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The One Good Thing About This Bradley Mess

If there's anything good about this Milton Bradley suspension other than not having to read about the last idiotic thing Milton said, is that the Cubs are calling up Tyler Colvin. Well it would be good if Lou Piniella wasn't managing, because then he would just play Sam Fuld, Jake Fox or Micah Hoffpauir and Tyler Colvin the rest of the season with a few at-bats for Kosuke Fukudome sprinkled in, but instead I imagine it'll be more Scales, Fuld and Fukudome than anything else and that makes me want to throw a brick at the TV screen. And let's say I wouldn't be all to upset if that brick magically traveled through that TV screen and knocked some sense back into Lou.

For those that might have missed the former #1 picks career arc, he was a suprise first round pick at #13 in 2006. There were reports later that some teams were thinking about taking him later in the first round, so there's no way he would have lasted to the Cubs next pick in the 5th round and then the Cubs picked up a first round talent in Jeff Samardzija who slipped because of his football committment at the time. Then the Cubs ruined it all by giving Samardzija a major league contract but that's for another time.

Colvin then had some decent seasons in Boise and Daytona in 2006 and 2007 but struggled badly in 2008 in Double A. Ended up that he had a bum elbow and went under the knife for Tommy John Surgery at the end of last year after trying to play in the Arizona Fall League. He was ready by the start of this year, but just in DH capacity and started the year off in Daytona. Once the Cubs felt he was healed up, they brought him back to Tennessee for his second tour and in half a season he put up a .859 OPS in what is normally considered a pitcher's league with 35 XBH's and earned Southern League player of the week twice in August. He still strikes out at a Mark Reynolds rate with no walks or patience to offset that, so let's just say I'm not on the edge of my seat, but I'd like to see the kid get plenty of opportunties to play the rest of the way.

Comments

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In reply to by Dr. aaron b

He hits a lot of triples--20 the last two seasons--so you may have to revise the part about average speed OR 15 HR power. Maybe the Cubs finally have a lefty hitter who can drive the ball to right and right center. I didn't see too many triples out of Choi, Hollandsworth, Burnitz, Jones, Edmonds, Fukudome, Bradley. (Fukudome actually has 8 in two seasons--not too bad.) I was disappointed, though, that Colvin didn't have a better series against Jacksonville. First of all, it counted. And will he have an easier time with the Brewers' pitchers?

Being the optimist that I am, I of the belief that he turned the corner this year-sometime around mid year. This sort of stuff does happen so rather than over analyze his stats, let's see what he can do. Never know he might do well enough to work himself into the plan for next year or good enough that someone else would want him. I'm referring to Colvin of course.

'Mark Reynolds' rate is a bit of hyperbole. If you project his AA numbers to 600 AB's (baseballcube doesn't have PA's) it comes to 180 hits, 25 doubles, 14 triples, 27 HR's, 10 SB's 2 CS 101 K's and 31 BB's. If he could do the same thing in the majors and play a solid RF -that's a pretty solid ballplayer.

Reed Johnson activated to take some ab's away from the younger players and Thomas Diamond DFA'd. Since he made it to the Cubs through waivers, there's only a few NL teams that would have to pass on putting him on their 40-man. I mean some AL teams and the NL teams below the Cubs could have a change of heart too.

lilly out WED start (shoulder soreness), samninja in... via the medium that's allowing carrie muskrat to use her access to her advantage while forcing her to a word limit getting to the point...twitter.

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In reply to by The Real Neal

i dont have a twitter, but you can bookmark their feed pages like a regular html file...dunno if there's RSS for it. i dont "twit" in all seriousness, though, carrie is someone who's enjoyed longtime access to players and locker rooms. she's got 2 books to her name she's collecting paychecks for that are nothing more than pages-long stories players dictated to her that she edited together. nice racket. basically, she's showing she's good at breaking legit team news without having to wade through the bulk of her work that's just "regular fan, well duuuh" reading. the twitter format forces her to get it through to the point because of the character limit. heh...

bobby scales 1st in to PH and he stays in the game...awesome. about time this game got some scales in it. colvin 1-1 with a walk and a sac fly RBI...good for him...so far.

I really hate how Berg does the 'here's he ball, hit it' thing before he throws. Doesn't Gregg do that too? What ever happened to deception being a good thing?

There's a sponsored link for the article about the possible MB grievance -- it's an ad for taking an IQ test that states "Avg. Cubs IQ = 84". Really? How do they know this? If so, that's pretty scary (though doubtful). Given that some guys are at least of average intelligence, that would leave me wondering who the borderline morons are. For the record, I think the ad's claim is bogus. Still funny to think about, though.

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In reply to by Rob G.

I'm no fan of Milton Bradley, but I think the way the press is reacting really sucks. Sullivan's tweet about "popping the cork" is completely unprofessional and inappropriate. I also thought David Haugh's Trib article was a little over the top. As the season winds down and we head into the off season, I expect that some Milton Bradley stories will leak out. That's legit news. But rehashing the same story over and over so you can add a few insulting phrases (like Haugh calling Bradley a "designated pouter")is just too much.

from the link Rob posted... Listening to Bradley's (ex-)Cubs teammates bury him, there is no equation in which Bradley in a Cubs uniform adds up to success in 2010. This is a divorce with irreconcilable differences. Bradley surely would call it someone else's fault. He was unavailable for comment Monday, telling his mother he had conducted his last interview with Chicago media.

also in that link...Cameron? ewww. --- the Cubs will enter the offseason trying to trade Bradley and acquire a center fielder, moving Kosuke Fukudome back to right field. Rookie Tyler Colvin will get a look in the final two weeks, but the Cubs likely will seek a veteran willing to sign a one-year deal, hoping Colvin is ready by 2011. Milwaukee's Mike Cameron, who hit his 20th and 21st home runs Monday, is expected to be on their radar. Cameron plays solid defense and has been a clubhouse leader everywhere he has played, including under Piniella in Seattle.

