According to FoxSports.com, the Cubs are looking for a center fielder, but first must trade OF Milton Bradley to determine how much they can spend on the free-agent market.
Mike Silva of NYBD wonders whether it would be worth it for the Mets to take on Bradley, in exchange for 2B Luis Castillo.
…like Ted Berg wrote about at Ted Quarters the other day, it’s pretty clear the Mets and Cubs are working to find a home for bradley, in a three-way deal that would send castillo to chicago… so, since the obvious solution would be to just swap the two players, and that hasn’t happened yet, with both GMs clearly looking for a third party, i think it’s safe to assume the Mets have no interest in bradley, otherwise he’d be on their team by now…
…i have no interest in bradley… he’s never played with any sort of emotional or physical consistency, and so, i have no idea what the Mets would be acquiring… i’d rather have castillo and his contract at second, than bradley and his contract in left, put it that way…
Castillo will earn $6 million each of the next two seasons, while Bradley is due $10 million each of the next two seasons.
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I would trade Castillo for Bradley, only if you can acquire a top notch catcher or second baseman somehow
No thank you…
I fear that Omar is bent on moving Castillo and has grasped onto this Bradley trade as the vehicle of his exit that he will blow the rest of the offseason. Nobody will take on the mess known as Bradley. This is a waste of time.
How about this:
Cubs get: Luis Castillo
Giants get: Milton Bradley
Mets get: Jeremy Affeldt
Affeldt let the NL in holds and is a lefty that we can pair up with Feliciano. He’s got some nice #’s and be a strong addition to the bullpen.
This will also allow Bradley to go back home to sunny Calif and maybe not be so cranky.
Lastly this will get Castillo off our books and out of our way. We can then sign a better option at 2B in O-Hudson.
Sign Hudson to a 1 yr deal @ 4.5 million
Take Affeldt’s contact on at $4million (he’s a FA after 2010 is over).
I certainly wouldn’t mind this proposal, but do the Giants need Bradley?
giants are looking fro a rf and cant afford top guys
Sorry… I’ll believe another team actually wants Castillo when a trade goes down.
Wo do u think he is worth. Meaning what type of player will we get back?
*Who
Why would Hudson sign a 1-year deal for less money that he got (including incentives) in ‘09, UNLESS no one wants him, which says a lot in itself? The Mets have nothing to gain by trading Castillo for Bradley, ADDING salary needed for pitching.
Why not trade Ollie for Bradley, since they both have the same salary, and use the available cash for pitching, pitching, and…………….more pitching?
I’d probably sign Hudson to a 2 year 10 mill deal at most.
I wouldn’t swap Castillo for Bradley. I would rather trsde Castillo for a bullpen guy or a bench guy. Since I doubt that we’ll trade for Phillips and Arroyo or Harang, we should trade him for bench or bullpen guys.
For me, it’s a matter of money.
I would be open to Bradley actually, but only if we’re taking no financial risk other than sunk cost.
Essentially, Castillo is the equivalent of a replacement level player, and struggles to produce a 100 OPS+ number (usually falls short). His 12MM due over the next two years is sunk cost.
The only value to Castillo is his experience. While you know he’s not going to help you much, you know he understands the game, his position, and wont kill you either. Moving Castillo opens up a need at second base … but considering the Mets are 100% certain they need an upgrade at 2B anyway, that is a wash.
So, the key becomes the 12MM owed to Castillo versus the 21MM due to Bradley. While Bradley is the better player (even with the injury problems, he is similar to Cliff Floyd in that regard), his potential attitude problems are a major problem.
Now, if the Cubs are willing to give the Mets Bradley and 8MM for Castillo, essentially making the sunk cost on salaries a wash just to change the scenery, I would do it. Worst case scenario, Bradley is a problem/cancer and I would just release him. But there is an outside chance that Bradley would actually be a productive player for a period of time before injury or outburst.
If right now I told you that it would cost us nothing to replace Castillo with Bradley on the roster for the next 2 years, with the option to release Bradley at any time if there is a problem (zero tolerance policy made clear to him), if you wouldn’t do it then you aren’t thinking like someone hungry to win :)
you make excellent points. But what about hue opportunity cost of not upgrading LF due to the resence of Bradley. If Pagan / FMaet is acceptable then releasing Bradley would result in Pagan / FMaet as fully time and, if he were acceptable prior to Bradley, then you are no worse off with a potential to improve two positions for minimal cost.
The Cubs need a 2B, which leads me to believe that they would pay the difference of the contract to make the deal happen.
I do think a highly motivated Bradley in a very secondary role with the Mets with his career on the line would be interesting. As important, the Mets would now have 2B free and would be able to sign Hudson.
I think the combination of these two moves gets the Mets off to a fast start in their attempt to reshape the team. With Bradley and Hudson, the Mets would have a much more potent lineup and would have an edge to them. Hudson is a true leader and a gold glove 2B. As much as people are critical of Bradley, it shouldn’t be forgotten that he could be a very dangerous #7 hitter.
Mets would also have plenty of money left for Molina, Sheets, and a reliever
Reyes Hudson Beltran Wright Delgado Franceour Bradley Molina
Johan Sheets Perez Pelfrey Maine
I’d go to war with that team…
Hmm, about 20M.
Molina would cost a high round 2 pick. Maybe Olivo or Barajas. Thoughts?
I’m not a big fan of Hudson, but there is little else out there.
Add Hardin which still brings it in under 30M and there’s still room for a Gonzalez for the pen, plus no impact on what prospers we have.
If you assume FMart can be an effective #7 hitter by mid-season then all you really need is for Bradley to be healthy and behave for half the season.
Right, the key to me is upgrading the team without trading prospects. I am fine with Harden too- I personally think Sheets is more proven- but Harden has similar upside, The thing that concerns me about Harden is that he has only thrown 145+ innings once in 6 years. Sheets, if healthy, is more of an innings eater and more likely to be a top #2.
Mike Gonzalez would be a great signing too. The Mets NEED a 2nd quality lefty. As for Molina, he is a character guy and that is why I see the appeal.
I meant Sheets and Harden
Gonzalez is also a backup if FRod has trouble that is why I like himr
I don’t see Bradley being moved unless the Cubs eat up some money. I don’t see any 3 Way deals working. If it’s all about moving bad contracts. You might need a 4th team ? The Mets will have to take a bad contract in return if the cubs took Castillo and it is apparrent the Mets won’t take Bradley. I’d rather keep Castillo over Bradley. Here’s a far fetched deal.. Halliday & Overbay to the Mets, Castillo & Vernon Wells to the Cubs and Toronto gets a prospect from the Cubs plus F-Mart & Tejada & Maine
bradley is bad but NOBODY is taking on that vernon wells contract…i am not even sure if a team would take wells and haliday alone….
Vernon Wells has 5yrs/124mil left. Basically you’d be paying him to be the 2nd or 3rd highest player in the league. No GM in their right man would take that on.
not in a million years … there is not one positive aspect to be had from this trade
Bradley is a negative, yes. So why don’t they just release Castillo, not be forced to take on another high-priced malcontent who the manager feels obliged to give playing time due to his contract and attitude if not playing, and also send a message to the team this year that says if we want to upgrade the team, you could be gone regardless of your contractual status.
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