By Phil RogersThe Cubs continue trying to find ways to move Milton Bradley in packages that would bring them second baseman Luis Castillo from the Mets. The latest, according to sources, is a three-team deal with the Rangers that would send send the Rangers' No. 1 starter, Kevin Millwood, to New York.
A source with the Cubs believes this proposition has legs, saying, "there's a deal to be made there.'' But the Rangers haven't committed to the return of Bradley, who played in Texas before signing with the Cubs, and would need the Cubs and maybe the Mets to kick in money to pay most of the $21 million remaining on Bradley's contract before doing any deal.
Texas believes it has enough pitching depth to move Millwood, who is due to earn $12 million in the last year of his contract. The Mets are searching for pitching.
Photo: Luis Castillo tries to turn a double play. (MCT)
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I GUESS ANYWAY WE CAN GET RID OF BRADLEY IS GOING TO HELP.
WOULD PREFER A SHORT STOP---THERIOT WOULD MAKE A BETTER 2ND BASEMAN
Watch out for the train wreck that will be the 2010 Cubs: They have overrated and overpaid "stars" like Soriano and Zombrano; Guys on the downside of their careers like Lee and Ramierez; A manager who has lost his fire and is ready to retire. So-so starting pitching; Basket cases like Bradley; They get rid of the gritty guys like DeRosa, Fox and Reed Johnson. Forget about it Cub fans. They will tank in 2010 and have a new manager and GM in 2011 and the rebuilding years beyond.
Isn't it nice today, Thanksgiving, that Cub fans get to celebrate the fact that Milton Bradley is still a Cub...
In a few weeks, you'll be able to celebrate Christmas knowing Bradley is still with your club.
And, soon, spring training, followed by Easter Sunday and the regular season!
Milton Bradley and Chicago Cubs fans...
Two entities,
made for each other!
That's funny.
A guy like Bandman, one of many male Cub fans that showed their undying love and affection for Mark DeRosa in 2008 and nearly committed suicide when the Cubs traded him, is hinting that all White Sox fans are homosexuals?
Nada Surf on November 21, 2009 1:19 PM
"I love the taste of a real man in the morning."
....Vito!?!...what the %#@! are you doing here?
I guess there's a gay Nada that hangs here..
I'm the hetero Nada.
The Sox fan.
You know, if you kidnapped the GM's of the various teams and d tortured them long enough, you could probably get them to make some of the trades with the Cubs the people in this thread are recommending. But not otherwise.
I can answer some of the questions being asked here.
Blanco can't hit well enough to play every day, and Starlin Castro probably won't be ready for the bigs until late in the season. You need somebody to play shortstop until then. It's Theriot, despite his lack of range and general unfitness for the position (the man is a second baseman). So the second base combination would be Theriot and Castillo for most of the season in any case.
When Castro is ready, Theriot could still spell him at short and Castillo at second. The Cubs would have all the depth you could want in the middle infield. But somehow we have to have somebody who can play second until Castro can take over at short. Let Castillo and Theriot battle it out for the job after that.B
SEPARATING MILTON BRADLEY from the CUBS has to be a major focus, but if we have to pay any part of the $21 mill. which is still owed, then I would forget about the RANGER/MET involvement; and in turn do a deal with another team who also owns an overpaid albatross, who with a change in scenery, might just be able to make the deal a WIN/WIN for both teams. I still like a trade with the SF GIANTS to acquire BARRY ZITO and perhaps AARON ROWAND in exchange for BRADLEY and FUKUDOME !!!
I think moving theriot to second is ridiculous. Hes been the cubs most consistent player on both sides of the ball. Milton has gotta go. i say soriano in left, fuld in center, and fukudome in right. Fuld gives you a quick, leadoff type hitter, who has already shown defensive excellence.
Anyone else think this Castillo thing doesn't make any sense? Isn't the consensus that we need to move Theriot back to 2B? I mean he's solid defensively, but he's just not a shortstop. So why would we want another 2B? Assuming that you are like me and want to see Theriot playing everyday at 2B, the Cubs need to find a SHORTSTOP. Which is not a huge deal because the Cubs have some viable prospects: Andres Blanco and Starlin Castro.
So what's with all this lust for Castillo?
Well, I guess anybody can be Nada Surf on this site.
Re-signing Grabow was a good move. Now make the 3-way deal with the Mets and Rangers, ship the over-the-hill Castillo somewhere and send Jim Hendry to the ex-Cubs GM Team joining Larry "Remember Me For Letting Greg Maddux Go" Himes and Ed Lynch. The Ricketts Family would have made a great start to rebuilding this (sorf of) once-proud major league franchise.
There's only one Nada Surf, and it's this one.
Look for the capital S in Surf.
They have to trade Bradley to Rays for their DH/ Left Pat B & move soriano to right , cubs need to trade there shortstop to A's for crosby , sign Dodgers second baseman get rid baker, and their second string second baseman mike F, trade centerfielder way and pick up ankiel , and bring back mark D. pick up srating pitcher that what would make logical thinking , they would win with that , but it won't happen
StevenD's trade scenario below makes absolutely no sense.
You are basically going to give up Carlos Zambrano for a return that will net you a lesser, older starting pitcher that you don't need, an older and possibly declining second baseman with a huge contract, and a centerfielder who has yet to live up to his huge contract.
No.. no...no. If Z is going to go, Z is going to go to a club that is going to net the Cubs at least two young hotshot prospects. Not for someone else's underachieving and expensive players.
That would be an excellent deal for the Rangers...until Milton lands on Boardwalk when someone else owns it.
those legs belong to Phil Rogers. as for CF, Phil said trade your future SS (Castro) and your run stopper (Marmol) for Granderson. so now we'll lose in the 9th more.
