http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/01/m ... adley.html

According to ESPN Radio's Bruce Levine, the Cubs signed Milton Bradley to a three-year, $30MM contract "with some options in the deal." Ken Rosenthal has a similar story, noting that the two sides have to "work through language issues."

Bradley, 31 in April, had a monster .321/.436/.563 line this year for the Rangers, but he spent only 165 innings in the field. This is the first multiyear deal of his career. If he stays healthy, the switch-hitter will give the Cubs balance in the middle of their order.

The Rangers will get a supplemental pick for their loss.



Not a big fan of this, but hopefully he can stay healthy.

What would bother me if I was a Cub fan about him is the time he spent in the outfield...last I checked, the National League doesn't get a DH...

As for the stuff about him being a cancer, tell me, how many titles has "chemistry" won this team in the last 100 years? I'll hang up and listen for my answer.

Like the signing of Bradley, 3 years is kinda steep though.

my worries are related to health and fielding ability, not chemistry. at least with dunn, you got health.

I am glad they finally got this done.

With the options out there, Bradley is about the best you are going to do IMO.

_________________
"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

i just hope by june the cubs dont have an outfield of gathwright, johnson and fukudome.

I am anxiously awaiting Cof's opinion on this.

Do we have another Soriano and Lily for him to hate on all year long

_________________
"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

I still think they should have went out and got Abreu. If this is the only move the Cubs are planning on making this offseason I do not see how they got appreciably better. His statistics were not all that far away from what DeRosa did last year. I hope Hendry has something else up his sleeve.

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i agree, but he is a switch-hitter with some pop, so if he stays healthy it is a good move, and they are better. he just is not going to stay healthy, history tells us.

Well, you can mark it down, Soriano's leadoff days are done. Bradley is a OPS leader. He'll make a better LO won't he? That's a pretty scary line up with Lee, Ramirez, Soto, Soriano threatening in the middle.
This could be worse. I think Johnson will start more than 80 games too in Center if FukIcan'thitdome doesn't come out of camp on fire. Too bad there's not a designated outfielder position in baseball.
So with Soriano and Bradley sealing up the corner outfield, where does this leave Gathright? Or Johnson? Someone has to be traded, there's only 162 games to play out there in CF and you've got 3 starters. Or at least a solid starter and two solid 100 game guys. Someone has got to go.

_________________
"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Ibanez and Bradley get 3yr/$30 mil and Burrell 'only' gets 2yr/$16 mil? The last 4 seasons Burrell hit 32, 29, 30 and 33 HR's with obp of .389, .388, .400, .367. Something there doesn't make a lot of sense.

Bradley won't lead off. He will add to the middle of the lineup, probably batting 5th behind Aramis.

_________________
"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

i dont see bradley leading off at all. they need the lefty production in the middle of the order. 3rd or 5th, my guess. your leadoff hitter...alfonso soriano.

Why? That's a great spot for Soto. Hell no, I want the OPS guy leading off. Look he probably won't have the same HR numbers as before but I see this dude ringing up a lot of 1b's and 2b's leading off, and I prefer that to the feast or famine HR swing of Soriano (WITH TWO STRIKES! ).
I was sick to shit of seeing Theriot getting on base what seemed like every 1st inning with 1 out no one on.
This is part of a change that will need to happen for this team to win. I'm sick of hearing that Soriano won't work at 6th or 7th becasue they can't win a playoff game with him leading off so why the heck not change?

_________________
"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

i'll bet they break camp with bradley, soriano, fuk, johnson and gathwright. none of them are going anywhere, unless big jim hendry has more tricks up his sleeve.

I don't see how that assortment can be utilized properly over the course of 162 games with each chap getting a fair shot at creating personal momentum. Too many 100+ game guys. I sure hope something is up with another trade because I would like to have another 5th pitcher and less bloody outfielders.

