On Bradley for Silva
Catching still further up: we’ve been asked a lot whether a Carlos Silva for Milton Bradley trade makes sense, or is likely, and so forth. I know it’s tempting, since we’re all really tired of Silva and he and Bradley both have massive contracts their teams would like to dump. So let’s consider briefly:
Bradley is due $9m next year and $12m in 2011. The Cubs recently “vehemently” denied that they might trade him for Toronto’s Vernon Wells (signed through 2014 at $12.5m, $23m, $21m, $21m, $21m). But the media at large seems to consider it possibly they’d trade for Gary Matthews Jr, due $11m and $12m, who is absolutely terrible and unwilling to accept that.
Or Pat Burrell, who’ll make $9m next year. If you’re the Cubs and these are on the table, I think you take Burrell, who had an awful 09 after years of being a productive hitter. At least Burrell can be a useful piece of even an NL team.
Then to Silva. Silva’s slated to make $11.5m for the next two years, and then you need to buy his 2012 option out for $2m. Now if we’re total robots about it, we can look at his 08 and find reasons he was unlucky and should be a decent enough middle-of-the-rotation guy. And last year he was injured, sure. But he’s looked terrible and been battered for two years now. He was such a bad clubhouse guy when the team was down they hired two (two!) players and a new managerial staff to improve things. If Silva was a free agent right now, what do you think he’d get? He’d probably be looking at a one-year turnaround deal for say $3m, more or less, depending on who bit.
Meanwhile, Milton Bradley isn’t a full-time player, but he hits. He also comes with a long, long history of issues, sure, but some AL team not already too tired of him would certainly throw a lot more they would at Silva to put Bradley at DH and maybe spend some time in the outfield if he’s particularly healthy. Or any team with a really, really good player’s manager who has had success dealing with challenging players and keeping them out of trouble and in the lineup.
So say you’re the Cubs. You’re determined to trade Bradley as far away as possible. You reasonably believe that if you traded him for the standard-issue random A-ball pitcher with a live arm you’d need to put $6m into the deal to get the other side to bite.
Why wouldn’t you do that instead of trading for Silva? Even if it’s $8m, or $10m?
For this to happen, you have to have two teams that each think that trading one expensive boondoggle for a different expensive boondoggle is a good thing.
Even if that was likely, what would be the point?
Change of scenery.
You’d prob have to throw in a little something extra to pull this off. Something like Silva-Lopez for Bradley-Fontenot might work.
I’d rather eat Silva’s super-sized contract and have him pitch long relief than trade him for a clubhouse cancer like Bradley.
Wasn’t the chef a clubhouse cancer last season?
Wait…idea out of this post…can’t we just feed the contract to Silva? I mean, the guy already eats everything right?
I never thought I’d hear myself say this but, I would prefer Silva (in this scenario). Besides, can you imagine what Bradley would do if Sweeney tried to hug or tickle him? Not pretty…
On the face of it, I’m a bit on the fence with this one.
But, here’s what I’m thinking- Bradley’s skills are most likely in decline, he gets hurt far more often than he used to.
And with Bradley, it has never been a question of if he will do/say something to ignite controversy/stir the cancer pot…only a matter of when.
Declining talent + explosive temper= headache we are in no position to afford.
I realize that same equation might well apply to Silva, too…but Bradley’s rap sheet is far more extensive, so I’m taking him as the greater of the two devils.
The guy (Bradley) is a time bomb that has to explode every now and then. Ten-plus seasons in the majors and a half-dozen incidents that should embarrass a man into figuring things out…have not done so.
Therefore, I hold very little hope that he becomes any reasonable facsimile of Emily Post were he to come to Seattle.
I also will go ahead, bite the bullet…and admit to my suspicion that Carlos Silva will re-claim his career- to some extent- in 2010.
I know about how lousy of a ML-pitcher he’s been. I know about his velocity decrease, and his non-existent breaking-stuff. But, this guy has been successful at this level before (and yes, so has Bradley).
I think anyone who’s had a taste of success at this high of a level has at least a fighting chance to re-gain it once they’ve fallen.
And I can’t forget the images I saw of Silva last year…of a man genuinely looking for answers, as everything he ever built for himself threatened to collapse in a gi-normous heap of “has-been” rubble and flames.