"Keep Bradley. They'll name a street after him like they did Mark Grace and Ryan Dempster."
There already is a bradley st. in chicago
Nada Surf...is about time you came to your senses. Never root for that southside team again, ya hear?
i don't believe it. seems too good to be true.
Grace and Dempster, you left out two other Cub legends: Mitch Webster and Kevin Foster
Alan,
You're right. I heard that one time he successfully predicted a coin flip. But just once.
Joel , thats not true. Phil was right one time about an eating esablishment in Shreveport , La.
The post by J is right on: why get rid of bradley and add more crap--an over-the-hill Castillo? Because Hendry doesn't know how to BUILD a team. Year after year he throws money at aging veterans, hoping that this year's desperate spending spree results in a hail-mary WS appearance. No long term plan is discernible because there isn't one. Spend $130 million and cross your fingers is Tommy Boy Hendry's plan.
I love the Cubs. It really doesn't matter what they do, I'm behind it 100%.
I'm totally obsessed with the Chicago Cubs.
GO CUBBIES!!!!
If this deal doesn't wok out , try to at least get a bag of used balls and some extra bats.
Keep Bradley. They'll name a street after him like they did Mark Grace and Ryan Dempster.
If the Cubs will have to eat all or part of Bradleys salary and they can't move this slug what do you do? I would send him to the A team that is at the most remote part of North America and let him sit on the bench for the entire season. Maybe this jerk would learn something in the process.
"A source with the Cubs believes this proposition has legs..."
And I bet that source is Hendry. The same guy whose made mistake upon mistake (Bradley, Soriano, Gregg, Trading Mark DeRosa, Not signing McLouth, etc...etc...etc)his entire time with the Cubs.
I've seen better legs on a table than this proposition.
I'm fine with this deal, but what do we do about center field?
Cubbie Fans: Get comfortable with idea of Bradley being on the team this year! Learn to love him!
Who in their right mind would make a trade for Bradley? If a team is already in the dumpster and doesn't mind taking on a head case just to add to their fans' misery? Cubs should take their medicine and keep Bradley because no team should be interested in him. Look at what he didn't do for the Cubs!
I there anyway sorryano could be added in this trade? Please!
Texas receive:
Mike Fontenot
Milton Bradley
Chicago receive:
Kevin Millwood
Luis Castillo
Carlos Beltran
New York receive:
Carlos Zambrano
Micah Hoffpauer
Tyler Colvin
Manure out.
Manure in.
More new manure at Wrigley this year.
You know that if Bradley goes he's going to "Cedric Benson" his way to a big year next year. If he stays he'll have rabbit ears and end up melting down again. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
I like this deal. Sounds like a win-win for everybody involved (even though Castillo is on the downward slide)
I think it's important for everyone to remember the Cubs are still going to be eating a portion, if not all, of Bradley's contract in this or any other deal. Instead of bringing in more cr@p why don't they just release him? I have no interest in Castillo. They need to move Theriot to second anyway and Fonteno qualified for arbitration.
Anything to get rid of him......he's a cancer in the clubhouse.
It was Castillo who hit the Bartman foul ball. Oh, the irony. Would that be good or bad karma for the Cubs?
Milwood had 1 good year in his career. He is a #4 starter, at best. Cubs should definitely make this deal - help themselves and hurt the Mets!
Why would Texas do this? This must involve some other players going from the Mets to Texas. If the Cubs absorb most of Bradley's contract, the Mets must be absorbing most of Castillo's.
Texas has pitching depth? Since when? That has been their achiles heel for quite some time.
Regardless....if they can bring in Castillo it'll be a better option than keeping Bradley. It fills a hole at 2nd base(Miles) and they still manage to gain a lefty bat and leadoff type hitter that can spray the ball. That is...if he has anything left and is not washed up.
It's worth the risk. A bad Luis Castillo is still better than Miles or Fontenot.
Let him play if it's going to be giving up too much for him to be gone. He cant possibly do worse than last year.
Rumor is that the Cubs will only do the deal if it nets them Millwood and also Carlos Beltran. LOL.
Seriously, this is ridiculous. The Cubs will struggle to *give away* Bradley, while picking up most of his contract. Some teams are trying to shed big contracts of good players, to say nothing of those asked to go home before the season was over. There was a small item in the paper this morning about overall revenue in the MLB falling by 7 percent last year. No one wants Bradley, or his big contract. I'd try to work it out with him, ease him back onto the Cubs and see if his value rises.
This deal is not happening. Not even being discussed. Multiple sources have confirmed that. Phil Rogers has never been right about anything.
I'll believe it when i see it. I still can't believe the Rangers or any other m.l. team wants to take Bradley onto their teams, even if the Cubs were willing to pick up his entire contract. I actually think Bradley either ends back up on the Cubs roster, or else the Cubs pay Bradley his two remaining years salary and Milton retires. Any other result would be, a i'll believe it when i see it deal.
Kinda wish the cubs could add on Millwood for the pitching depth!! The only way i like the Castillo idea is if he is
batting behind Granderson !!!! ( what do u guys think?)
Great idea. Cubs need a 2nd baseman, even if a journeyman veteran like Castillo. If they can get Texas to take on Bradley's contract, amen to that. good riddance.
Awesome! This works great because the Cubs don't need pitching.... oh wait.
The Cubs are crazy to take Castillo. Millwood was great for the Rangers last year. W/out Harden, they need another proven arm. Texas is in a cash crunch too. Keep the Mets out of the deal.
Great, great trade for the Mets. Getting their number 2 starter in exchange for Castillo is thievery.