

Rich Aurilia+Mike Fontenot in a strict platoon wouldn't be bad though. Aurilia has an .836 career OPS vs. lefties.

And even better than .836 over the last 3 years.

[Butterscup1679666578]

Agreed, except that Bradley + Peavy while keeping DeRosa would be mine. Or if we gave up DeRosa, anyone but stupid Rich Aurilla would be to replace him. I can handle selling high on DeRosa, but boy thats a big loss in the order.

 

Rich Aurilia+Mike Fontenot in a strict platoon wouldn't be bad though. Aurilia has an .836 career OPS vs. lefties.

And even better than .836 over the last 3 years.

 

True. I was against it at first, but as long as Lou made it a strict platoon, I would have absolutely zero qualms with it.

[UMFan83]

Weird things about Milton Bradley

 

-Bradley is named after his father, Milton Bradley, Sr., who filled out the birth certificate form without his wife's permission. As Milton's mother says of his father, "He wanted a Junior, and made damn sure he got one.

 

-In 2003 a series against Kansas City typified the ill-feeling Bradley tends to breed wherever he goes. He incited the resurgent Royals by saying, "I know we're better than them," then called them "gutless" for throwing at rookie Brandon Phillips instead of him. (A teammate posted a sign in the clubhouse that read, "Shut up and play.") He jawed with Royals catcher Mike DeFelice, pointed his bat at center field to show where the next ball was headed, promptly roped one exactly there -- and stood and admired it, just to rub it in further. He later had another run-in with the Dodgers' Paul LoDuca, after which he issued this league-wide warning: "If you don't know me and I don't know you, don't approach me, and I won't approach you. Don't insult me, and I won't insult you, because you don't know what I will or won't do."

 

-In 2005, Bradley accused teammate Jeff Kent of being racist.

 

-On September 23, 2007, Bradley tore his right ACL while being restrained by Padres manager Bud Black during an altercation with first base umpire Mike Winters. Home plate umpire Brian Runge reportedly told Bradley that Winters said that Bradley had tossed his bat in Runge's direction in a previous at-bat. After Bradley reached first base, he questioned Winters about the alleged bat throwing and subsequent communication with Runge. According to Bradley and Padres first base coach Bobby Meacham, Winters used a profanity towards Bradley. Bradley then moved towards Winters. While restrained by Black, Bradley fell to the ground resulting in the injury. He missed the last week of the regular season in 2007.

 

-According to the Dallas Morning News Bradley attempted to confront Kansas City Royals television announcer Ryan Lefebvre in the press box following a game due to what he believed were unfair comments made on the air. As the Rangers' designated hitter, Bradley was able to watch the broadcast when he wasn't on the field and took offense to a comparison Lefebrve made between him and Josh Hamilton. Manager Ron Washington and general manager Jon Daniels chased after him and stopped Bradley before he got to Lefebvre, at which point Bradley returned to the clubhouse in tears and said "All I want to do is play baseball and make a better life for my kid than I had, that's it," Bradley said to a quiet clubhouse. "I love all you guys. ... I'm strong, but I'm not that strong."

[UMFan83]

Agreed, except that Bradley + Peavy while keeping DeRosa would be mine. Or if we gave up DeRosa, anyone but stupid Rich Aurilla would be to replace him. I can handle selling high on DeRosa, but boy thats a big loss in the order.

Fontenot hammers righties and Aurelia hammers lefties...makes sense to me.

 

How's his glove?

[inari]

Agreed, except that Bradley + Peavy while keeping DeRosa would be mine. Or if we gave up DeRosa, anyone but stupid Rich Aurilla would be to replace him. I can handle selling high on DeRosa, but boy thats a big loss in the order.

Fontenot hammers righties and Aurelia hammers lefties...makes sense to me.

 

How's his glove?

 

Considering he's been mostly at first and third lately, I'm guessing it's not very good.

[RammyFanny]

Agreed, except that Bradley + Peavy while keeping DeRosa would be mine. Or if we gave up DeRosa, anyone but stupid Rich Aurilla would be to replace him. I can handle selling high on DeRosa, but boy thats a big loss in the order.

Fontenot hammers righties and Aurelia hammers lefties...makes sense to me.

 

How's his glove?

No clue, but it's not like DeRo and Fontenot are gold glovers or anything either, so I wouldn't be worried about a huge drop off.

[Butterscup1679666578]

Weird things about Milton Bradley

 

He jawed with Royals catcher Mike DeFelice, pointed his bat at center field to show where the next ball was headed, promptly roped one exactly there -- and stood and admired it, just to rub it in further.

