Chicago Cubs Are Gambling on Milton Bradley

For Cub fans, there was irony in the fact that Major League Baseball’s winter meetings were held in Las Vegas. Not that making a gamble is anything new for Jim Hendry. One thing you can expect with the Cubs’ General Manager is an interesting offseason.

Last year’s offseason gamble delivered an excellent glove to Wrigley’s right field all the way from Japan. However, the defensive dividends that Kosuke Fukudome paid out didn’t compensate for his lack of offensive production. The Cubs needed a strong lefty in the lineup. Fukudome was a bust.

Let Hendry’s 2009 gambling begin.

Talk of the Cubs needing more southpaw strength at the plate began midseason last year when Fukudome clearly began to struggle. Mike Fontenot provided a hot bat off the bench late in the season, but there was little doubt that Lou Piniella’s offseason wish list had a left-handed bat he could count on at the top.

Hendry stuffed Lou’s Christmas stocking with left-handed support in the switch-hitting Aaron Miles (a fond farewell to Mark DeRosa; I really wish you were a switch-hitter) and speedster Joey Gathright (pack your bags, Felix Pie; I really wish you had lived up to the expectations).

Nevertheless, neither of these moves were the big gift Lou wanted under the tree. They weren’t the big bat for which the Cubs were clearly gunning.

Rumors of the Cubs going after Milton Bradley has been surfacing over the past month, the same way that talk regarding Fukudome buzzed around the web a year ago. When word from the winter meetings revealed Hendry was actively dealing Jason Marquis to make room in the checkbook, it was nearly certain that Bradley was the player on whom Hendry was ultimately going to roll the dice.

So, what can Cub fans expect from Milton Bradley? Will it be a jackpot or a bust?

On the plus side, Bradley brings a strong left-handed bat coming off a career year with the Rangers. The Cubs are obviously betting that his bat will stay hot and provide the southpaw anchor they need in the middle of the lineup.

With Hendry’s holiday moves, the front office has assembled a flush of lefties, including Fukudome, Fontenot, Miles and Gathright (and don’t forget the strong left handed bat of Micah Hoffpauir). If Bradley has a season like he had last year, the gamble will prove a Wrigleyville winner.

Yet, every bet comes with risk, and this play has plenty of risk. Bradley comes with a history of injuries and clubhouse problems. He had a great 2008, but even the Cubs' official site acknowledged that Bradley only played 20 games in the outfield last year.

Only once has Bradley played 100 games in the field in a season. It can be easily argued that $10 million a year is a lot to bet on a guy with one hot season. And, Bradley’s off-the-field conflicts with managers and fans have created a lot of distractions for his former teams.

The Cubs appeared to have great team chemistry last year. Introducing an emotionally combustible Bradley into the mix could prove explosive in ways the Cubs don’t need, especially in a year they are pushing to get further than the NLDS.

The Cubs are clearly hoping that Piniella’s veteran leadership can handle Bradley. They will certainly be looking to this week’s physical to tell them if they can count on Bradley being a healthy. Only time will tell if the bet on Bradley will ultimately pay off.

One thing on which Cub fans can safely bet: Jim Hendry isn’t finished placing his bets.