Although I’ve been saying it since late 2008 (after vociferously opposing his signing in the first place), others are jumping on the bandwagon that Kosuke Fukudome needs to go – not just because of his annual post-April/May swoon, but because he’s a continued, looming threat to giving Tyler Colvin a real chance to succeed as a starter.
If the Cubs have decided that the job should be Colvin’s, then he needs a month or two to settle into it. And that can be best accomplished without Fukudome playing the role of Mike Lowell.
Fukudome will be hard to trade — almost as difficult as Bradley last winter. He has roughly $21 million left on his contract between now and the end of next season, and sitting on the bench won’t do wonders for his trade value.
Hendry has to hope that an interested team is looking to unload a similarly overpaid player from the 2011 free agent class. Time for another swap of bad contracts.
One more thing to keep in mind: Fukudome has a no-trade clause that permits him to block a deal to 15 teams, according to a major-league source. Couple that with his salary, and it will be a challenge for the Cubs to trade Fukudome. FOX Sports on MSN.
The Washington Nationals are in the market for a lefty-hitting right fielder, but Washington is allegedly on Fukudome’s list of 15 teams to whom he can’t be traded without his permission.