UPDATE: Turns out, it was just a temporary stay of execution for Bradley, as the Mariners have now designated him for assignment while recalling prospect Carlos Peguero from Triple-A.
It’ll be interesting to see what kind of market there is for Bradley as a free agent given that he hasn’t hit well in several years and has already played for (and presumably burned bridges with) the Mariners, Indians, A’s, Dodgers, Rangers, Padres, and Cubs.
My guess is he winds up accepting a minor-league deal.
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Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times and Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner don’t always agree on all things Mariners, but today they both wrote that Seattle should get rid of Milton Bradley.
Once upon a time the thought of putting up with Bradley’s on- and off-field antics may have seemed like a worthwhile tradeoff for solid production from a switch-hitting corner outfielder, but Bradley simply hasn’t hit since joining the Mariners.
He batted .205 with a .641 OPS in 73 games last year and is hitting .218 with a .669 OPS through 28 games this year, which would be awful production from a choir boy with a great glove, let alone a pain in the ass whose best position is designated hitter.
Baker writes that Bradley’s “behavior is starting to impact games” and speculated that he could be on the verge of being released, but instead the Mariners created a roster spot for call-up Mike Wilson by designating a different outfielder, Ryan Langerhans, for assignment.
Apparently they aren’t ready to cut bait on him quite yet, but Cameron notes that Bradley wasn’t even great for the Cubs in 2008 and is 33 years old, so even setting aside the various headaches he brings to a team the odds are stacked against him bouncing back in a big way.