Many pundits would have been surprised weeks ago if you’d told them then that Milton Bradley would still be a Cub now. But so it is. And unfortunately, so much of what the Cubs hope to accomplish this offseason is tied to what happens with Bradley – if they can’t cut some of his salary, they can’t add much; if they don’t move him, they don’t need a new center fielder.
There is interest, though, and hopefully there will be some movement soon.
Four to six teams have expressed interest in acquiring Milton Bradley, with the interest in varying degrees, depending on how much of the $21 million still owed the outfielder that the Cubs are willing to pick up.
However, top officials at both the Rangers and Cubs on Friday denied a Chicago Tribune report, which outlined a three-team swap that included the Mets. The proposed deal had Bradley going to the Rangers, who would ship Kevin Millwood to the Mets. The Cubs would get second baseman Luis Castillo from New York. Muskat Ramblings.
We know at least three of the four to six teams with some level of interest in Milton Bradley: the Tampa Bay Rays, the New York Mets, and the Texas Rangers. The Detroit Tigers are likely a fourth team.
The three-way swap is unlikely if for no other reason than the money would be very difficult to work out with three teams. If the Cubs could save some money and net Luis Castillo in the process, you’d have to believe they’d be happy to do so.
My guess is that the Bradley-Pat Burrell swap is still the most likely scenario, and the teams are simply trying to come to terms on the money part of the deal. Additionally, the Cubs are likely looking to determine whether there is a certain destination out there for Burrell if they decide to spin him off thereafter. Of course, if there were, why wouldn’t the Rays just send him there? Because they want Milton Bradley as his replacement, but only if he’s super cheap. And so the dance comes full circle.