Re: Rosenthal: Multiple teams after Bradley

[Guest]

Sosa was 36, had declined significantly for 3 consecutive seasons, and was awful after getting hit in the helmet in 2004. He was also due 17.5 million the next year. Bradley is 32 in 2010, improved as this year went along, and owed 2/21 on his contract. Most importantly, people knew he was crazy last offseason and there were still teams lining up to offer him a contract. This isn't to suggest that Bradley will get traded for value without having to eat any of his contract(even without his baggage he isn't a guarantee to be worth it), but that the Sosa comparisons aren't very good.

 

Again, the comparison isn't really about the production as much as Hendry doing what he feels he needs to do to make his problem child go away. He wanted Sosa gone, so he made him go away regardless of the cost.

 

After doing some digging, I found that the Cubs paid 10m of the 17m that was owed to Sammy. However, they also paid Hairston Jr. 1.8m, so basically it cost the Cubs almost 12m for Sosa to play for the Orioles. Here is what I found on ESPN regarding 2006 and 2007:

 

Sosa's contract gives the Cubs an $18 million option in 2006 with a $4.5 million buyout. But the contract says that if he is traded, his 2006 salary would become guaranteed and a 2007 club option would be added at $19 million with a $4.5 million buyout.

 

The players' association had told Sosa's agent, Adam Katz, several weeks ago that voiding the option would not be a problem.

 

So, Hendry did get out of the 2006 deal and he wasn't responsible for as much as I originally thought.

[CUBZ99]

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/29127/terms.html

 

Interesting tidbits from Levine in his chat today.

 

States that the Cubs and Jays have had discussions regarding a Bradley for Wells swap. The Jays would have to eat a lot of Wells contract for that to work.

 

Also, it sounds like Hendry is trying to find a taker for Soriano and Zambrano. :scratch:

[17 Seconds]

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/29127/terms.html

 

Interesting tidbits from Levine in his chat today.

 

States that the Cubs and Jays have had discussions regarding a Bradley for Wells swap. The Jays would have to eat a lot of Wells contract for that to work.

 

Also, it sounds like Hendry is trying to find a taker for Soriano and Zambrano. :scratch:

Vernon Wells? [expletive] [expletive]

 

Milton Bradley's isn't the only one, and Jim Hendry is counting on being able to move his contract for another bad contract, NBA style - lateral move.

Sigh

 

Believe it or not, Roy Halladay's name continues to be put out there by the Jays due to his huge contract and the fact he'll be a free agent after the 2010 season.

 

wat

Edited October 28, 2009 by 17 Seconds

[17 Seconds]

I did like this though

According to the people I talk to, Ricketts will tell his baseball people at the Cubs organization meetings next Wednesday that the minor-league system is his No. 1 priority.

[Guest]

States that the Cubs and Jays have had discussions regarding a Bradley for Wells swap.

 

Haha. That and the Barry Zito contract might be one of the two deals where the other team can make the deal and just kick Bradley to the curb and they still end up winning the deal.

[Guest]

I did like this though

According to the people I talk to, Ricketts will tell his baseball people at the Cubs organization meetings next Wednesday that the minor-league system is his No. 1 priority.

 

That's also what you might expect to hear from an owner who is about to cut the payroll by significant margins over the next several years.

 

Spending 120m hasn't won them anymore World Series rings than the 60m team from about 8 years ago.

[CUBZ99]

I did like this though

According to the people I talk to, Ricketts will tell his baseball people at the Cubs organization meetings next Wednesday that the minor-league system is his No. 1 priority.

 

That's also what you might expect to hear from an owner who is about to cut the payroll by significant margins over the next several years.

 

Spending 120m hasn't won them anymore World Series rings than the 60m team from about 8 years ago.

 

Except, Levine says that Ricketts will continue to make the Cubs a top 5 payroll team.

[dew1679666265]

Again, the comparison isn't really about the production as much as Hendry doing what he feels he needs to do to make his problem child go away. He wanted Sosa gone, so he made him go away regardless of the cost.

 

Why is the Sosa situation the only one you're citing here? Why not bring up the Hundley situation - where Hendry waited a bit and made a good deal for Karros and Grudz (even if it might have been a bit lucky that they rebounded so well). Or the Jacque Jones deal that eventually netted us Jose Ascanio - and then Gorz and Grabow? Just because Hendry decides a player needs to be traded doesn't mean he's going to make a bad trade. In fact, generally he makes good to very good trades.

