Carlos Marmol and the 5 Biggest Team Distractions in MLB

Carlos Marmol was a big distraction for the Chicago Cubs before being demoted Tuesday.

Despite the success he showed as the Cubs closer in 2010, Marmol started to show signs he couldn't get the job done in 2011 when he had 10 blown saves.

The last two years have been much of the same, as fans were always on edge when he came into games.

Besides that, he was a distraction to his teammates:

"

Hoyer says marmol had become a distraction, "kind of a sideshow" for teammates.

— Gordon Wittenmyer (@GDubCub) June 25, 2013"

Whether it was a distraction of him constantly blowing leads or the lack of confidence teammates had in him, Marmol wasn't good for the clubhouse.

No matter what happened, Marmol finally became more of a distraction than the Cubs wanted to deal with and he was demoted.

But Marmol hasn't been the only distraction in Major League Baseball this season.

Here's a look at five other players who are distractions to their teams.

Alex Rodriguez

This is one of the more obvious statements in this story.

Alex Rodriguez has been a huge distraction ever since he came to the New York Yankees.

It all started with the opt-out controversy in 2007 in which his agent at the time, Scott Boras, announced that Rodriguez was opting out of his contract. The bad thing about it was it was during the eighth inning of Game 4 of the World Series, a game in which the Yankees hated rival, the Boston Red Sox, were wrapping up the series.

According to ESPN, MLB was none too happy about the move.

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We were very disappointed that Scott Boras would try to upstage our premier baseball event of the season with his announcement, Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer, said Monday in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

There was no reason to make an announcement last night other than to try to put his selfish interests and that of one individual player above the overall good of the game, DuPuy said. Last night and today belong to the Boston Red Sox, who should be celebrated for their achievement, and to the Colorado Rockies, who made such an unbelievable run to the World Series.

"

Regardless if Rodriguez didn't make the announcement, he was still involved nonetheless.

Then, there were all the reports about his marital infidelity and subsequent divorce during the 2008 season.

The Yankees went 89-73 and finished third in the AL East that year.

Then, in spring training of the next year, Rodriguez admitted to steroid use while with the Texas Rangers, beginning in 2001.

Throw in his struggles at the end of last season in which he was benched during the playoffs for poor play and then his link to MLB's latest steroid scandal.

Rodriguez is nothing but an overpaid distraction.

The Yankees would love to part ways with him but will struggle to void his contract even with the latest PED scandal.

The biggest question now is, what will A-Rod bring to the table when he returns from the DL?

Will he continue to be a distraction, or will he get down to playing good baseball?

Andre Ethier

So much has already been written about Andre Ethier's play and his standing with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

However, this isn't about that.

This is about the distraction of whether Ethier will be traded or not.

With injuries to Matt Kemp and Carl Crawford, there's been no question about Ethier's standing, even with Yasiel Puig.

But now Kemp returns to the starting lineup Tuesday, according to CBS Sports. Crawford's injury could take a little more time, but he'll return at some point around the All-Star break.

What then?

What will the Dodgers do with four outfielders? There's no way they can trade Crawford's contract, and they're not going to get rid of Puig or Kemp.

So that leaves Ethier.

And until the Dodgers make a move or come out and say Ethier is staying on the team for the rest of the season, the situation will continue to be a distraction.

Chase Headley

Seriously, what is going on with the Chase Headley contract?

Headley has said he doesn't want to talk about it until after the season to avoid it being a distraction. However, the San Diego Padres want to go ahead and get a deal done.

In essence, it has become a distraction because one side wants to talk while the other doesn't.

This is why it's important to get something done during spring training.

Headley himself is not a distraction, but the talk of his contract could be a distraction to him.

With the Padres trying to compete in the NL West, it might be best to put talks on hold like Headley has asked.

Josh Hamilton

Josh Hamilton makes this list because of the struggles he's had with the Los Angeles Angels.

Hamilton signed a five-year, $133 million contract with the Angels in the offseason and has gotten off to a bad start.

He's batting .207 with 10 home runs and 25 RBI.

Needless to say, it's not what the Angels had in mind when they signed him.

Hamilton's poor play has become a distraction for the team and fans.

Forget the fact that Albert Pujols, Mark Trumbo and Mike Trout have held up their end of the bargain.

The fact that the Angels as a team and Hamilton are struggling seem to go hand in hand.

If only he could get things together, then the Angels could start winning...right?

Forget about the struggles the Angels have in the starting rotation—the finger is going to be pointed at Hamilton until he gets things going.

Jordany Valdespin

This isn't a distraction yet, but it could turn into one.

There's nothing wrong with being proud of what you've done, but Jordany Valdespin has crossed a line for the New York Mets.

The Valdespin controversy happened in the ninth inning of a May 10 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

He hit a home run and stood there admiring his swing, according to the New York Daily News.

Normally, management is quick to talk to a player, which is something manager Terry Collins did. However, Valdespin's comments have since become a distraction every time he steps to the plate.

"When you hit the ball, you got to enjoy your hit," he said. "Every time I hit the ball, homer or something, I enjoy that. Every hit, I’m enjoying, my family’s enjoying, my friends enjoying."

With the Mets struggling this season and only the pitching of Matt Harvey to get excited about, Valdespin needs to learn about etiquette.

He's been told once about how the game is played and if he continues to do as he pleases, he could be that distraction nobody wants to deal with.