I’m not sure how Silva would come back, what could trigger any kind of revival. An increase in velocity? Figuring out how his change-up became just another meat fastball? A new pitch?
But with Bradley and Silva both needing a career resurrection, I’m infinitely more willing to give Silva that chance to do so within the confines of my organization….at least Silva hasn’t set a match to every single thing that ever supported him or tried to give him the benefit of the doubt.
In this case, I think the devil we know is better than the devil we don’t.
Oh, come now…don’t you remember how he invited all the guys over for BBQ at his place in Minny that one night? 🙂
Seriously, though, if you had to have a guy with an “issues” history as a DH, at least MB >>> than Carl Everett was. What I think might be more fun, though, would be watching how severely Lou blows his stack every time Silva were to have a bad start — which is likely to be often.
Milton Bradley reminds me of Carl Everett. At least Silva can be hidden in mop-up work
You can’t be serious about Burrell going back to that NL. That makes about as much sense wiping your butt before you poop.
I think a Carlos Silva for Oliver Perez would be a good move for both teams. Silva is owed 25M in total for the next two years and a buyout. Perez is owed 24M over the next two years. The Mariners could save 1M in the deal, while the Mets could reunite Silva with Santana and hope it propels Silva to become a more productive piece of the rotation.
I think that assumes Santana and Silva get along.
It does. If they do it seems like a match for two struggling players that could use a change of scenery after given large contracts.
I’m curious though that Silva actually might have something to offer after his 08 season. I know what you might be thinking (4-15 record, 213 hits in 153 innings and 6.46ERA). But its just that ERA that doesn’t seem to match up with his earlier statistics and his 4.63FIP. I think a healthy Silva in 09 really could have built some value considering the defensive greatness of that team.
You know, as much as I dislike Silva, I still can’t blame him for taking the money Bavasi threw at him….
Silva’s agent: “Holy crap, the Mariners want to give you 48 million bucks!”
Silva: “…….any good restaurants in the area?”
Silva’s agent: “Well, the original Ivar’s is a historical landmark. I also hear that Dick’s has some good burgers–:
Silva: “–where do I sign my name?”
If a team would give the Cubs even a marginal prospect to take some of his salary, I’d prefer it than taking back somebody else’s problem contract/player.
I actually would be ok with them just cutting him if there’s no other option to get return on the contract.
However, I don’t think the Cubs are going to see it that way. Burrell would be a decent option because they could flip him to another team.
The Cubs are going to take a bath on this, it’s how much value they can get in return either in a player, a prospect or salary relief.
Whether or not you like Silva personally, he can’t do much damage to the team as a long reliever. In fact, as a long man he’d be more beneficial to the team than just eating Bradley’s contract. I’d hope the Mariners would pick up a huge chunk of Silva’s remaining deal since they’re getting a potentially much more valuable piece and everything has to fall just right for the Cubs to get any value from him either as a player or a trading chip.
I’m rambling… maybe more some other time.
I doubt seriously that the Cubbies would do a straight swap of contracts, it would have to be a plus player(s) and/or cash with Silva. Unless Silva shows some significant improvement in spring training time I say cut him lose, eat the monetary loss and save the roster spot for someone with some potential upside.
We don’t hate/blame Silva for his contract. We hate/blame Bavasi for his contract. We hate/blame Silva for being Silva — sucking on the mound, and threatening to beat up Ichiro in the clubhouse.
While we’re on it, a reminder that it may not have been Silva who talked of beating up Ichiro. I’m not sure “clubhouse cancer” is the right description for either of these guys. Bradley has flipped out at managers, umpires, front offices, and announcers, but I don’t recall much documented about him having issues with teammates. And Silva gets frustrated at times and talks that way, but he also gives out lots of big, wet, sloppy kisses. In both cases, the extra baggage makes me even less inclined to want them, but I think assuming either will affect team chemistry in a particular direction is jumping to conclusions.
That one catch GMJ made him worth his contract.
Well stated Mr Snow.
Now that I think about it, I believe that you are quite correct.
My apologies go out to Carlos Silva. You were everything we
expectedhoped for.(Now will you please retire so we can be rid of Bavasi once and for all?)Milton Bradley in a Mariners uniform:
No, hell no, and never.
Bad fit, way more problems than he’s worth. Ask Piniella how he feels about Bradley now. Lou took a chance on him last year, look what he got in return.