[seanhopper]

Not that I would be advocating this deal --but what about Gary Matthews and his 2yr. $23m remaining contract for Bradley? Hendry should --if he's smart--pull out a decent prospect in the deal as well. Bradley is a far better hitter and a few years younger than Matthews -- but defense is important and Matthews' best season was under Jaramillo. Of course, there's the clubhouse issue as well, Matthews is known as a good guy in the game vs. the club house cancer (I personally believe this is overrated --just win and you'll see great chemistry). According to an LA Times article, Matthews believes he's gone from LAA. A deal may make sense --especially compared to some of the other deals I'm hearing, i.e. Wells and his crazy contract.

[17 Seconds]

Not that I would be advocating this deal --but what about Gary Matthews and his 2yr. $23m remaining contract for Bradley? Hendry should --if he's smart--pull out a decent prospect in the deal as well. Bradley is a far better hitter and a few years younger than Matthews -- but defense is important and Matthews' best season was under Jaramillo. Of course, there's the clubhouse issue as well, Matthews is known as a good guy in the game vs. the club house cancer (I personally believe this is overrated --just win and you'll see great chemistry). According to an LA Times article, Matthews believes he's gone from LAA. A deal may make sense --especially compared to some of the other deals I'm hearing, i.e. Wells and his crazy contract.

 

Matthews has actually been pretty crappy defensively over the last couple seasons.

 

He is terrible.

[Rob]

He's also had a repuation as a malcontent the last two years. I wouldn't even consider dealing for him unless the Angels assumed all of Bradley's contract, plus enough of Matthews that we could cut him when he does terrible and starts bitching about his new bench role.

[JoseHernandez18]

I would do that deal

 

he has 2 years $23 million left and could play a legit center field.

 

I would do it if getting rid of Bradley absolutely has to be done.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/the-most-delusional-man-on-the-planet

[17 Seconds]

I would do that deal

 

he has 2 years $23 million left and could play a legit center field.

 

I would do it if getting rid of Bradley absolutely has to be done.

 

Matthews Jr does not play a good center field, at all.

[17 Seconds]

I still don't trust UZR, but I just checked it out for Matthews and holy crap does it not like him.

 

It had him as consistently well above average from 02-05, mediocre in 06, and atrocious from 07-09, which would make sense considering his age.

 

Do not want

[SouthSideRyan]

I did like this though

According to the people I talk to, Ricketts will tell his baseball people at the Cubs organization meetings next Wednesday that the minor-league system is his No. 1 priority.

 

That's also what you might expect to hear from an owner who is about to cut the payroll by significant margins over the next several years.

 

Spending 120m hasn't won them anymore World Series rings than the 60m team from about 8 years ago.

 

Except, Levine says that Ricketts will continue to make the Cubs a top 5 payroll team.

 

And a 60M payroll 8 years ago isn't that far off from a 120M payroll today.

[Backtobanks]

States that the Cubs and Jays have had discussions regarding a Bradley for Wells swap.

 

Haha. That and the Barry Zito contract might be one of the two deals where the other team can make the deal and just kick Bradley to the curb and they still end up winning the deal.

 

Assuming Bradley will be traded for a bad contract, would you make this deal:

 

Bradley for Wells with the Cubs receiving $40 million (app. half the difference in contracts) spread over 5 years. ($2 million in 2010, $5 million in 2011, $11 for 2012-2014)

[jersey cubs fan]

States that the Cubs and Jays have had discussions regarding a Bradley for Wells swap.

 

Haha. That and the Barry Zito contract might be one of the two deals where the other team can make the deal and just kick Bradley to the curb and they still end up winning the deal.

 

Assuming Bradley will be traded for a bad contract, would you make this deal:

 

Bradley for Wells with the Cubs receiving $40 million (app. half the difference in contracts) spread over 5 years. ($2 million in 2010, $5 million in 2011, $11 for 2012-2014)

 

No interest in Vernon Wells at all. He blows. He's Jacque Jones 2.0 from the right side and he's already 31.

[CUBZ99]

States that the Cubs and Jays have had discussions regarding a Bradley for Wells swap.

 

Haha. That and the Barry Zito contract might be one of the two deals where the other team can make the deal and just kick Bradley to the curb and they still end up winning the deal.

 

Assuming Bradley will be traded for a bad contract, would you make this deal:

 

Bradley for Wells with the Cubs receiving $40 million (app. half the difference in contracts) spread over 5 years. ($2 million in 2010, $5 million in 2011, $11 for 2012-2014)

 

No interest in Vernon Wells at all. He blows. He's Jacque Jones 2.0 from the right side and he's already 31.

 

I thought you were exaggerating until I looked at his stats. Wow, he has been bad over the last two years. .700ish OPS for a guy scheduled to make that much money? Has he been battling injuries or is there something to explain his dramatic decline in production over the last few years?

