As expected, the Mariners were unable to find a team interested in trading for Milton Bradley after they designated him for assignment last week, so they’ve outright released the veteran outfielder.
The fact that no team was willing to take on what’s left of the $12 million Bradley is owed for this season is no surprise, although presumably the Mariners would have offered to eat nearly all of that money to get anything in return.
Bradley is now a free agent, with Seattle on the hook for his entire contract, which means any team that signs him now could pay him just a prorated portion of the MLB minimum. Or about $250,000.
However, my guess is he’ll have to settle for a minor-league contract and hit his way back to the majors, because in addition to his well-documented history of “incidents” Bradley also hasn’t produced at the plate since 2009.