For all the hate I have for the human being that is Bradley i don't want to waste $21 million on him. Whether you trade him and eat his salary, and bring in someone else to replace him your still paying the same. I will go back to my orginal point, get someone dependable to play RF and make Bradley your backup player. Nothing will be expected out of him, and he wont have the pressure of being the man in the middle of the lineup. Wipe the slate clean and start over from scratch, thats the only way to make it work in Chicago. Its not going to work with him being the starter and being a bitch when the team needs him to step on the field. Texas had options in the OF and a DH spot to hide him. You need that dependable option to counter act Bradley and his inconsistency. Go out and sign Abreu to a 2 year 15 million dollar deal. (or dangle Fox and Harden for Bj Upton) Let Bradley be Fukudome's platoon partner against LHP, our DH in interleague play and insurance against injury. Yeah he is still on the team and causing hell, but atleast he can be shunned and the team won't be relying on him to step on the field everyday. In fact just tell Bradley to go Albert Belle on the press and ignore them. Derrek Lee would probably gladly stand between Bradley and the Press and tell them to go away. Thats just the kind of guy I think Lee is. Most of all your still getting something back for the money your spending rather than paying him to go somewhere else. Thats the only way I would accept Bradley on the Cubs in 2010. I doubt his teammates who have to live and work with him for half the year feel the same. And if your entire team, and Andre Dawson of all people, is telling you your the problem, i think its pretty much over for Bradley.

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In reply to by MikeC

"For all the hate I have for the human being that is Bradley i don't want to waste $21 million on him." I can't see using the word 'hate' towards someone who actually hasn't ever done anything to me, but I hate the fact that Hendry so publicly suspended him, because it stripped away any trade value he may have had. If we sign a $7.5 million outfielder we will be spending what, $46.5 million on the outfield, with a fifth outfielder to add? Harden is a free agent, by the way, we can't trade him for anybody.

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In reply to by crunch

Thats one point of contention you and me don't see eye to eye. What are Bradley and his agent going to do if the Cubs bench him? Not show up and play? Thats fine by me, we can then stop paying him and he can sit out the next 2 years. There is not a damn thing Bradley or his agent can do to force the Cubs to start him in RF. No organization is going to be held with a knife to their throat to keep playing an under performing mental case. And no organization is going to accept said mental case and his agent dictating if he should start or not. Its a privilege to play baseball its not a god given right.

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In reply to by MikeC

"What are Bradley and his agent going to do if the Cubs bench him?" 1- if hendry/lou/cubs/etc. tried to make him a bench player him and his agent would call revolution and war on the cubs 2- hendry/cubs/etc. would have a LOT of trouble signing any FA afterward, esp. any clients of milton's agent 3- if he's healthy he's historically not a bad player...pretty damn good one if lou/hendry/cubs/etc. wanted to they can do just about anything to a player under their control, but there are repercussions. stuff like this just isn't done. it's his attitude, not performance, getting him in trouble. if it's about performance soriano would be a possible bench player...but that ain't gonna happen either.

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In reply to by crunch

Crunch, dude... it's my expressed opinion that he's not really that great. 701 OPS w/RISP... f that. Even pretending that he's a legit tier B player, he's a sociopath. Milton Bradley doesn't believe Milton Bradley is a bad guy. He believes he's just getting a bum rap and everyone is out to get him. Failure to recognize his own doucheyness qualifies him as a sociopath, as far as I'm concerned. Eat the contract. Some team will take him. There will be 3 or 4 teams thinking they will be the team to change Milton Bradley. Cubs will pay most of the contract, but it is what it is.

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In reply to by MikeC

The thing is, that you can call Bradley the 4th outfielder, but if he's healthy and is going good, he's going to be probably a better hitter than at least two of your three starters, so now you've got the other players on the team and Bradley himself wondering why he's not playing more, causing more tension. Derrek Lee hadn't, based on his quotes, seemed to have closed the door on Bradley. He's also one of the few Cubs having a good year. Maybe they should work up his DNA for that elusive cure to cancer.

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In reply to by The Real Neal

Chicago — seeking to host the Summer Olympics for the first time since 1996 — is in a tight contest with Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo and Madrid. i s'pose i was out of town during the 1996 chicago summer olympics. or maybe i had rented out my house to foreign interlopers? don't quite recall.

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In reply to by Dr. aaron b

is beautiful this time of year. If the Olympics do come to Chicago, I suggest you all rent your houses to foreigners and take two week vacations. The only thing that makes worse traffic than an Olympics is a hurricane evacuation.

Al Yellon says we should trade Milton for Vernon Wells. I know I shouldn't of done it but i decided to look for Milton Bradley takes and that was the first time i have been at his site since he wanted Zambrano traded over Barrett. I don't know how he gets 800 comments with that kind of stupidity, but geez he is as dumb as ever. Research Vernon Wells contract to figure out why this would be dumb, and why Toronto would trip over themselves to do it if the Cubs called.

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In reply to by MikeC

What about Wells and $20 million for Bradley? I am not sure how intent Toronto is on competing next year. Trading Wells would leave them shy a center fielder, but Bradley could work into the DH/ corner outfield rotation with Lind. It's not really that bad an idea. It would free Toronto from the long term commitment and it would free the Cubs from Bradley. If you just look at it as the Cubs are going to pay $21 million for nothing, then the trade is Wells for 5 years (ugh) and $86 million. If you could get that down to say $65 million, that would be a little more acceptable. You would also have to be reasonably certain that you could get Wells' bat going again, at least back to his 2008 standards for the majority of those five years. Maybe get wild and expand the deal to include Zambrano and Halladay.

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In reply to by The Real Neal

TRN -- You may find this shocking, but I agree with you. The only way the Cubs are going to be able to move Bradley is to 1) eat a huge chunk of his contract and likely get very little in return, or 2) take on another team's bad contract. Let's face it, for all of the Cubs problems with Bradley, Wells' contract is still a much worse problem for Toronto. And I don't really see a way they will ever be able to move Wells unless they couple him with Halladay (unless they're willing to pay a big portion of Wells' contract, which somewhat defeats the purpose). Bradley and Zambrano (if he'll waive his NTC) for Wells and Halladay makes some sense. Another possibility would be to trade Bradley to Texas for Michael Young. He has a horrible contract, but he's still a decent player.

