Today, the Mariners officially placed Milton Bradley on the restricted list so he could sort out his personal issues. The team called up Michael Saunders in his place for the time being.
Bradley has been dealing with some severe emotional issues and finally reached out to his team for help. Bradley is hitting only .214 in 21 games this season, but has already had several off the field issues as well on-field confrontations. Honestly, the guy is wreck.
One would think that the 10 million dollar he is getting paid annually would calm him down, even if it is just about the money. Instead, Bradley has arguably been more of a distraction than anywhere else in his career, creating turmoil in the Cubs clubhouse and shaking up the Mariners clubhouse early, but in a bad way. He is playing for his ninth team, and it would come as no surprise to anyone if the team releases Bradley. Simply, The baggage outweighs the potential production.
One AL source said you would have trouble finding a team, in the AL or NL, that woud "give [Bradley] another chance." He is a .276 career hitter.
You have to feel bad for the guy. He has so much talent, but has so much built up anger that it distracts him from the real reason he is out here, to play baseball. If the Mariners tried to move Bradley, they could potentially contact the Royals about taking Jose Guillen.
The Royals have been trying to move Guillen for some time and may finally have a taker. However, would the Royals take Bradley. The fan base in Kansas City may be willing to give him a chance (it is Kansas, after all), but I would be surprised if GM Dayton Moore took a chance on a clubhouse disaster that Bradley is proving to be.
If you are a rival GM, do you give Bradley another shot?