I wondered what was up Zduriencik’s sleeves, and now we know. The Mariners have just traded fat slob pitcher Carlos Silva to the Cubs for Milton Bradley.
Here’s the dealio. Bradley and Silva make essentially the same amount over the next two years, and Milton doesn’t suck. That on it’s own makes the move passable. What makes it great, is that Bradley is ~10x better than Silva, so the Mariners just upgraded their roster significantly without spending money of giving up anything of value.
While Bradley has the reputation of being a clubhouse cancer, I don’t think he is. When he was playing everyday in Texas and the team was competing, he was quiet. The problem last year was him butting heads with Sweet Lou, which shouldn’t have surprised anyone. In a Mariners clubhouse full of rainbows and gumdrops, he’ll be fine. If not, there might be a tickle fight.
If you didn’t believe Jack Z wasn’t the best GM in baseball before this move, you better believe it now.
This post originated on MLB Notebook. Read more baseball content there, or follow me on twitter.
There goes the neighborhood!