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In reply to by Sweet Lou

If Hendry moves Milton back to Texas, I would be shocked if he could get Young in return, even if you consider his contract to be albatrossy. Can you imagine that negotiation? Daniels: Wait. In 2008 I had Milton and Young. I let Milton walk. If I do this deal I would have Milton, and your contract with Milton, and Milton's .240 average last year which might get better or it might not, and Milton's attitude which might get better or it might not, but not Young. Hendry: Yup! And plus, Young would really help me out with my fan base, because he seems like such a good guy and all-- Daniels: [click]

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In reply to by Pell Mell

PM -- I pretty much agree with you from a strictly baseball perspective, but the Rangers are having serious financial problems that are probably going to force them to make some moves this off season. Young is owed $84 million total through 2013 (much of it is deferred). Bradley is owed $20 million through 2011. If the Rangers make the deal, they get rid of a huge financial liability in exchange for a potential headache (Bradley) and a much smaller financial liability. Financially, the move works in the Rangers' favor. As for the Cubs, the move is not a good one, but no move involving Bradley is going to come out in the Cubs favor. They're just going to have to make the best of a bad situation and then move on.

I am really starting to warm to the idea that Hoffpauir can be one of our corner outfielders next year. Every time a ball gets hit to his field and I think 'oh shit, Hoffpauir is out there' he seems to make the catch (OK, that's only happened three times). I don't find myself saying 'goddamnit a real outfielder would have gotten that one'. His bat seems to be coming around and his ISO OBP is a lot higher than I would have expected. Being that we're going to be paying someone else $10 million next year to play our right fielder, Hoffpauir at $500K makes a lot of sense. Of course this is the similar logic that caused us to go into 2009 with Fountainout as a starter and that didn't work out so well. My suggestion would be that Hendry works up some kind of backup plan, like finding out what type of players a Luke Scott or Marlon Byrd would cost and pre-arrange a deal so one can be quickly made if Hoffpauir or Soriano fail.

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In reply to by Dusty Baylor

I want to say that Ankiel was going pretty good until he tried to play armor piercing bullet with the center field wall. He would be a boom/bust signing, and I am talking about like a $2.5 million contract with a bunch of PA incentives (assuming if he doesn't hit he doesn't play that much). He's left handed and hits for power, which is what Lou wants out of his #4 or #5 hitter. Another way to go would be to get a legitimate leadoff guy in there. Coco Crisp is probably going to be a free agent. I doubt that the Astros will make Bourne available, but they could.

Anyone else watching the game last night get a little envious see Hardy play shortstop? Knucklehead plays aside, Theriot just doesn't make plays that the average MLB shortstop does. While we're dreaming up ways to fix the 2010 Cubs, moving Theriot to 2nd would be one of my priorities.

Ummmm why not have a .393 OBP with 90 runs and 96 RBI? Some scrub named Bobby Abreu has done that repeatedly over his career. And I think Rob had a standing bet where he bet someone that Abreu wouldn't reach 100 RBI. Getting close Rob....

I just want to point this out again. If we are going to whine about Hendry making any obviously stupid decisions, suspending Bradley instead of putting him on the DL (the day he scratched himself with knee pain) has to rank higher on the list than actually signing Bradley, which at least had upside. Seriously, Hendry, WTF? Complete lack of savvy. I've got a new thing to complain about repeatedly.

What about Cubs get Kerry Wood and some cash from the Indians, Padres get Bradley and some cash from the Cubs and Indians get a prospect who's quality is dependent on how much money the Indians and Cubs throw in? The Giants also could use some offense and have a history of handling cantankerous players. Wonder if a Zito/Bradley deal would interest them.

myself...if the cubs are gonna get rid of attitude crap only to pick up production crap...just suck up the money and get on with life, imo. there's gotta be a slew of AL teams who would love to have bradley for 5-6m a year locked in for 2 years if they don't have to give up much. it seems the cubs are more than willing to piss away another chunk of millions to get rid of him and since he wasn't handled correctly it seems like the only sane thing. hope the bleacher creatures will get someone who will come to their kid's birthday parties and clean the snot from their kid's noses like they want.

It sounds like Lou has a fever and the only prescription is more Scales. Maybe they feel like they have a tradeable asset in Fox right now and they only thing playing him will do is potentially hurt that? It's the only explanation I can come up with of why we are seeing the Bobby Scales show in September with no hope of making the playoffs

I too long for the days when the sportswriters wrote about the games and not about their involvement with the players. It's almost as bad as those umpires who make the game all about their absolute power even when wrong. The blatant celebrating/taunting in print of MB's suspension by those covering the team imho should be reviewed by their management for possible suspension too. It won't happen but it sure looks unprofessional. Here are two of the last 3 twitter posts by Sullivan, it sure looks like he is giving Bradley's lawyer fuel for litigation for defamation even though one might just say his reputation is being "Sullied". 2) Party has moved to Wisconsin Avenue. Boom Boom Pow. The world is shaking and we're celebrating the moment. 1) The cork has finally popped in Miller Park press box. Cubs beat writers celebrate the end of an era. http://twitter.com/PWSullivan --- then there is Sully's 'hardball' blog style posts... http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports_hardball/2009/09/w… ...but if the union does file a grievance in the next day or two, Bradley could theoretically return to the Cubs as early as this weekend in San Francisco. It appears unlikely, but the way things have played out in the Bradley saga since April, nothing is out of the question... Remember, he appealed his suspension for allegedly bumping an umpire "on principle," even though Bradley was injured at the time and not playing anyway. Would he ask the union to file a grievance "on priniciple," even if it meant putting himself in the uncomfortable position of being around a group of players who have sided with management on his suspension?

