By Dave van Dyck and Paul SullivanThe Cubs have finally found a taker for Milton Bradley in the Seattle Mariners. Bradley was dealt Friday for pitcher Carlos Silva.
Seattle has agreed to pay the Cubs $9 million. The Mariners pay $6 million of the remaining $25 million on Silva's contract. Bradley is owed $22 million, including incentives, or $3 million less than Seattle owed Silva, so the Cubs get $6 million of salary relief.
Silva has been a disappointment after signing with the Mariners after the 2007 season. He was 4-15 in 28 starts in 2008 and 1-3 in only eight games last year while spending most of the season on the disabled list with a shoulder impingement.
With Bradley out of the picture, the new Cub priorities will be to decide what to do with Silva, sign a center fielder (possibly free agent Marlon Byrd) and shore up the bullpen.
Photo: Milton Bradley is off the Pacific Northwest. (Scott Strazzante/Tribune)
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Well, here's how it is broken down for those who struggle with basic addition and subtraction:
$22 million overall to bradley
$25 million overall to silva
TOTAL: the cubs are on the hook for $3 million more but when the $9 million seattle gave the cubs is subtracted, it comes out to $6 million more for the cubs...
kudos to hendry for actually MAKING money on this deal. bradley's sour attitude and work ethic is gone. this is as much addition by subtraction as any deal in cubs history. they traded away a name and become the favorite to win the central division in the process...maybe silva will pan out, or maybe he won't, but what he won't do is become a clubhouse cancer and a distraction. he'll simply sit in the bullpen and mop up...OR, he'll use this change of scenery and maybe succeed. frankly, i don't care because he's the most popular guy in chicago now -- again, addition by subtraction.
The guy can flat out hit. The team and Bradley are equally at fault for not being professional and making nice, but the fact remains the Cubs are trading away a good hitter. No such thing as a "cancerous player", it's the team. Take Randy Moss in New England or A-Rod in New York, exploit the talent, not the attitude.
They got a pitcher out of it? Heck, I'd have taken a rosin bag and a 6 pack...
The Mariners just became the overwhelming favorite in the AL West. Silva was a trainwreck and the Cubs got played.
While im sure Cub fans are elated that Bradley is gone, the only standing ovation that Silva will get from Cub fans is when Lou comes to get him off the mound. Silva is AAAWWWFFFULLL!!!!! Hendry should be held accountable for this mess and be fired. Any man with any sort of integrity would resign!
What is the deal here people? Nice mouths.
It's by no means a strong move, Silva is awful. Still the Cubs managed to get rid of Bradley and not have to get a bad player in return while still having to pay part of Bradley's contract.
Too bad all the good outfielders are signed already. This puts the Cubs in a bad situation. They are going to have to overpay for mediocre and inconsistent outfielder Byrd.
If the object is to win now why not sign Johnny damon to a 2 year 15 million deal?? He can still play if you watched the World Series he had key at bats and baserunning that helped the yankees win game 4.By time his contract expires Colvin,castro and the other kid they overhype should be ready to come up to the big leagues.Its imperative that the cubs go get Johnny Damon
can someone report mwill from todays comments around 1:59pm and take them off please!
"...Especially when the person you're talking about is the more-expensive-than-Bradley, nonfunctional Carlos Silva."
What is it about the Cubs receiving $9 million don't you understand. Read the story - $6 million paid by Seattle and $3 million savings in salary difference.
This deal looks like "our skunk for their dog" plus cash.
Hope that Jim Hendry is sober when decides how to blow that cash.
Well. now we will still paying a total of about 24 million for Soriano, with whom we are stuck with for six more years, and slap hitting .249 lifetime BA Fukudome, who has at least 1 more year to go on his contract.
Niether of them are worth what they are being paid.
Whomever scouted them and agreed to their deals should be FIRED.
After the 2010 season ends, it will once again be "Wait until next year".
[[It's a fair deal considering everyone knew we HAD to dump Bradley.]]
Who "knew" that? I can point at countless people who DESIRED that, and many more who DEMANDED that, but not one of you KNEW that.
