Day Three of the Winter Meetings: The Hub for No Activity for the Cubs

By Neil on December 9, 2009 16 Vote 0 Votes

Could Milton Bradley be a Cub in 2010? According to a report from Cubs.com, "the Cubs might be running out of options regarding Milton Bradley." The Rays appear to be the most likely destination for Bradley ... with the Cubs eating a lot of money in the process. Multiple sources shot down the rumor on Wednesday afternoon that the Cubs would send Milton Bradley to the Red Sox for Mike Lowell.

According to Bruce Levine, the Red Sox were the mystery team but Bruce Miles questioned if Jim Hendry was trying "to create the illusion of a marketplace that for the most part does not exist."

The Cubs reportedly spoke with the agent for Marlon Byrd on Wednesday ... and met with Mike Cameron's representatives last week. But as the meetings begin to wind down, Jim Hendry and company likely will make the long drive up I-65 North from Indianapolis with Milton Bradley still on their roster.

Here's the update from day three ...

Milton Bradley

Many expected Milton Bradley to be traded at some point on Wednesday but as mentioned the likelihood of that happening at this point is slim to none.

Jim Hendry told The Daily Herald:

"The other two or three things that we've talked about that we could do really don't have anything to do with, 'You have to do this before you do that,'" he said. "In a perfect world, you'd like to add a center fielder. You'd like to move (Kosuke Fukudome to right field from center). We'd like to add a little presence in the bullpen and keep working, a little bench help."

"I think there will be a lot of people available three or four weeks from now, too, in the free-agent market. The thing that we came here a little different from normal is there wasn't as much volume to look into. We've had winter meetings where we needed more than two or three pieces no matter who we wanted to trade or not trade."

Hendry indicated there is no deadline to trade Milton Bradley ... or that he has to trade Bradley in order to make other improvements.

The Cubs have no plans on releasing Milton Bradley according to a report from the Tribune. Crane Kenney told Phil Rogers the Cubs have "21 million reasons" why they will not release Bradley. Kenney said the Cubs "don't run away" from their problems.

Baseball Prospectus reported the Cubs are working on a three-way deal with the Rays and Blue Jays that would send Bradley to Tampa and Pat Burrell to the Blue Jays for low-level prospects.

J.J. Putz

The Cubs' scouts will watch J.J. Putz throw a side session this week in Arizona. The Cubs are interested in Putz ... along with more that 12 other teams.

2009 Winter Meetings Recaps

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Well, there are the updates ... and I'm sticking to 'em!

MarioC

You said it Rob...hendry's kinda like the moderately attractive girl who turns down a prom date cos she's waiting to see who else asks her. Then as the big dance approaches, she's standing there empty handed.

Speaking of the prom, I'm gonna go listen to "Cruel Summer" on repeat for an hour. Something tells me it's gonna be our anthem this year

kingdomusa

If Hendry made this 20 million dollar mistake at Ameri-trade he would be gone in a heartbeat.

Solution for the GM:

Make Lou play Castro at ss & theriot @ 2b in spring training. Sign Mike Cameron for CF to a 1 yr deal with a 1 yr option.

As far as starting pitchers go, listen to Ryno on Casey Coleman & give him a shot in the Spring. That's the best way around the Bradley fiasco.

Another mistake by Hendry & Lou last season was the poor evaluation of Gregg as the closer. They both punished Marmol for going to the World Baseball Classic by taking away his closer's role and it came back to bite them right where it hurts. After 5 months of Gregg giving up a league leading 13 HR's, several doubles, and numerous warning track fly outs they finally had to give in to Marmol. If the over-rated Rothschild can't figure out "Big Z" and Carlos he should be asked to leave. It's attitude, concentration, and control. Oh, has anyone figured out the cost of the ice skating rink yet!!!!

Neil

Ken Rosenthal just reported Mike Lowell to the Rangers pending Red Sox owners approval. The Sox will eat nearly all of Lowell's salary ($12 million).

Jim C (Tinley Park, IL)

Neil:

Get some sleep.

ripsnorter

I'd say that if JHendry could trade Bradley without paying boo-coo millions for another team to take him off the Cubs' hands, THEN JHendry would have proved me wrong about my assessment of his work. As it stands, Bradley is essentially untradeable with this contract, and his attitude.

So now you just have to go on trying to make the best of it. Let's see: who can play center. Fuld and Johnson can platoon. And Bradley and Funko can platoon in RF. That leaves Hoffpauir and Sorry-oh-no to platoon in LF.

There, you see. We are all set for 2010 in the outfield. And Jake Fox may out-homer the entire Cubs' outfield put together.