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In reply to by Cubster

What fucking idiots. Are they getting enough oxygen up in the press box? The players haven't sided on management with the suspension, they think that part is horseshit. What the fuck do these morons think "I've never heard of a player getting suspended for talking to the media before" means? Who they have sided with is the rabid fans who think they should get to play GM. The fact that the media doesn't realize that Jones, Hawkins, Dusty and Bradley situations make the players afraid of the fans is almost beyond belief. What are Cubs 'fans' going to do if we don't have an African American to blame for a disappointing season?

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In reply to by The Real Neal

TRN -- I swear, it must seem like I always want to argue with you. That's not the case, but I just can't let this comment go. To write, "What are Cubs 'fans' going to do if we don't have an African American to blame for a disappointing season?" is incredibly insulting to Cubs fans and misstates the facts. As a Cub fan, I take exception to your assertion that Cubs fans in general are racist. If you had qualified your question by describing which Cubs fans are racist, I may have been able to ignore it. But to lump all Cubs fans together and say that we need an African-American to blame for a disappointing season is just plain wrong. Milton Bradley was the biggest symbol of failure for the Cubs this year. Notice, I didn't say he was the biggest "reason" for the Cubs failure. He was just the most obvious because of his less-than-expected performance and both his on and off field behavior. He was the lowest hanging fruit, so SOME fans went after him. In years past, that "lowest hanging fruit" was Jacque Jones or Todd Hundley, and the only thing those two had in common was performing below the level that was expected of them. I've been a Cub fan for a long time, and I can tell you that Cubs fans have embraced many, many African-American players. What they have not enbraced is poor performance or a bad attitude, regardless of the color of the player's skin.

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In reply to by Sweet Lou

Sorry if you think I implied all Cubs fans are racist. Is it all racially motivated? No. Do white players on the Cubs get called the N-word and get threatening letters? Compare, for example, though, Kevin Gregg coming into a game to close it out against LaTroy Hawkins. Were both of them met with an equal level of hostility? Hawkins couldn't even walk onto the field without getting booed, and his ERA with the Cubs was below 3. Yeah, below 3. Compare Hawkins to Dempster in 2006. Yeah, white players are treated the same. Compare Pinhead and Baker. Why has Pinhead taken so little heat for this season, compared to Baker in 2004? It's really beyond belief that any right-minded person could honestly say that the Cubs fans give an African American player the same benefit of the doubt as they do Caucasians and Latinos. You don't have to be wearing a sheet on your head and say the N-word all the time to have racism taint your actions. There are Cubs fans that are racist, at that racism taints their actions, and if you can't see it, your head is buried in the sand. Here's a list of the Cubs players who majorly underperformed expectations this year: Soto Gregg Marmol Ramirez Fontenot Bradley Zambrano Johnson Soriano Who was booed by far the most? Find the African American on the list. Now, do the same exercise for any year after 1998, and let me know what you come up with.

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In reply to by The Real Neal

...and who was the biggest prick on the list? Same guy. Gregg always took full blame when he (frequenlty) messed up. Marmol and Soriano have always stayed positive, even in the tough times. Johanson and Ramirez were hurt and don't belong on your list. Soto, Soriano, Marmol, Zambrano, etc. have been part of division winning teams and are part of the group than changed the Cub fan expectations from an occasional winning season to making the playoffs every year. Bradley came in with a bad rep and lived up to it while underperforming, and never once took responsibiliy for his actions. To answer your final question -- give Bob Howrey a call. Again -- I put this ALL on Hendry. To sign a well-documented prick who is high maintenance and emotionally fragile and put in in RF at Wrigley -- and bid against yourself to the tune of 3 years and $30 million because Mitlon batted his eyelashes and said he wanted to be a Chicago Cub -- was astonishingly stupid. If you don't want to get stung, don't pick up the scorpion.

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In reply to by billybucks

You're honestly comparing the treatment that Bob Howry got by the fans to the treatment Bradley has received? Was Jacque Jones a big prick? It seems that your definition of 'prick' is 'black guy who lashes out at the fans when they get booed'. Sammy Sosa is a good example as well. Sammy stays healthy and plays well, we love him. Sammy gets hurt and has an off-year - Cubs fans boo him so loud at the Cubs convention that Hendry feels forced to trade him for a bag of peanuts. I guess Sammy was a big prick too, he liked to listen to Salsa and Mariah Carey in the locker room - what an ass. Gregg always took full blame when he (frequenlty) messed up. When did Hawkins blame anyone else? Marmol and Soriano have always stayed positive, even in the tough times. Soriano was the first one to start pointing fingers in the clubhouse. That's staying positive, huh? Between the two of them they've been interviewed what, 20% as often as Bradley this year? There is no racism in Chicago, and you haven't been manipulated by the media. There you go, I said it, you win.

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In reply to by The Real Neal

Interesting point Neal. ..not sure that's fair to include Ramirez with numbers like he has .325/.393/.526. Reed Johnson? Lol...no at bats in August or Sept due to injury? Another point: Soto Gregg Marmol Ramirez Fontenot Bradley Zambrano Johnson Soriano Please point out the most arrogant, fan un-friendly, popping off in the media, can't stay in one place becasue of a bad rep, underperforming, injury prone player who got booed the most. Is color a factor there? BTW...Fontenot has more RBI than MB...lol..sorry Neal...couldn't resist. A pretty sad sack list there..for this season anyway..

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In reply to by The Real Neal

Zambrano is booed for all his pitching melt downs. Soriano was booed. Another thing they have in common with Bradley is that they are the highest paid players on the team.I think the fans look at one color- green, who's being paid alot. Hawkins was vocal against the fans saying "they could not do his job". That's when the real booing began. Hawkins too was a high paid free agent. I don't know why you limit until after 1998, I guess the racist showed up the same time the expectations of winning went up. But I do recall a highly paid FA who was white, grossly underperformed and has a father who was beloved Cub(he's a legacy from Harrisburg) who was booed relentlessly when he played. Todd Hundley. I can go on, the face of the franchise is Derek Lee, Mr. Cub, the retired numbers, Sammy...