And why did you all desire and demand that? Because you selected out a few stats which paint Bradley in the light you wish to view him in, ignore those which show him otherwise, and say "TA DA!!"
In the meantime, you selected a few stats to bolster your fantasy that Silva has "potential", ignored everything that shows he's done nothing effective for two years, and once again you shout "TA DA!!"
It doesn't work that way. You are rationalizing.
"the new Cub priorities will be to decide what to do with Silva"
I'd invest in a bottomless bag of doritos to keep him busy until that horrendous contract runs out, because he's not going to pitch much.
I'm an M's fan and I'll gladly take your psychotic sociopath in exchange for our obese gopher-baller. Hopefully both these guys can be productive in their new homes, but I wouldn't bet on it.
Strong move for the sCrUBS? Silva is TERRIBLE. Bradley at least may have bounced back, or at the very least, the CUBS could have ponied up some money and traded Bradley for something useful. Hendry makes another terrible deal.
Thank goodness, ANYONE would be better than Bradley, even a blind cripple!
Please dont sign scott podsednik or marlon byrd.Scotty pods sucks and byrd is the size of a freakin fullback.Is that a defensive upgrade signing a guy who's 6ft 250?? Go get Johnny Damon his only weakness is his arm he can hit,he can steal and he's a good guy he won in way bigger pressure cookers like NYC and boston he's your Left handed leadoff hitter and CF Wrapped in one.I agree with the guy who said It was Lou piniella who INSISTED the cubs needed left handed hitting.Lou suggested this mess and hendry listened piniella should be held accountable to.
Cubs have so many head cases on this team its not going to matter.
Zambrano
Soto
Ramirez
Soriano
etc..
Who the heck is Byrd? lol Just more bandaids for this team. Cubs playoffs day are behind them. Chalk up another season with Cardinals winning the division.
I take it that this trade means that Bradley will probably have the best year of his career in Seattle. We all know that this is what usually happens after someone leaves the Cubs..SMH....
Seattle probably got the better end of the deal this season, but bipolar Milton will show his head in 2011. The guy is up one year and down the next. If he cares about his career at all I imagine he keeps his mouth shout, and has a decent season. There are a bunch of players like Milton in the NFL and NBA, but Jim Hendry managed to find one of the few in Baseball. The Cubs had to move this guy!! Even if it was for a cup of coffee and a Ken Griffey Jr. autograph.
I agree they could have got Silva's granny and it would still be great just to be rid of that guy. Go Cubs!
Hey Lou --
I thought you needed that lefthanded bat in your line up to win?
Good call, bonehead.
Let's see, Cubs still have psycho Z, Fukodoomsday and now they've added None to Sudden Silva to their list of underperformers.
The Soap Opera on the North Side should continue.
The ignorant Cub fans brought about this stupid trade. Lets see how they treat the next outfielder. Go Cardinals!
LOL, Silva sucks.
Carlos Silva makes Carlos Zambrano look thin.
Weez gots rid of dat loozer, woo hoo! Know its time to gets uz a reel center feelder! Yess!
What you perputual whiners are failing to realize is the cubs were desperatly trying to get rid of bradley.Did you expect the mariners to trade felix hernandez and their top prospects? Regardless the cubs were gonna get another bad contract in return with whoever they traded now the cubs may trade him to new york for luis castillo with the money they saved they can give new york some cash because they need a starter bad.Like I said the cubs could of traded bradley for a bucket of clams and I would of been ecstatic.Just get rid of the guy he was disliked by teamates,management and fans NOBODY Wanted him around negative people like that will bring down anybody.
The naysayers who trashed Hendry for signing Ted Lily and Jason Marquis are back in full force. Look at Silva's numbers when he was healthy--he leads all active pitchers in lowest bb/9. A few years ago he led the AL in K/bb. His shoulder was messed up and required surgery last yeasr andf the M's gave us $6Mil plus Silva. It's a fair deal considering everyone knew we HAD to dump Bradley.