 

This is all kinds of awesome. I want him even more now.

[Guest]

Finding right handed hitters that can hit lefties shouldn't be all that hard. I'd bet we could get one cheap through rule 5 given all the theoretical spaces we'll have on both the 40 man and the 25 man.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Aurilia was a couple runs below average at 3rd, so he'd probably be something similar at 2nd. Not a positive, but not too much to be worried about in the v. LHP side of a platoon, especially with Fontenot able to be a defensive replacement.

[Post Count Padder]

I don't expect the numbers Bradley put up last year, but I'd think he could easily post an .850 OPS. I'm down for that.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Finding right handed hitters that can hit lefties shouldn't be all that hard. I'd bet we could get one cheap through rule 5 given all the theoretical spaces we'll have on both the 40 man and the 25 man.

 

Will Rhymes could fit that bill. This year was the only year he's had a platoon split instead of a reverse platoon split though, and he's only average defensively and only at 2B.

 

Daniel Mayora is an even better fit, but he's never played an inning above High A.

[Old Style]

Not anything major, but Milton Bradley is nowhere to be found on ESPN.com's list of major league players. I went to check out his stats vs those of Ibanez and was not able to locate MB.

[Guest]

Finding right handed hitters that can hit lefties shouldn't be all that hard. I'd bet we could get one cheap through rule 5 given all the theoretical spaces we'll have on both the 40 man and the 25 man.

 

Will Rhymes could fit that bill. This year was the only year he's had a platoon split instead of a reverse platoon split though, and he's only average defensively and only at 2B.

 

Daniel Mayora is an even better fit, but he's never played an inning above High A.

Anyone that posts a .780 ops at Modesto is not ready for the bigs!

[Butterscup1679666578]

Not anything major, but Milton Bradley is nowhere to be found on ESPN.com's list of major league players. I went to check out his stats vs those of Ibanez and was not able to locate MB.

 

Well the answer is obvious, use baseball-reference ;)

[Guest]

This guy might be nice in the rule 5:

The hottest hitter available for the Rule 5 already has changed organizations this offseason. Third baseman Jesus Guzman, 24, bounced around the Texas League the last three seasons with the Mariners and then A's organizations, and has blossomed in 2008. He led the TL in batting at .364/.419/.500, and the Giants signed him after the season as a six-year free agent. He's just a fair defender at third and can play some second, but his value lies with his bat, and he had maintained his hot streak in winter ball in his native Venezuela. He was hitting .400/.500/.696 for Caracas with a league-best 42 RBIs in 32 games.

[nilodnayr]

This guy might be nice in the rule 5:

The hottest hitter available for the Rule 5 already has changed organizations this offseason. Third baseman Jesus Guzman, 24, bounced around the Texas League the last three seasons with the Mariners and then A's organizations, and has blossomed in 2008. He led the TL in batting at .364/.419/.500, and the Giants signed him after the season as a six-year free agent. He's just a fair defender at third and can play some second, but his value lies with his bat, and he had maintained his hot streak in winter ball in his native Venezuela. He was hitting .400/.500/.696 for Caracas with a league-best 42 RBIs in 32 games.

 

Actually, he slugged 560 in the TL, not 500. A 136 IsoP, nothing to write home about, a 199 from a guy who could play second...well thats DeRosa-esque. Of course the TL is not the MLB.

[Post Count Padder]

Levine said on ESPN2 that he wouldn't be surprised to see Bradley sign a 2-3 year deal worth $7-10 million per year with the Cubs. They have asked him about his health, he added.

[TruffleShuffle]

they ain't getting him for $7M per year, no chance.

[KingCubsFan]

they ain't getting him for $7M per year, no chance.

I don't think it's that far-fetched. The free agent market is pretty tight this year, and he's almost a part-time player.

[TruffleShuffle]

they ain't getting him for $7M per year, no chance.

I don't think it's that far-fetched. The free agent market is pretty tight this year, and he's almost a part-time player.

 

jose guillen got 3 years, 36 million coming off a worse season, and he had character issues and performance-enhancing drug rumors swirling around him.

[Tryptamine]

they ain't getting him for $7M per year, no chance.

I don't think it's that far-fetched. The free agent market is pretty tight this year, and he's almost a part-time player.

 

jose guillen got 3 years, 36 million coming off a worse season, and he had character issues and performance-enhancing drug rumors swirling around him.

 

The economy was also different last year.