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In reply to by jacos

There's a difference between being booed for a meltdown and being booed uproarisly every time you make an out. Here was Todd Hundley's first year as a Cub: .187 .268 .374 with 31 RBI's By the end of May could he make an out with a runner on base without being booed by 20,000 people? Here's Jones: .285 .334 .499 81 RBI's Here's Bradley's: .257 .378 .397, 40 RBI's And Hundley wasn't booed as lustily as these guys. It's fine if you don't want to face the facts, but I am going to continue to live in the real world, if that's alright.

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In reply to by The Real Neal

Are you writing a book about Bradley, Neal? You're off to a good start. Williams, Banks and Jenkins were never booed--not once--whereas Santo heard quite a few boos, due to his knack for hitting DP grounders. So there you go. Maybe Cub fans have gotten more racist lately. I thought Dusty Baylor made an interesting comparison between Bradley and Fontenot. Everyone agrees that Fontenot had a very disappointing year at the plate and may never get a chance to redeem himself with the Cubs. To me, his numbers look a lot like Bradley's--only better, except for walks, of course. Bradley: 473 PA, 61 H, 17 2B, 1 3B, 12 HR, 40 RBI, 66 BB, 95 SO. Fontenot: 401 PA, 87 H, 22 2B, 2 3B, 9 HR, 42 RBI, 35 BB, 82 SO. Bradley is better in OBP, .378 to .309, while SLG is very close, .397 (Bradley) to .390. OBP skews heavily toward walks; and half of OPS is OBP, so that's also walk-related. In the same number of PAs, Bradley would have a couple dozen more walks than Fontenot. That's the difference. Yet I haven't seen you defend Fontenot's numbers. You mostly have a lot of fun with his name. You like walks, fine. Walks are good. But they are not the same thing as hitting the ball. You can't add two dozen walks to Fontenot's numbers in a bad year and say, The numbers are okay now.

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In reply to by Sweet Lou

Amen, Sweet Lou. Can we ever let the race card go in these debates? Does anyone really need to reference MB's skin color to point to reasons they didn't like him as a Cub this year? Whatever his issues are, and whether or not he was treated intelligently by Cubs management (and he almost certainly was not, but we don't control that and don't know the behind the scenes details), he underperformed, misbehaved by any professional conduct standards, did stupid things like throwing out number two into the bleachers, moped, whined, played the victim, glorified his mediocre at best results, predicted he'd turn it around after the ASB and didn't, and generally was a miserable son of a bitch who appeared to want nothing to do with his team, the fans, or Chicago. I couldn't give a rats ass what color he is. Enough. I don't "blame" this failed season on him, but clearly he contributed and I don't think the situation, which again Cubs management botched, can be fixed without him going. Fwiw, yes, I'm white and a long suffering Cub fan. I can't stand the thought of Miles or Fontenot as regular players, either. Does that mean I hate my own race?

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In reply to by BobbyD

Bad job BobbyD. Let's just run a hypothetical. Say that you're (not you personally) are a bit racist, but know in today's society that you can't go around calling people names like you could 40 years ago with impunity. Still, deep down, you prefer Asians to Latinos. Now say for instance, you go to the ballpark, and your team hasn't been playing well. There are several underperforming players, but one of those is a god damned Latino. 40 years ago you would have just yelled at him "Hey *&$# you suck" to vent a little of your prejudice, but today you know if you do that people will have you thrown out of the stadium. So instead, whenever this guy does one little thing incorrectly, you boo him. It feels pretty good, booing that over paid ^&*%, doesn't it? And hey, other people are booing him too, so no one thinks you personally don't like latinos. Now say you do this for five or so years. Sometimes they get rid of the guy you were booing the year before, but delightfully, they bring in another god damned #*&@ to boo the next year. And now the press helps ease your slight anxiety at booing these guys by publishing interviews where they say "I don't like to be booed, and called *^%#, that didn't happen to me in the other cities I played in." Luckily for you, in Chicago racism is dead, so I am not booing you because you're a god damned (#*@. I can't stand the thought of Miles or Fontenot as regular players, either. Does that mean I hate my own race? When you go to the ballpark do you boo them every time they make an out?

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

I wish I could find my old posts on Milton be a race baiter and throwing down the race card whenever it suits him, while constantly playing the victim. I talked about this before, Milton will throw down the race card to justify his actions. And low and behold here it is again to explain away his attitude and season. Ohhhh someone was yelling racial slurs at your child at day care! Well no wonder your upset and had a shitty season. Its ok Milton, we got your back. Here is a sympathy card for you. Your just the victim in all of this. That is Miltons mentality for everything. Never change the way you act, act like a child, scream racism, play victim, wash the slate clean, move on to the next "racist" team, or "racist" fans, or "racist" umps. Just like you cant criticize the Presidents policies without being accused of being a racist, Bradley believes that if you boo him your racist. No the fans boo you because you suck, and a few of them in the crowd know your the real racist not them. And I am just like alot of people, I can't stand people who throw the race card around to defend their actions. Its pathetic. I figured this out about Bradley way before he was a Cub and warned of it coming into this season.

Angel Guzman's MRI showed... Can't CM and the others find out what the hell is wrong . Nobody orders an MRI of "the right side" We just get info for idiots: "MRI shows bad stuff" or "nice MRI for Guzman". Guzman's had right shoulder labral repair surgery, Ulnar nerve (elbow) surgery and I think they did Tommy John surgery with the nerve surgery (not sure on that). He had a triceps strain earlier in the year and I think that might be what is going on now. Rotoworld said his MRI showed a triceps strain but it's based on a Wittenmeyer tweet that actually just says it's a strain (ala football coach Wanny). http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/player_main.aspx?sport=MLB… http://twitter.com/cst_cubs/status/4300403481 --- Here's the CM quote: Cubs manager Lou Piniella said he doesn't expect the right-hander to pitch again after an MRI on Tuesday revealed inflammation in Guzman's right side. Guzman was examined by team orthopedic specialist Dr. Stephen Gryzlo. http://cubs.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090922&content_id=7097448&vk… --- Here's a bare bones checklist for you Carrie, Paul, Gord, Bruce x2, et al. MRI: what body part was examined (ie. shoulder, elbow, knee, foot) MRI: what did the radiologist report say? Please include specific muscle, tendon, ligament, cartilage, meniscus, nerve, joint or bone described in the report. XRay: what bone was fractured/broken? Is there a diagnosis? Is there a prognosis? (how long will it take to recover, full recovery?) Good job Carrie, you did report he's out for the season unless a miracle happens. Playoffs or Lourdes?