_________________
"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

until the day comes where the cubs go out and sign a stud lead-off man, soriano is going to be the guy. milton bradley was brought in to drive in runs and (hopefully) get clutch hits, not hit lead-off singles. i hear what you are saying darkside, and dont totally disagree with the theory, but bradley is batting in the middle somewhere ill bet.

Because having a good Left handed hitter with some power is good protection for Aramis.

If you have Soto in the 5 spot, you have too many Right handers in a row.

My guess would be something like this

Aaron Miles 2B
Reed Johnson/Fuku CF
D Lee 1B
Aramis 3B
Bradley RF
Soriano LF
Soto C
Teriot SS
Pitcher

_________________
"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

well, when your corner outfielders are bradley and soriano (at least lately), i dont think any of them have to worry about not enough playing time. the cubs will do very well to get 100 games out of bradley, playing right every day, and soriano in the last couple years has missed a lot of time. this team had better have solid replacements ready.

Looking at his split from last year, Bradley hit the same amount of home runs from the right side of the plate as the left side of the plate...in half as many at-bats...I don't think he's the kind of left-handed pop that many people think he is...

that is not a bad lineup, but there is no way soriano bats 6th. they are going to get as many at-bats as possible out of him. even if they do move him out of leadoff, it wont be down that low. he wont be a happy camper, and like it or not, they are stuck with this guy for a long time. he is going to bat leadoff, because that is where he performs the best historically, and, frankly, him batting leadoff last year didnt kill this team. as a matter of fact, having him up top scored the cubs a LOT of extra runs due to the production of the 7th and 8th hitters getting on base. he drove in 75 runs in 107 games leading off!

Man I would love to see it though. Get someone up top who can get on base for Theriot to move em on. I sure love seeing a bomb to start the game but we get, if we're seriously lucky, 10 of those a year. Give me 20 good leadoff hits with Theriot batting behind you and we're still talking 1-0 but with a runner on 1st or second and no one out. Small things like that, to me, are what we need to begin winning in the playoffs.
Now, say you have Ramirez, Lee, Soto next. You've got Lee and Ramirez protected. If you have Soriano behind Soto HE's protected, and let me assure you this year will be a little tougher on our favorite catcher since Hundley (Randy for gosh sake, not TODD ) as they've got more tape on the Lad and he won't be a suprise down at 7th or 8th.
So we're looking at 7th and 8th, and the fill-in at Center would be a fine 7th and what we're counting on Fontenot at SS? That .303 looks goot at 8th when you've got a bopper like Bradley coming again at the top.

_________________
"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Wow, I forgot about Miles. Well, he's yer 2B takes place of Theriot in my line up (where I penciled him in a 2B earlier yikes).

_________________
"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

i dont think hendry is done. i dont know, but i think he may have something else cooking. nothing to go on there, just a hunch.

Once Bradley rips his hamstring in April, Fukudome will have his old job back. I am not thrilled about this pick-up, its just like getting a younger Cliff Floyd.

The Cubs are the only NL team that are going to be playing 2 DHs almost every day.

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i have a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach...

I don't like this signing for the same reason I didn't like the Harden trade, it's another 'if'. $140 mil payroll and Hendry has 'ifs' all over the roster...

'if' Bradley can stay healthy.
'if' Harden can stay healthy.
'if'' Marmol can close.
'if' Dempster can repeat his '07 season.
'if' Fukudome can rebound.
'if' Miles/Fontenot can make up for the loss of DeRosa.

Except this version will probably climb into the stands at Wrigley and try to kill someone before the 4th of JUly. This may be the worst signing Hendry has ever made.

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Some of you guys amaze me.

The worst signing ever by Hendry?

It is a no win situation here. If he brings back the same team as last year, yall will bitch and moan. If he makes moves yall bitch and moan.

Just about everyone agreed at the end of the year that one of the holes on this team was a left handed bat with some pop that could play RF. Who else did you want? Dunn? Yeah I can just imagine how some of you would rip him after he falls down on his first fly ball due to the sun in RF. Abreu? He has not been anything special the last couple of years. Did you want him to make a trade? What exactly did you want?

_________________
"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."