Please NO MARLON BYRD, THE CUBS WILL BE SORRY, I'M SURE
What about scotty pods? Hes a great leadoff hitter,mediocre defensive and he steals bases? And hes would come cheap, like 1-2 mil a year. Come on now!
I wish people would stop using "addition by subtraction". It's not very often what happened, it rarely works, and it usually completely ignores the fact that when you're talking about a TRADE, you're also [potentially] accomplishing the equal and opposite futility of "subtraction by addition". Especially when the person you're talking about is the more-expensive-than-Bradley, nonfunctional Carlos Silva.
For all the boo-hooing idiot Cubs fans did last year about how bad Bradley was and how much they idolized DeRosa, Bradley ended the year with a better BA than DeRosa, and more playing time and fewer injuries. Less drama ... but then that was expected.
I hate to say this, folks, but I have a feeling that the Cubs have been making significant player moves not based upon baseball rality, but upon the fickle -- and nonsensical -- whims of the demanding Cubs fans.
Time to sit down and shut up.
At first I was extremely pissed off, now not so much.The fact is that we wont have to deal with Silva everyday like we had to with Bradley. Now we'll only have problems every 5gamesish(if he starts). You know what, bring up the young kids, let them play. They have the the hitting coach Guru, positive people to be around and...honestly nothing to lose.
Great move. I'm so glad the Cubs got rid of the cancerous Bradley. I didn't care what we got in return and we found a sucker team to take him. So long Bradley you completely suck. Look at it this way since he's going to Seattle he can drink all that Starbucks coffee before games and really go after the fans.
What to do with Silva? They could trade him to Seattle for Milton Bradley.
Check out Seattle Times' message board. Those jokers think they got the better half of this deal. I almost feel sorry for them.
From Wikipedia:
"In 2006, he gave up a major-league-worst 1.90 home runs per 9 innings, giving up 38—more than any other major league pitcher, and had a major-league-worst batting average against of .326"
Sounds like a great fit for Wrigley Field, Jim!
I don't like it. Bradley underperformed, to be sure.
But he wasn't downright horrific like Silva has been. If Silva sees the light of day at Wrigley, the Cubs are in trouble.
Go Cards!
Bye, bye!
I seem to remember a cetain starting pitcher traded away last year who was viewed similarly to Silva. He went to a certain mile high park known for killing the stat line and was one hell of a pickup. I'm not saying Silva will fair as well as Marquis did last year. The fact is that we essentially paid $4m out of $30m on Milton's deal, he had questionable trade value, and we got a pitcher who can't get much worse. Seattle essentially traded low on the guy...how else do you explain them bailing Hendry out by sending $9m along with Silva?
Please don't sign Byrd...he's another Bradleyish stat line waiting to happen. If you sign Scotty Pods you at least piss off the Sox fans. Much like we did to Cardinals fans two years ago when Edmonds was brought on board.
We are automatically a better team without Bradley. Maybe Silva will be another Dempster, who knows? Other pitchers with bad wings have made their way back,
Some of the previous posters have problems staying on topic.
Good luck to the Cubs - Silva's nick in Seattle was El Buflalo - due to his weight. He had problems not just with his rotator cuff, but a labrum tear. Washed up with a huge contract is the word here. Relief pitcher? He was getting pulled in the first inning last year year for giving up carloads of runs (runs - not hits). Pinella hates pitchers who give up walks, Silva serves up walks, hits, runs, and homers generously to opposing pitchers. But he is a nice guy and not a clubhouse cancer -- isn't it about winning games though?
Seattle is celebrating the departure of Silva and starting to worship Z.
Bwa-ha-ha-haaaa ~~ gonna be a long-long season there Scrubs!!!
Oh please, Wood got burned by the Cubs? The Cubs got burned by him year after year with injuries. They finally did the smart thing and cut the cord. Go look at how much they paid him, and what they got from him. I don't care what "heart and soul" oozed out of him, it didn't do us any good when it was oozing on the trainers table every year.
All you Sox fans thinking what a great team you have even tho the manager can't be understood when he talks and they use 10 men to play a 9 man game. Go Cubs they play real baseball
I think what's missing here is a little taste of history. Many a player have come through a city and have had their issues, whether it was bad play or bad attitudes, then move to a new team and excel.