Muskat goes vaudeville... tweets: "Corey Hart's foul ball just missed some reporters' laptops in press box at Miller Park. Forgot protecting your face; save the computer" --- Either way works for me. Face would be improved, broken laptop would be too.

In other news, Tyler Colvin spent the ninth inning tonight flashing the leather out in center field -- robbing Braun of a 3-run HR and recording all three outs in the inning -- none of them routine.

You know, it'll be pretty sweet when the Cardinals lose all the rest of their games and the Cubs win out the remainder of their schedule to snatch the NL Central crown right from under the Redbirds' beaks! I can't wait to see the looks on their faces....

here are the quotes that don't need sensoring... Bradley can do three things: he can hit, he can play in the field and he can stay in the lineup. As his entire career has shown, though, he can do just two of those things at any one time, and for Hendry to have been surprised by this—in fact, for him to throw the player under the bus for it—is ridiculous. ... I had them going 87-75, and I still think that was pretty realistic. The Cubs are four games off that projected pace, which seems so much worse because the Cardinals are 15 games ahead of theirs. The Cardinals resurrected Joel Pineiro, got a mostly full season from Chris Carpenter, and traded for Matt Holliday, none of which has anything to do with Milton Bradley or the Cubs. The Cubs are off their feed because Aramis Ramirez missed time and was replaced with zeroes, because the bullpen was even worse than expected, because Alfonso Soriano was awful, and yes, because Milton Bradley didn't hit for as much power as was expected. ...So it's much better to turn the spotlight on to Bradley's mouth and hope no one looks too carefully at the original decision. Signing Bradley was a mistake at the time, not because Bradley has a temper, but because he can't do all three things at once. As far as Bradley is concerned, I feel much the same as I do every time he gets himself into this kind of situation: he shouldn't talk to the media. He doesn't have any ability to be circumspect, to speak in clichés, to say something without saying anything. I don't necessarily mind this quality in people, but it's a recipe for disaster in today's sports world. ...Milton Bradley may or may not have been out of line here, but Jim Hendry definitely was.

and the piece concludes by ripping Piniella for...even after moving 'tater-ific" Kevin Gregg out of the closer role and then still using him in game critical situations even if it's not the 9th. Gregg's tateriffic tendencies—a homer allowed every five innings or so—are one reason why the Cubs have fallen short of expectations this season. ...the way in which the industry uses relief pitchers is broken, and needs to be rebuilt from the ground up. (thanks TRN for posting the Sheehan link)

Bradley's mother speaks to Sun-Times- http://www.suntimes.com/sports/deluca/1785487,CST-SPT-deluca23.article Milton struggles due to- Playing in shadow of Mark DeRosa(fans be sure to get tickets next summer for the DeRosa jersey retirement ceremony) Milton told his mother that his 3-year old was being called "the n-word" at his school by "teachers, parents and kids". ~jaw drops~ If this is true there should be an investigation into this "school" and have their license revoked. If not, Milton is a scum bag for hiding behind his kid like this. I know a mother would do anything to protect her child, but if you love his so much why the f' did you name him Milton Bradley!??!?!?

Lou wants more speed in the lineup. My prediction is that the Cubs will try to trade Bradley and younger players such as Vitters to Tampa for Crawford or Upton. The Rays will trade one of those two in the offseason.

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In reply to by Barry

Why in the name of all that is good and holy, would Tampa Bay trade Carl Crawford or BJ Upton for anything that includes Milton Bradley? Do they need an "edge"? Let's not forget that this ia a man that has never played for any single team longer than 216 games. No one can stand him for more than a season and a quarter of baseball, and that is when he's actually hitting the ball. Crawford has a $10 million club option for 2010, which makes him tradable, but only because the Rays can't afford to resign him to an extension. They could get young players as good or better than what the Cubs could give them without taking on Milton Bradley (even if the Cubs ate 80% or more of his salary). Meanwhile, Upton won't be a free agent until 2012, so the Rays can be patient and see if they can get him back on track, or at least trade him for a package that doesn't include a major headache.

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In reply to by Aisle 424

I doubt we have what Tampa wants for Upton or Crawford but one them is going to be traded this off-season so they can get their next big thing into the OF, Desmond Jennings. Bradley isn't really going to be a high priority for them to get as they have Burrell for one more year at DH. But they might be interested in him at a 90% discount and you start dangling Fox, and Harden you can probably get Upton or Crawford. And if you think about Joe Maddon would be a nice fit for Bradley. Maddon is know for his positive thinking and motivating his players.... "That's a no-brainer: It was definitely the attitude," said leftfielder Carl Crawford, the longest-serving Ray. "He did a great job taking that negative energy out and bringing in a positive energy. … He's always smiling, always happy and he finds a positive out of everything. It turns out that's the one thing that turned this whole thing around." Closer Troy Percival talks about Maddon's "confidence and his calm demeanor," how "when he says, 'I know this is going to work,' everyone's like, 'Okay.' " Nelson is struck by the rare ego-less way Maddon teaches, how "he wants you to feel like you kind of figured it out, and that's a rare quality in this game." And to think in Maddon's first two seasons, some Rays, like some media and some fans, didn't know what to make of him. He didn't rant nor rave, didn't point fingers nor assign blame. He not only spoke of better days but insisted steadfastly they were coming soon, prefacing responses with phrases like "when we're playing in October." "It was like, 'Do you realize we've lost the last 10 years here?' " pitcher James Shields said. Bradley would be a test of Maddons patience. I would like to see who could break the other first. But if Bradley can't behave, there is no team left for him in major league baseball to play on.

