This is one of the cases where looking at past numbers may be deceiving. Looking at his career numbers and asssuming he’ll live up to them may not be the case. Maybe it’s the pressure of playing in a big market with a fanbase desperate to win, or maybe it’s a case of someone getting their money and not living up to the contract. Hell, maybe he’s got a few nagging injuries and is pushing through them to get the third year of his contract to kick in. Either way, a .355 OBP with a sub-.400 slugging percentage isn’t going to get it done—especially not for a middle of the order hitter. When you combine that with pretty bad defense in RF and the apparent clubhouse issues that exist between him and a few members of the team, it makes me think that this situation isn’t going to work out.

I really didn’t want them to sign him, and while I hope he can turn it around starting today, I’ll settle for the Cubs eating most of his contract and trading him to a small market team for a mid-level prospect or two.

Al’s right; he probably needs to go.

my main objection in signing him was knowing that 120-130 games would be his ceiling for games played. Just couldn’t see getting a player, especially for 30 million, that you knew wouldn’t be a 145 or so game player potentially.

Then you throw in his history of being a distraction and there’s just no way I would want any player (not just Bradley) on my team if I am a GM. Again especially if I see my team as a contender for a division title let alone a World Series.

I really don’t want to see/hear Hendry or Pinella trying to justify/rationalize/defend Bradley’s signing or behavior. EVERYONE who hasn’t been living under a rock for Bradley’s career knew what they were getting when Bradley signed. The only thing that Hendry can say is simply “Bradley is on the team for the next 2-3 years no way around it. He will be in RF providing he is healthy enough to play and not suspended. Live with it, deal with.”

Pinella has no defense as about whether he wanted Bradley when Hendry signed Bradley. He either agreed with Hendry or if he didn’t want Bradley then it was as simple as call a press conference after telling Hendry he was quitting to announce his resignation/retirement from managing the Cubs. If Pinella has any principles and felt Bradley was not a good signing, then he lives up to those principles by walking away.

As Cubs fans we need to be realistic and stop pining for DeRosa (I don’t see him coming back), wishing for Miles to be DFAed (no way the Cubs are eating his contract until after next year’s All Star break at the earliest IMO), certain players won’t be or consent to a trade ans Bradley is a Cub for the next 2 years. This is just another chapter in the life of being a Cub fan.

because he’s black.

Milton has been shuffled from team to team for obvious anger issues. This is a fact. Public knowledge. If over and over he has not been retained despite his good bat it seems pretty clear that he has been a problem. I don’t think anyone needs a “source” to tell them that and I don’t understand the outrage regarding the “source” about something most of us have already figured out anyway. The Milton issue is well beyond gossip at this late stage in his career.

There’s no way to know if Milton will ever hit his norm this year.. For one thing, he’s trying to hit while playing the field and he’s also trying to reach the number of games for his contract to kick in so it’s possible that he is playing far less than 100%. Add to that his mental issues and the pressure of playing in a fish bowl and you have a set of unique circumstances which may continue to suppress his numbers.

Comparing Milton to Z or anyone else on this team is pointless because we really don’t know the full extent that Milton has created turmoil. These outbursts may have been a daily occurance for all we know. It seems to me that when his teammates have had enough of his behavior ( implied from some of their comments) then there is probably a lot we aren’t even aware of.

The signing was an unfortunate mistake. It was a risk that could have paid off big and I could understand the signing. Never, never, however, should he have been given a multi year contract. That was really foolish.

One more comment. A blog is not professional journalism nor should it be thought of as such. A blog is whatever the owner wants it to be. It can be full of opinion, gossip, inuendos or hearsay. If anyone wants to criticize the content, fine, but don’t attempt to hold blogs to a professional journalism standard. That’s just foolish.

the folks down on Milton always want to point out that he has been on 7 teams in 9 years.

The fact is he has been traded twice for the proverbial “change of scenery” after having some issues. Traded from Indians to Dodgers and Dodgers to A’s. That’s it. And after being traded to the A’s, he was re-signed by Oakland for the following season.

His trade to from Montreal to Cleveland was as a replacement for Lofton for the ’02 season. His trade from Oakland to San Diego was for the Division push the Padres were making. He signed as a free agent to Texas. And then as a free agent to Chicago (btw Texas wanted him back).

This is hardly the path of someone not wanted and a vagabond player. He is no choir boy, for sure. And yes, he did have problems with Eric Wedge for lack of hustle and then struggled playing in front of his hometown fans and team, the Dodgers.