My cases in point:
Dominic Hasek - backup Blackhawk goalie that was "okay," then went to Buffalo, won some gold for his country...
Kyle Orton - QB for Bears. Wasn't horrible, but wasn't outstanding. Now doing rather well for Denver.
Patrick Roy - Goalie for Montreal, went to Colorado, won some cups.
Bernard Berrian - Remember him?
Brett Favre - Uh, yeah. Killer season this year.
Mark Martin - Went from almost retired to Hendrick Motorsports and could have won the whole thing this year.
Ed Belfour - Blackhawk goalie, ended up winning a cup in Dallas.
Juan Pablo Montoya - went from a Dodge (where he sucked) to a Chevy (where he was a force to be reckoned with).
Chris Chelios - Never won a cup here. Got one wearing a winged wheel logo on his chest.
So Silva may have found his home, or he could suck. At least Bradley, who has a foul attitude, won't be annoying us anymore.
All of you are missing the big picture here (and all you WS fans, take it easy). First, Hendry now goes and gets a CF (his hand has been forced, because the Cubs don't have CF, remember FUKEEE has been moved back to RF). Second, Silva moves in to the 4 or 5 spot, and unless one of the young kids step up (Marshall, Samalkjsdlkjlkjakljslkj, Gorzo or someone else), then its possible that Silva may hit the pen (but probably not with that salary). More importantly, all of the Wrigley Field Fans (and I'm not talking about real Cub fans, won't have Bradley to boo any longer (which takes a toll on the whole team). So apparently the Wrigley Field fans will have to find something else to complain about (besides the cost of the beer and hike in ticket prices). This is not a great trade, buts it trade that had to be completed. Hey, what happened to all of num-nuts that ripped Santo for saying that Bradley would be traded (apparently is lot smarter than a lot of you).
HAHAHAHAA - Merry Christmas, Cubs fans! WHOOOO
"I am a very successful out of town sales person who "hook, line and sinkers" you suckers just like your sports teams do. "
__________
Up selling fries with my burger doesn't necessarily qualify as sales.
BTW, you do realize its Milton Bradley the player, not a Milton Bradley game, right? Good luck with that sporty.
Well another cubs player leaves for greatness. The mariners will win the AL West next year for sure. When will this organization realize it's not always about the talent. It's been proven over and over again, they need to find tough gritty ball players that can withstand the preassure of playing baseball in Chicago. Look at the Red Sox when they won, they had some talent but they had tough ball players, mentally and physically( no-steroid references please I know)Schilling Red Sock ring a bell. Yet over and over they get rid of these players i.e. Reed Johnson, Mark DeRosa, Kerry Wood. They might not be the best but they will give there heart and souls to their team, Kerry did for so many years and they burned him. I hope the new owners will realize this and start getting these guys here, quit overpaying for talent and start paying for some toughness. I beg you.
21 million here, 25 million there.
no wonder i cant afford to go to a ballgame.
:( :( :( :( :(
21 million here, 25 million there.
no wonder i cant afford to go to a ballgame.
:( :( :( :( :(
The cubs get rid of Bradley and make 6m in the deal.
The cubs get rid of Bradley and make 6m in the deal.
Anyone, even nobody, would be better than keeping the "B" cancer in the clubhouse. I was actually in favor of just releasing Bradley outright to see if anyone would pick him up and dilute part of his salary!
I will bet that Silva comes on to be a good middle reliever. And for those that wonder, I don't smoke, even cigarettes! I am a die-hard Cub fan for more years than most of you have been alive.
I TYPE LIKE I TALK, DATS WHY I USE ALL CAPS. I IS OBSESSED WIT DA CUBS DATS WHY I POSTS HERE. WHAT? WHAT IS CAPS LOCK KEY? GO SOX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am a very successful out of town sales person who "hook, line and sinkers" you suckers just like your sports teams do.