[Guest]

I seem to recall some wrist issues from diving for fly balls. We saw firsthand what a wrist issue can do to someone like Derrek Lee.

[Guest]

If the price of Wells includes Halladay, I'll take Wells. It probably doesn't though, so in that case I hope Hendry doesn't make this trade.

[NCCubFan]

Matthews Jr does not play good baseball, at all.

Fixed.

[jersey cubs fan]

I thought you were exaggerating until I looked at his stats. Wow, he has been bad over the last two years. .700ish OPS for a guy scheduled to make that much money? Has he been battling injuries or is there something to explain his dramatic decline in production over the last few years?

 

I don't know a lot about him. But I do know he really only had a couple good years. My impression of him is that he's an impatient aggressive swinger, and my opinion is those guys are prone to early and steep declines. That type of swing early swing often player relies on his physical abilities only, and when those decline in the late 20's/early 30's, the game falls off. Jones was like that, Garret Anderson was like that, and I feel like Ryan Theriot is on the verge of being like that (even though he was never that good in his prime anyway). There are very few physical specimens, like Vladdy, who carry that sort of reckless approach into their 30's, and even he declined in his early 30's. And Vernon has never been anything like one of those elite guys. He had the physical talent to impress the heck out of people when he was in his 20's, but he had only 2 full seasons with an OPS+ over 105, and his career line .280/.329/.470 is fairly mediocre. Plus, his whole game is based around AVG and some power. The Cubs don't need more of those guys. They aleady struggled with patience and OBP in 2009, replacing Bradley with Wells will just make that worse.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Bad Contract Swap Meet

By Tim Dierkes [October 28 at 11:54am CST]

Got a bad contract on your hands? Maybe you can swap it for another team's problem. I'll list the bad contracts, you connect the dots.

 

Vernon Wells, Blue Jays - five years, $98.5MM

Alfonso Soriano, Cubs - five years, $90MM

Barry Zito, Giants - four years, $83MM

Alex Rios, White Sox - five years, $59.7MM

Travis Hafner, Indians - three years, $40.25MM

Aaron Rowand, Giants - three years, $36MM

Carlos Guillen, Tigers - two years, $26MM

Carlos Silva, Mariners - two years, $25MM

Francisco Cordero, Reds - two years, $25MM

Oliver Perez, Mets - two years, $24MM

Gary Matthews Jr., Angels - two years, $23MM

Milton Bradley, Cubs - two years, $21MM

Juan Pierre, Dodgers - two years, $18.5MM

Jeff Suppan, Brewers - one year, $14.5MM

David Ortiz, Red Sox - one year, $12.5MM

Jeremy Bonderman, Tigers - one year, $12.5MM

Jose Guillen, Royals - one year, $12MM

Eric Chavez, Athletics - one year, $12MM

Dontrelle Willis, Tigers - one year, $12MM

Eric Byrnes, Diamondbacks - one year, $11MM

Fausto Carmona, Indians - two years, $11MM

Scott Linebrink, White Sox - two years, $10.5MM

Nate Robertson, Tigers - one year, $10MM

Edgar Renteria, Giants - one year, $9.5MM

Pat Burrell, Rays - one year, $9MM

Kei Igawa, Yankees - two years $8MM

Jeff Francis, Rockies - one year, $5.75MM

Kyle Farnsworth, Royals - one year, $5MM

Willy Taveras, Reds - one year, $4MM

Honorable mentions: Michael Young (4/64, some deferred), Carlos Lee (3/55.5), Derek Lowe (3/45), Todd Helton (2/40.3), Magglio Ordonez (1/18, possible vesting option), Mike Lowell (1/12), Chris Snyder (2/11.25), Cristian Guzman (1/8), Jamie Moyer (1/6.5), Kaz Matsui (1/5)

 

MLBTR has compiled a list of bad contracts whose teams would like to move them. Problem is, theres not a player on the list that would make us a better team with the possible exception of Carlos Lee, who wouldnt be traded to us anyway.

[Outshined_One]

MLBTR has compiled a list of bad contracts whose teams would like to move them. Problem is, theres not a player on the list that would make us a better team with the possible exception of Carlos Lee, who wouldnt be traded to us anyway.

 

I'd be willing to roll the dice with Francis, Cordero, or Bonderman. The Rockies might end up trading Hawpe or Spilborghs and apparently they're blaming their problems from this past season on being too left handed (heh), so Bradley could pique their interest. The Tigers would probably be more willing to trade Bonderman, but I think they already have enough corner OF/DH types. The same holds true with the Reds, Cordero, and corner OFs, unless they decide to jettison Nix and/or Gomes.