How about that Esmailin Caridad? He really brings the gas... hit 98mph with ease. It will be interesting to see how he responds to some adversity, but he might be a legit option in the bullpen next year. I have to admit after his first start I sort of wrote him off as a boring September callup, but since then pitching out of the bullpen he's: 9.0 IP, 7 H, 1 BB, 1 ER, 9 K He might be a positive note to end the season on.

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In reply to by Ryno

I think most people agree the bullpen needs a complete rebuild, and I think most of us agree neither Kevin Gregg or Heilman need to come back. That leaves us with Grabow, Marmol, and possibly Guzman? If Caridad turns out to be effective, he might be a good middle-reliever. I think Joe Beimel makes too much sense for this bullpen, supposing he doesn't object to the Cubs no-alcohol rule in the clubhouse. That's not fair, I know, I'm just poking fun. Beimel clearly got his s*** together this year. The problem is he might cost more than what he's worth. But if I'm Jim Hendry, I'd take a long hard look at him.

OR WHY WE CAN'T JUST SEND BRADLEY TO CLEVELAND FOR KERRY WOOD AND CALL IT A DAY http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1773330
April 3, 2004. Milton Bradley might soon be someone else's center fielder -- and problem. The Cleveland Indians have apparently had enough of his antics. The club is trying to trade Bradley, who was barred from Cleveland's training camp Thursday, one day after he was pulled from an exhibition game by manager Eric Wedge for not running out a pop fly that fell for a hit. ~snip~ Bradley was expected to start in the Indians' outfield and bat cleanup this season. But the 25-year-old outfielder, who has a troubled history on and off the field, will play elsewhere once the Indians can strike a deal. "It's unfortunate where we are right now, but we have to do what's best for the ballclub," Wedge said. Although the season opener is Monday, Shapiro said there is no timetable to make a trade. The Indians are at a disadvantage because teams know they want to make a deal... On Wednesday, Bradley was removed from a game against Houston in the third inning for not running hard on a second-inning popup that dropped for a single. Bradley was told quietly by Wedge that he needed to be on second base. Bradley responded, and while it was not a shouting match, the disrespect he showed for his manager in front of his teammates forced management's hand. ~snip~ Bradley was pulled from a game last season for not running out a ball and having a verbal confrontation with Wedge in the dugout. Shapiro would not characterize the most recent exchange between Bradley and Wedge. However, the GM said the club expects its players to display "passion, professionalism and respect." "There is a line that they can't cross," Shapiro said. "You have to make sure that line is meaningful." In addition to going on the disabled list four times in the past two seasons, Bradley has had other problems. Last year, he had run-ins with Los Angeles catcher Paul Lo Duca and Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi. Bradley also threw his helmet and bat in the direction of plate umpire Bruce Froemming. Bradley had baseball cards of Lo Duca and Giambi above his locker this spring. In February, Bradley was sentenced to three days in jail for driving away from police after being stopped for speeding. However, until his misstep for not hustling, Bradley had seemingly turned the corner on his troubled past. He spent the winter in Cleveland working out and arrived in camp in great shape, promising to have a better attitude. The Indians seemed relieved by his turnaround, which is why both Wedge and Shapiro seemed so upset.
And here we are 5 years later.

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In reply to by navigator

A couple points here. 1. Everyone else already knew this, which is why a Wood for Bradley trade hasn't been proposed. 2. Following the 'logic' you're presenting here: Shapiro would not characterize the most recent exchange between Bradley and Wedge. However, the GM said the club expects its players to display "passion, professionalism and respect." "There is a line that they can't cross," Shapiro said. "You have to make sure that line is meaningful." Hendry should have traded Lou Piniella, not suspended Bradley.

New article on Bradley and Piniella up at Cubs.com http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090921&content_id=70… Ken Macha: "I had him for a year, and I think Milton and I are friends, so I'm not going to say anything negative about Milton. I know Lou and Jim Hendry, and I'm friends with them, too, so those guys have to figure out what's going on with their own club." When asked to characterize Bradley's personality, Macha said: "He's intense, let me put it that way. He played well for me. He was our best player in the playoffs, and that guy has a tremendous desire to win." Article goes on to say: Can Bradley rejoin the Cubs? "I can't answer that," Piniella said. "That's up to Jim to decide. Our posture here right now is to finish as strong as we can the next 14 days, play some kids and take a look at them, and win as many games as we can.

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In reply to by The Real Neal

The best possible thing that could happen is that Bradley: 1.Talks with Jim, meets the team and clubhouse guys apologizes to them for making life uncomfortable and asks for a little more support 2. Does the same thing in a press conference with the media to the media and fans "I feel like I've busted my butt all year long, and when I get booed every time I make an out, it's hard for me to enjoy the game and hard not to put too much pressure on myself. I thought I would come to Chicago and play in front of some of the greatest fans in the world with a clean slate. I hope we can start that from today. I am sorry if I offended any fans with my statements, and wish I could take them back." 3.Plays enough to show his knee is healthy going into the off-season.

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In reply to by The Real Neal

Replies should be 1- Will you be willing to void your contract based on another outburst towards the fans or the organization? Because you know this just didn't happen once. 2-If the fans promise to polite applause every at bat will you promise to hit your career averages, not pull yourself out of games and work on your defense more? 3-This is the saddest part of this, he was healthy for most of the season. I'm willing to bet anythinghe will never play this many games in a season for a National League team again. Remember he has "30 million reasons" to be happy.

