Bye Bye, Miltie, Good Bye

The Cubs have suspended Milton Bradley for the rest of the season after Bradley gave this interview to the Arlington Heights Daily Herald.  Once again, it’s everybody’s fault but Miltie’s, and Cubs GM Jim Hendry has finally had enough.

No one else associated with the Cubs seems to think Hendry’s decision was a bad one.   Here’s a quote from pitcher Ryan Dempster today, which I suspect reflects how many of the Cubs personnel feel:

“Sometimes you’ve just got to look in the mirror and realize that maybe the biggest part of the problem is yourself and (not) wanting to be here and play every day, and (not) wanting to have some fun. It didn’t seem like he wanted to have some fun, even from spring training.”

Hate to say “I told you so!” but I surely did, so repeatedly that some people have suggested that I seem to have something personal against Bradley.  Of course, I don’t know the man personally and cannot comment on his qualities as a human being aside from what he does on the field and how he’s quoted in the media.

One thing’s for sure, however.  Bradley is likely to wear out his welcome on any team he plays for in the future because he’s done it so many times in the past.  When you have a player who can’t stay healthy (he’s hurting yet again, and I rather suspect that he only played in as many games as he did in each of 2008 and 2009 to get a big free agent contract and then to vest the last two years of the big, stupid contract the Cubs did indeed give him), you can’t put up with the distractions and unpleasantness he causes.

It’s certain that the Cubs will be desperate to trade Bradley before the 2010 season starts.  My guess is that the Cubs will receive a mediocre 24 year old Class A+ player and have to eat all but about $2 or $3 million of his remaining contract.  Bradley can still hit when he’s in the line-up (even hitting only .257, he still has an excellent .378 OBP), but I just can’t see any team with a real shot at the play-offs in 2010 wanting him anywhere near their clubhouse.

My guess is that he ends up in Baltimore or Kansas City, small market AL teams where he can play DH, and where the organization is desperate for a hitter at a bargain price.  The Orioles’ manager Dave Trembley was just quoted as saying that the O’s need a hitter to bat behind Nick Markakis until their young guys like Adam Jones and Matt Wieters are ready to do it.  So long as the team that gets him isn’t on the hook for more than about $3 million total, if Bradley starts to play his old tricks, the team can just release him without taking too much of a hit.

Other than Baltimore or Kansas City, I can’t see too many other teams who would want to add Bradley to their rosters at this point.