MLB Power Rankings: The 21 Grumpiest Players in Baseball

The 2011 MLB trade deadline is fast approaching, and it is no coincidence that many of the names floating around the rumor mill made this list.

Being grumpy isn't necessarily a bad thing, though. We've all been in a bad mood at one point or another. Just because a player is on this list doesn't make him selfish, nor does it mean he is a bad teammate. It is what it is.

There are definitely times when a bad attitude can be detrimental to the team, while other times it may not affect anyone at all. This list includes players in both categories.

Here are the 21 grumpiest players in baseball.

21. Francisco Rodriguez

K-Rod may or may not have been happy with the New York Mets, but only time will tell how he feels about his new eighth-inning role with the Milwaukee Brewers.

K-Rod had the Brewers on his no-trade list, which his former agent coincidentally forgot to submit to the Mets. If K-Rod were to openly complain about the trade, some say it would hurt his free agent value this coming offseason.

Then there's the fact that Rodriguez waived his $17.5 million vesting option for 2012, all while being stuck in the setup role behind John Axford in Milwaukee. That won't maximize his value heading into free agency.

Either way, it seems K-Rod will be leaving money on the table with his current situation.

20. Michael Young

Michael Young has been with the Texas Rangers since 2000, and until recently, he was always great in the clubhouse.

At first, Young took the Rangers' signing of Adrian Beltre in stride, knowing he would no longer be manning the hot corner in Texas.

By the time the 2011 season neared, Young demanded a trade out of Texas—making the situation a distraction to the entire team and organization.

At that point the Rangers wouldn't have been able to trade him anyway, nor would they want to, so the disgruntled third baseman turned utility player entered the season with the team.

Young hasn't let his off-field issues affect his play on the field, as he is putting together another solid season in 2011.

19. Carlos Lee

Carlos Lee signed a $100 million contract with the Houston Astros in 2007 to join a supporting cast of guys like Roy Oswalt, Craig Biggio and Lance Berkman, among others.

With the 2011 squad being without any of those stars while being a far cry from competitive, Lee is not the happiest ballplayer in the clubhouse.

Add to it the fact that his play on the field is absolutely atrocious, and you can bet Lee wants out of town as much as Astros fans and management would like to see their beleaguered slugger shipped away.

18. B.J. Upton

B.J. Upton has enjoyed many ups and downs through his first five seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays.

His laziness in the outfield is well documented, and it even led to a dugout fight with team captain Evan Longoria after he called Upton out for taking a play off in center field. Sometimes it appears as if he doesn't even want to be at the ballpark.

Upton's bounce-back 2011 season will be just enough to boost his trade value so the Rays can send him packing.

Check out this video of Upton losing it after a called third strike.

17. John Lackey

It's hard to blame Boston Red Sox pitcher John Lackey for being grumpy—at least with himself.

Through his first 48 starts in Beantown, Lackey has pitched to a 5.05 ERA and 1.462 WHIP—good enough for an 84 ERA+, which means he's been one of the worst pitchers in all of baseball.

This is not what GM Theo Epstein bargained for when signing Lackey to an $80 million contract after the 2009 season.

On the bright side, Lackey seems to be pitching a little bit better as of late, and teammate Adrian Gonzalez has come out in his defense.

16. Hanley Ramirez

Despite a poor start to the 2011 season, Hanley Ramirez is one of the most talented players in MLB. The problem is that his grumpy, self-fulfilling attitude has made him disliked by both fans and teammates.

ESPN's Buster Olney reported on June 22 that some people within the Marlins organization think the team is better with Ramirez, and his .248 batting average on the season isn't earning him any favor back from fans.

Han-Ram is also known to be lazy on the field, exhibited by him slowly jogging after a misplayed ball last season, which led to him getting benched.

15. Frank McCourt

Frank McCourt may not be a player or a manager, but the grumpy owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers is sure making things difficult for his team.

I suppose I wouldn't be in the greatest of moods either if I was in the midst of losing my team, but it's gotten to the point where McCourt's actions are affecting the players in the clubhouse.

Face of the franchise Andre Ethier is getting fed up with the mess, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com; Heyman even goes so far as to speculate that Ethier would rather be in Boston playing alongside best buddy Dustin Pedroia.

Check out these Dodgers fans protesting McCourt a couple of weeks ago.

14. Ozzie Guillen

Ozzie Guillen represents the only manager on this list, but as a former player and current White Sox manager, Guillen is about as grumpy as it gets (to our delight, of course).

If there were a record for bad interviews, Guillen would hold it by a large margin. The outspoken and eccentric manager never holds back his emotions.

Here is a video from earlier this season where Guillen goes on a rant about the Sox miserable bullpen.

13. Alex Rodriguez

It's been a rough year for Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez—but I'm sure the $31 million he's banking this season (before endorsements) will help ease his pain.

It all started at the Super Bowl, when millions of people watching the game witnessed Cameron Diaz feeding A-Rod popcorn. I thought it was rather amusing myself.

Since then, A-Rod has seen the attention in New York focus solely on wannabe best friend Derek Jeter and his pursuit of 3,000 hits.

As soon as Jeter reached the milestone, A-Rod went down with a bum knee, which required surgery and will keep him sidelined four to six weeks.

The only thing that will cheer up A-Rod at this point is another World Series title.

12. Johnny Cueto

Johnny Cueto is having a career year in 2011, partially due to him tempering his attitude on the mound. If he can make it through an entire season without incident, I will gladly reconsider him being on this list.