So the cubs finally dump bradley and cubs fans are complaining on what they got in return?? Who did you expect Felix hernandez? Damn man chicago fans are the biggest F'n crybabies in america. All you do is whine and complain about EVERY Freakin move.The cubs could of got a basket of oranges for bradley and I would of been happy.
From what I read about Carlos Silva, it seems that he maybe a decent relief pitcher. The Cubs may want to use him as a long reliever. What this really does is remove the Cancer in the clubhouse.
A bag of balls and a fungo bat would have been better to get back but at least he is gone!
"angry cub fan" - how do you propose the Cubs get Carlos Silva to accept $2 mil instead of the $25 mil he's actually owed? That would sure be a neat trick.
And Marlon Bryd is another inflated Texas wonder, he'll come crashing back to earth here. Mark my words.
Look at the bright side, the Cubs will have a new GM at this time next year.
As most Cubs fans (the newer ones..the drunker ones, not the old school ones) chow down on their Lou Malnati's double crust double cheese pizza and down a case load of Bud or Old Style. First, they wanted the Cubs to get rid of MB. Oh, they said, we don't care who you get in return, as long as we get rid of the "cancer".
NOW, it's, oh, you know, he is a Major League hitter and all and really not such a bad guy after ...maybe we should have kept him Oh, maybe this was another Jim Hendry mistake to trade him.
Jim Hendry and the Cubs are between a rock and a hard place as far as these Cubs fans are concerned. No matter what the Cubs do, they'll be unhappy.
If you don't like the way things are going---find another team to support. Just don't let the door hit your double-stuffed behinds on the way out.
OMG, ARE THEY SERIOUS? THE CUBS SUCK,WOW JIM NEED TO BE FIRED,GOOD LUCK CUBS FAN ITS GOING TO BE A LONG YEAR FOR YOU GUYS AGAIN, GO SOX!!!!!!!!!
MASSVE LIGTNING BOLT!!!11 I WAS in a coma for 3 years but when I HEARD THE DOCTOR TALK OF THIS TRADE,,,I WOKE UP AND IMMEDIATELY RAN TO THE COMPUTER,,,JIM HENDRY SHOULD BE BURNED AT THE STAKE FOR THIS TRADE,,,,MASSIVE LIGNTING BOLT!!
Its ashame they couldn't land Millwood from Texas, but Silva could be a solid pick-up if he can regain his form. That's a big if, but it still beats bringing Milton back for another year. Could riddance to him.
Pay Silva 2mil option and dump him.
Put the balance of his 20mil into Byrd to play center field.
Bye-bye Milton "THE BOARD GAME" Badley........
Per "LOU", Once a POS always a POS..........Flush one time and say get lost...........
The angry cub fan
They could have got Carlos Silva's grandma and it would still be awesome.
Typical Cubs. Say goodbye to another season.
So instead of paying $21 million over the next 2 years for some worthless jagbag, the Cubs have gotta pay at least $25 million over the next to 2 years for some other worthless jagbag. Really? I thought not only was the reason to get Bradley and his attitude out of the locker room but also to just get of the contract, yet Jimmy boy is ending up putting more of a financial burden on the team with Carlos friggin Silva. Adding salary isn't a bad thing, as long as that player would at least contribute a little bit. This sucks.
Tracy on December 18, 2009 12:44 PM
I know the Cubs had few options, but Carlos Silva may be the worst pitcher in the major leagues. A bag of baseballs may have more value.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Both would be great for batting practice.
Wow, the mariners got a major league hitter for me? Did someone slip a few roofies into Jim Hendry's latte? I have to agree with BPR. I'm waaay beyond awful.
Carlos Silva could very well be the worst starting pitcher in MLB. Cubs are better off just releasing Bradley and go with a young starter.
I know the Cubs had few options, but Carlos Silva may be the worst pitcher in the major leagues. A bag of baseballs may have more value.
Silva is beyond awful. Bradley is at least a solid hitter. This trade is embarrassing even by Cub standards.
if this trade happens then Silva will be given a standing ovation each time he takes the mound regardless of his record.
1 turd for another...we'll see...