For awhile there, it looked like Jim Hendry was never going to find a taker for Cubs cancer Milton Bradley. The Winter Meetings came and went and Bradley was still on the Cubs roster, leaving many to wonder if the troubled outfielder was simply unmovable.
Merry Christmas, Cubs fans. Bradley. Is. Gone.
Moments ago the Cubs confirmed reports of a deal that sends Bradley to Seattle for right-handed pitcher Carlos Silva and cash. Silva has been a massive disappointment since signing a $48 million,
four-year contract with the Mariners two years ago. He is owed $25
million over the next two years, while Bradley is owed $23 million.
Mariners fans and baseball analysts may see this trade as a lopsided deal, as Bradley looks to still have some talent, while Silva seems unlikely to regain his status as a winning pitcher. Chicagoans and Cubs fans the world over are happy to let the Mariners find out for themselves exactly what Bradley can do to...er for, a team.
Silva may not have the stuff, but he's far less likely to cause a team to implode than a clubhouse cancer whose attitude and temperament infected the team, its fans and the city as a whole. Bradley had become so insufferable by late September, Hendry was given no choice but to suspend the outfielder for the remainder of the season.
Congratulations, Carlos. You've managed to end up in the only place that will welcome you with open arms. You may suck at baseball, but at least you don't suck at life.
Here's the complete press release from the Cubs:
CHICAGO -
The Chicago Cubs today acquired right-handed pitcher Carlos Silva and cash from
the Seattle Mariners for outfielder Milton Bradley
Silva, 30, is 60-64 with two saves
and a 4.72 ERA (592 ER/1128.2 IP) in 295 major league appearances (159 starts)
with Philadelphia (2002-03), Minnesota
(2004-07) and Seattle
(2008-09). He has walked only 214 batters in 1128.2 innings pitched, an
average of only 1.7 walks per nine innings. Silva is 15-7 with two saves
and a 4.18 ERA (116 ER/250.0 IP) in 135 games (17 starts) in his career against
the National League, including a 5-1 mark and a 3.71 ERA (26 ER/63.0 IP) in 33
games (four starts) against the National League Central.
The righthander won nine or more
games in four consecutive seasons with the Twins from 2004-07, including three
double digit win campaigns in 2004 (career-high 14 wins), 2006 (11 wins) and
2007 (13 wins). He made 27 or more starts in five-straight seasons from
2004-08.
Silva broke into the majors in 2002
and went 8-1 with a 3.83 ERA (73 ER/171.1 IP) in 130 appearances, all but one
in relief, in his only two seasons in the National League with the
Phillies. Acquired in a trade by the Twins prior to the 2004 campaign,
Silva went 47-45 with a 4.42 ERA (380 ER/773.2 IP) in 129 appearances (124
starts) in Minnesota,
compiling more than 180.0 innings in all four campaigns. In 2005, Silva
walked only nine batters in 188.1 innings pitched, an average of one walk every
21.0 frames.
In 2009 with the Mariners, Silva
was limited to eight appearances (six starts) due to a right shoulder
impingement that landed him on the disabled list from May 9-September 15.
He went 1-3 with an 8.60 ERA (29 ER/30.1 IP) in the eight outings. A
native of Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela, Silva is currently
pitching in the Venezuelan Winter League.
Bradley, 31, batted .257
(101-for-393) with 12 home runs and 40 RBI in 124 games with the Cubs last season.
2 Comments
Gunzaan said:
"You may suck at baseball, but at least you don't suck at life. "
:) :) Hahaha... Thank you VERY much for that laugh! A great way to start the weekend!
Tarzan Joe said:
I think you've got it backwards, Sarah. He's pretty good at baseball. He's bad at life.
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