For a while it appeared that Cueto had a desire to follow in Carlos Zambrano's footsteps, going insane on the mound with every bad pitch and every blown call.

Cueto went to a new low last August. During a bench-clearing brawl with the Cardinals, Cueto decided to kick Cards pitcher Chris Carpenter with his spikes. He was later suspended for seven games.

11. Orlando Cabrera

There is a reason Orlando Cabrera has played for eight different teams since the start of the 2004 season. He is a cancer in the clubhouse who wears out his welcome within months of finding a new home.

One of the only positives for the Cleveland Indians is that Cabrera has been to the playoffs in each of the past four seasons—once each with the Angels, White Sox, Twins and Reds. Do you see a trend here?

Cabrera may be great as a one-year plug at second base or shortstop (and recently third base), but that is about as much of O-Cab as an organization can handle.

10. Jorge Posada

Jorge Posada went through an over-publicized dispute with the Yankees earlier this season after manager Joe Girardi was set to bat him ninth in the order.

Posada was so furious he threatened to quit the team, although he later apologized for his actions.

I'm sure part of his attitude has to do with his age mixed with his competitive nature. His mind wants to do things which his body is no longer able to. It may be time for Jorge to take his daily dose of Geritol.

I figured you'd all like to see Posada's attractive wife describe her hubby. You're welcome.

9. Jon Rauch

Jon Rauch is a bit of a journeyman—already pitching for five teams during his nine-year career.

Rauch and his 6'10" frame are very intense when on the mound, and he clearly doesn't take any BS from opposing players or, in this case, the home plate umpire.

Back on July 2nd, some very questionable calls from the home plate ump left Rauch in "freak mode." It wasn't easy for manager John Farrell and some teammates to subdue Rauch, and they managed to rip his jersey off in the process.

One wonders whether Rauch could be trade bait after this latest incident, so don't expect him to be happy when he ends up in your team's clubhouse.

8. Vicente Padilla

Vicente Padilla never seems to be happy. Fans don't like him, opposing players despise him and teammates keep their distance.

Padilla is a notorious headhunter, and he has been throughout his entire career. He has already tallied 106 HBP, which ranks third out of all active players.

Padilla has made less noise as of late, but the Dodgers hurler is still a grump. Check out this video to see Padilla nail Aaron Rowand in the dome.

7. A.J. Pierzynski

I'm not saying A.J. Pierzynski is bad for the White Sox—rather the opposite. Pierzynski perfectly fits the mold of an Ozzie Guillen-led team.

The fact is, Pierzynski has had a bad attitude throughout his entire career—whether in Minnesota, San Francisco or Chicago. However, Guillen's eccentricity has overshadowed Pierzynski since he's been with the White Sox.

His most dramatic incident with the White Sox came in 2006, when Pierzynski and the Cubs' Michael Barrett got into a fight that led to a bench-clearing brawl.

6. Delmon Young

Delmon Young has always been somewhat of a hothead.

Young—who was drafted first overall by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2003—was shipped to the Twins for Matt Garza in part because of his attitude problems.

A handful of seasons ago, while in the Rays' minor league system, an upset Young threw his bat at the home plate umpire after being ejected for arguing a called third strike.

5. Colby Rasmus

Colby Rasmus has only been in MLB for three years, and he is already demanding his way out of St. Louis.

Rasmus has never been happy playing for Tony La Russa and the Cardinals, and it's been reported that he doesn't want to play with Albert Pujols either.

Fellow B/R Featured Columnist Brandon Galvin did a great piece explaining Rasmus' rift with the Cardinals organization.

Rasmus is too young to be grumpy, but he plays the role like a seasoned vet.

4. Milton Bradley

Yes, Milton Bradley makes every list imaginable involving selfishness, being cancerous, being embarrassing and even grumpiness. The fact is Bradley did it to himself.

He has proven to be a distraction in every clubhouse in which he steps foot and has had numerous on- and off-the-field incidents at each stop.

Bradley has been suspended, injured and even arrested because of his attitude. It is no coincidence that he currently finds himself without a team (although he is still making $12 million...thanks Seattle!).

3. Alex Rios

Although White Sox fans generally don't mind when their players have attitude problems, you will not find a single Blue Jays fan that will say something good about Alex Rios.

The 2011 season is giving Chicago a good taste of what Rios was like in Toronto for parts of six seasons, and by the looks of this recent video, White Sox fans are beginning to take notice.

At this point, fans are just happy to see Rios' batting average above the Mendoza line.

2. Jonathan Papelbon

Jonathan Papelbon has been unhappy with his contract situation for years now, sometimes even being outspoken regarding his disappointment.

Papelbon is in the midst of the worst season of his career, currently sporting a 4.06 ERA with a 101 ERA-plus—making him about as average as it gets as far as closers go.

This is not the performance Papelbon was gunning for in his contract year with the Red Sox, especially with Daniel Bard waiting in the wings to step into the closer's role.

Check out this video of Papelbon imploding earlier this season, where he was eventually ejected after a blown save.

1. Carlos Zambrano

If there were any remaining doubters of Zambrano's attitude, Big Z proved his true colors earlier this season by blasting Carlos Marmol and the rest of his team for blowing a game.

Sometimes a team can feed off an emotional leader, yet Zambrano is no such thing. He acts more like a five-year-old who needs to be told to go stand in a corner.

Big Z was failed by the system—that is, whichever MLB-mandated treatment program he supposedly went through last season. By the looks of it, MLB's anger management program is about as good as its steroid policy.