Very early over/under for M's wins in 2009

[Sticky Spice]

I thought this was a pretty good column on Yahoo about Milton Bradley. This was my initial reaction as well...

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=sh-bradleymariners121809&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

I don't think it's a mistake at all. Silva was a sunk cost, so this like signing Bradley to a $3M a year deal. There's virtually no risk. In fact I wrote back in November that one move I'd make this offseason was to trade Silva for Bradley. You're basically turning a worthless pile into a great hitter with upside. Sure he's had some anger issues, but who cares? Hopefully Griffey will tickle him so much he's happy all year, he stays healthy, and hits like he did in Texas. If so, you just stole a great switch-hitter who fits the park great and whose skills addresses your team's biggest weaknesses (DH and OBP). If not, you cut him loose and move on. For the price, the gamble is absolutely worth it.

I'm stoked about the move. Now just get me Ben Sheets to be the #3 and all my 2010 Mariner dreams will have come true.

I thought the ending was pretty spot-on:

Whatever the rationale, it’s wrongheaded. The Mariners are repeating the mistake made by other GMs, from Paul DePodesta to Kevin Towers to Billy Beane and, of course, Hendry. A nurturing clubhouse environment, an attentive training staff, an everyday job and a spot in the middle of the batting order are irrelevant. All that has been attempted.

Bradley’s record is an indication his problem is organic. It’s far more likely about brain chemistry than circumstance. His stack will blow. It’s a matter of time. And all of the Mariners’ best-laid plans could be for naught.

Either you really underestimate the destructive power of a rotten apple or you're just a glass half full kinda guy. Here's hoping you're right!

[WaCougMBS]

I'm stoked about the move. Now just get me Ben Sheets to be the #3 and all my 2010 Mariner dreams will have come true.

Amen brotha!

[Big Pimpin]

I thought the ending was pretty spot-on:

Whatever the rationale, it’s wrongheaded. The Mariners are repeating the mistake made by other GMs, from Paul DePodesta to Kevin Towers to Billy Beane and, of course, Hendry. A nurturing clubhouse environment, an attentive training staff, an everyday job and a spot in the middle of the batting order are irrelevant. All that has been attempted.

Bradley’s record is an indication his problem is organic. It’s far more likely about brain chemistry than circumstance. His stack will blow. It’s a matter of time. And all of the Mariners’ best-laid plans could be for naught.

Either you really underestimate the destructive power of a rotten apple or you're just a glass half full kinda guy. Here's hoping you're right!

I won't argue that it's not a risk. But I have two comments. While the whole Cubs experience was definitely bad, he's also recently been with two teams, San Diego and Texas, who are similar to Seattle in that things are pretty laid back. He was also pretty well-behaved with both teams. Of course they were not without incident, as in San Diego the ump ripped on him and he reacted poorly and he apparently tried to fight an announcer while with Texas. But the incidents were minimal, and he seemed to be (for him at least) generally happy and productive.

Secondly, the guy they traded was a cancer himself as recently as 2008. He was the guy who famously ripped Ichiro for being selfish while sitting 4-15 (or something equally ridiculous). He was a big part of the finger-pointing blamefest that was the toxic 2008 clubhouse.

Anyway, I don't think that the M's believe they're going to change Bradley, or even that his temper won't ever boil over. They simply hope that he can be somewhere without a lot of pressure, around a lot of guys who seem to genuinely get along, in a clubhouse with one of his heroes, and he can be generally happy and productive. And if you're going to take a chance on having a jackass on the team, you might as well trade the one without any ability for one who's at least got some skills.