Larry

With Hendry trying to create some hint of trade interest by saying that Boston is after Bradley, and then coming out and saying that he doesn't really have to trade Bradley to make improvements to the team, it sounds to me as if Hendry has realized that he is going to be stuck with Bradley once the season starts. This is getting beyond ridiculous. I think the only way we move Bradley is through a buy-out similar to what the Dodgers did with Andrew Jones last year. The stupidest thing about the whole situation, is that Bradley will never even realize or admit that the real reason why no one wants him is because he has such a crappy reputation.

PaulS

What does everyone think of the Cubs taking a shot on Corey Wimberly in the Rule V draft? It looks like he is a fast switch hitter that can plays all over.

Neil

Brandon Lyon just agreed to a 3-year, $15 million contract with the Astros according to Ken Rosenthal.

PaulS

If Cameron is as good as reported about the clubhouse environment, then maybe he can buffer or correct the Milton clubhouse issues.

Sounds to me like the Rays are trying to be a bit unreasonable, since Hendry generally makes trades that are workable for both sides. Sure they have him by the short hairs, but Milton could be a very good fit for them and they tried to get him in the past.

Although not ideal by any means, Fukudome and Bradley in a platoon in RF could work if Lou executes it correctly. Using match ups and late inning replacement for defense would get them both ample action. Lou may have to break from his old ways. Remember, he is not alway right as I believe he was behind the Wuertz and Pie decisions. Pie could have done what his buddy Gathright did for the Cubs last year and still have some value this year.

A sincere apology from Milton to the team and fans, along with some type of counseling may be the best resolution to the whole scenario.

Rob

Normally I don't comment on this site and prefer to read the responses, but.....is anyone surprised that Hendry can't move Bradley? I mean the entire baseball world knows the Cubs do not want him. So every team that Hendry approaches knows this and therefore asks for a absurd deal, one in which does not favor the Cubs.

I appluad Hendry for not selling Bradley short. What good would trading Bradley do, if we have to eat his contract AND get a crappy ballplayer in return.

I think people need to stop talking about moving Bradley, because I don't believe it's going to happen and if it does, nobody would be happy because we would be getting an equally bad player in return.

jw

Mario C....too funny

The lack of action is entertaining but not suprising considering there was no good market really for Bradley to begin with other than in Hendry's mind.

The thing about Hendry's operating style that is so frustrating is that he lets the speculation grow and actually feeds it. Kenny Williams to his credit will shoot down everything even if he is in the midst of heavy negotiations so as not to tip his hand. The next GM the Cubs get should have to go to Vegas and get to the quarter finals in Texas Hold Em. Hendry waits until he has the worse hand, tells everyone that he has few choices what to do, boasts that he will get a lot of action and then realizes he has nothing, pulls out and says he never intended to get in the game in the first place and everything is as it was planned. Then he will focus on a few of the leftovers he is fixated on that no one else wants for market plus 50% and try to sell this garbage to the fans.

Hendry should have been selling Bradley all the time publically and pushing whatever BS he could think of to explain his crappy year. Instead he devalues him further by making the chicken pooh, pointless move of suspending him at the end of the season when the season is already over to make himself look good. Then he proceeds to let everyone beleive he's a cancer and he won't be on the team.

The Ricketts group may have been better served to appoint an interim GM with some basic "non-stupids" to get the franchise to new leadership and not associate themselves with the idiocy. Instead he is allowed to continue to embarass himself and this franchise. Snickers must abound around the league about the woeful Cubs and the pathetic self indulgent arrogant buffoon at the bottem of the serious GM heirarchy.

Handicapping the franchise is the legacy of the man...and to those saying the Cubs have done well amongst their peers in the Central please consider wins per $ of payroll spent to see who are comparable or better GM's in their division (Which is pretty bad. There are some pretty bad GM's in the NL Central too which makes Hendry's record even more apalling) Perhaps Crane Kenney's (holy water chicken bones man) animated discussion with Hendry listening Tuesday night was the frustration roiling over. They deserve each other...bickering while the boat fills with water and sinks. Well it does before any more damgage can be done by Mr "out of his league" and company.

Mark

Man, just sit the guy on the bench and use him in emergencies, so we can booooooooo him and save the money that I think Hendry will blow trying to GIVE him away. He f-ed up, so make an example out of him!

Mark

Man, just sit the guy on the bench and use him in emergencies, so we can booooooooo him and save the money that I think Hendry will blow trying to GIVE him away. He f-ed up, so make an example out of him!

MarioC

I would laugh if I wasn't crying so much...I would cry if I wasn't laughing so much.

Hope rides alone this year...let's hope for the best. Is it too early to say: "always next year?"