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In reply to by Ryno

Yeah, the pretty obvious translation is "He can be a real pain in the butt." But you can also read into it that a different manager maybe gets better results. He says he's friends with Hendry and Lou, so he's not to come out and say "Bradley has his days, but a good manager knows how to handle that kind of player". He's a surly, moody guy who get's frustrated when he and the team doesn't succeed, and doesn't let the frustration out in the right way. He probably needs encouragement that doesn't come off as babying, which is probably not Pinhead's strong point. He also probably needs fans who can cut him some slack.

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In reply to by Tito

I can't remember either. I hate the term 'booed' though. There's a difference between a smattering of boos and guys bringing signs to the ballpark belittling you, waiting for you to make an out like a bunch of feral dogs. Anyway I give up. Either I am talking to a bunch of rocks, or my perception of the Cubs treatment of players is truly off. It's probably a classic example of how your own viewpoints warp your perception. If you're booing someone because they suck, it doesn't occur to you that others have a different motivation. It would be cool if there was some sort of video archive to really go back and see if Hundley was booed loudly when striking out with a guy on 3rd on April 26th of 2001.

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In reply to by Newport

I'm not calling you a racist, but Germany is a place where racism lives on. I was at a bar in a pretty large city last year, it had about 12 customers, a black guy comes in, and two or three of the customers have a passive aggressive conversation with the guy, addressing him as 'Blackie'. There may have been some history, between them, I don't know. Get a Caucasian Germanic alone and ask them what they think about all the Turks in their country. I'm not saying that every German is racist, but attitudes like that certainly are more openly tolerated there than here in the states.

I've noticed the same attitudes in Ireland, England, Scotland, Spain, and France. As well as all over the US and Canada. There are racists everywhere, not just in the RF bleachers on days that MB plays.

Recent comments

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    That’s a fantastic deal for SF

  • crunch (view)

    SF snags b.snell...2/62m

  • Cubster (view)

    AZ Phil: THAT is an awesome report worth multiple thanks. I’m sure it will be worth reposting in an “I told you so” in about 2-3 years.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    The actual deadline to select a post-2023 Article XX-B MLB free agent signed to 2024 minor league contract (Cooper, Edwards, and Peralta) to the MLB 40-man roster is not MLB Opening Day, it is 12 PM (Eastern) this coming Sunday (3/24). 

    However, the Cubs could notify the player prior to the deadline that the player is not going to get added to the 40 on Sunday, which would allow the player to opt out early. Otherwise the player can opt out anytime after the Sunday deadline (if he was not added to the 40 by that time). 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Today is an off day for both the Cubs MLB players and the Cubs minor league players.  

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    For those of you keeping track, so far nine players have been called up to Mesa from the Cubs Dominican Academy for Minor League Camp and they will be playing in the ACL in 2024: 

    * bats or throws left 

    Angel Cepeda, INF 
    * Miguel Cruz, P
    Yidel Diaz, C 
    * Albert Gutierrez, 1B
    Fraiman Marte, P  
    Francis Reynoso, P (ex-1B) 
    Derniche Valdez, INF 
    Edward Vargas, OF 
    Jeral Vizcaino, P 

    And once again, despite what you might read at Baseball Reference and at milb.com, Albert Gutierrez is absolutely positively a left-handed hitter (only), NOT a right-handed hitter.

    Probably not too surprisingly, D. Valdez was the Cubs #1 prospect in the DSL last season, Cepeda was the DSL Cubs best all-around SS prospect not named Derniche Valdez, Gutierrez was the DSL Cubs top power hitting prospect not named Derniche Valdez, E. Vargas was the DSL Cubs top outfield prospect (and Cepeda and E. Vargas were also the DSL Cubs top two hitting prospects), Y. Diaz was the DSL Cubs top catching prospect, and M. Cruz was the DSL Cubs top pitching prospect. 

    F. Marte (ex-STL) and J. Vizcaino (ex-MIL) are older pitchers (both are 22) who were signed by the Cubs after being released by other organizations and then had really good years working out of the bullpen for the Cubs in the DSL last season. 

    The elephant in the room is 21-year old Francis Reynoso, a big dude (6'5) who was a position player (1B) at the Cardinals Dominican Academy for a couple of years, then was released by STL in 2022, and then signed by the Cubs and converted to a RHP at the Cubs Dominican Academy (and he projects as a high-velo "high-leverage" RP in the states). He had a monster year for the DSL Cubs last season (his first year as a pitcher). 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    DJL: The only players who definitely have opt outs are Cooper, Edwards, and Peralta (Opening Day, 5/1, and 6/1), and that's because they are post-2023 Article XX-B MLB free agents who signed 2024 minor league contracts and (by rule) they get those opt outs automatically. 

    Otherwise, any player signed to a 2024 minor league contract - MIGHT or - MIGHT NOT - have an opt out in their contract, but it is an individual thing, and if there are contractual opt outs the opt out(s) might not necessarily be Opening Day. It could be 5/1, or 6/1, or 7/1 (TBD).

    Because of their extensive pro experience, the players who most-likely have contractual opt outs are Alfaro, Escobar, and D. Smith, but (again), not necessarily Opening Day. 

    Also, just because a player has the right to opt out doesn't mean he will. 

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    I love the idea that Madrigal heads to Iowa in case Morel can’t handle third.

    The one point that intrigues me here is Cooper over Smith. I feel like the Cubs really like Smith and don’t want to lose him. Could be wrong. He def seems like an opt out if he misses the opening day roster

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Childersb3: Both Madrigal and Wisdom can be optioned without any restriction. Their consent is not required. 

    They both can be outrighted without restriction, too (presuming the player is not claimed off waivers), but if outrighted they can choose to elect free agency (immediately, or deferred until after the end of the MLB season).

    If the player is outrighted and elects free-agency immediately he forfeits what remains of his salary.

    If he accepts the assignment and defers free agency until after the conclusion of the season, he continues to get his salary, and he could be added back to the 40 anytime prior to becoming a free-agent (club option). 

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Phil, 
    Madrigal and Wisdom can or cannot refuse being optioned to the Minors?
    If they can refuse it, wouldn't they elect to leave the Cubs org?