Cubs send Milton Bradley to Mariners in trade

Posted on December 18, 2009

Milton Bradley of the Chicago Cubs waits for his next at bat as manager Lou Piniella (right) looks at him in the dugout during their spring training game against the Milwaukee Brewers at HoHoKam Park in Mesa, Arizona on February 26, 2009. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

 

On the same day that John and Kate officially split, the Chicago Cubs parted ways with troubled outfielder Milton Bradley. The Cubs shipped Bradley off to the Seattle Mariners today in exchange for pitcher Carlos Silva and $6 million. The Mariners have been busy this off season trying to put together a club that can battle the Angels for the AL West crown in 2010. I wonder if adding Bradley to the mix will help or hurt their efforts.

Over his career Bradley has been one of the most controversial and misunderstood players in baseball. He was a 2nd round pick by the Montreal Expos out of Long Beach Poly High School in 1996 and started seeing regular playing time with the Indians in 2002. It was when he was in Cleveland that I first remember hearing about Bradley being on a goofy side. I can still see him unstrapping the velcro on his batting gloves while still in the batter’s box after hitting a home run in Cleveland. Not a good move.

I spent several games photographing Bradley last spring in Arizona as Sports Illustrated needed new pictures of him playing with his new team for 2009- the Chicago Cubs (see above). Besides all the weird emotional baggage that you get with Bradley, you also get all of his injury problems, and spring training last year was no exception as he was always hurt, which made it difficult to track him down during Cactus league action to find a game he was actually playing in.

Over the years I have had many chances to photograph Bradley as he has spent so much time playing for west coast teams. After Cleveland he ended up with the Dodgers (see below) where he showed off all of his traits as a ballplayer- both good and bad. When he was healthy and not throwing water bottles at fans in the stands at Dodger Stadium he was a potent switch hitter in the line up and a fine right fielder. Unfortunately for the Dodgers after two years they had to unload him. Lucky for the Dodgers they found a club (Oakland) willing to take him off their hands in exchange for a tremendous young left-handed hitting outfielder named Andre Ethier. How great did that deal turn out for the Dodgers?

Bradley came to Oakland for the 2006 season and everyone figured that if there was one place in baseball that the prickly Bradley could fit in well with it was the young, swashbuckling A’s and their loose frat house-style clubhouse. Bradley instantly became good friends with young A’s outfielder Nick Swisher and seemed to really enjoy playing for the green and gold.

Bradley put up some nice numbers for the A’s in 2006- while he was in the lineup. Once again injuries cut his playing time short as he batted .276 with 14 homers and 52 runs batted in while playing in only 96 games. Bradley was healthy when it counted though, playing well in the post-season as the A’s made it to the ALCS where their season was ended by the Tigers in a four game sweep. No one could blame Bradley on the defeat. As the rest of the A’s bats went cold against Tiger pitching Bradley had a monster series batting .500 (9 for 18) to go along with 2 homers and 5 runs batted in.

Things went down hill for Bradley after the 2006 season as the A’s shipped him to the Padres in 2007, where is awful season ended in the way a season can end for no one else but Bradley. 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. You really had to see the video to believe it.

The Texas Rangers could not pass up Bradley’s talent and signed him as a free agent for the 2008 season, where he put up some nice numbers and seemed to like playing for manger Ron Washington. Bradley’s career season in Texas (.321, 22 homers and 77 runs batted in) seemed to signify a rebirth in his career and the end of his many problems. Wrong. His 2009 season in Chicago was tumultuous. Who had the bright idea that he could get along with manager Lou Piniella? Bradley put up some terrible numbers for the Cubs, when he wasn’t hurt or benched by Sweet Lou. What a mess it was at Wrigley in 2009. There is no way he would be back in 2010. The Cubs have been looking to unload him all winter and today they found someone to take him off their hands.

I like the club the Mariners have put together as they make a run at the Angels and I think it is great they got rid of the truly awful Carlos Silva (Silva was 1-3 with an 8.60 ERA with the Mariners in 2009 after going 4-15 with a 6.46 ERA his first year there. He signed a four-year, $48-million contract with Seattle following four seasons with the Twins.) I guess it all depends on which Milton Bradley shows up for spring training in Peoria, Arizona in two months. All I know is I will be shooting him again this coming March, only this time it will be in a Mariners uniform. Hopefully he won’t be hurt.