Analysis of the Milton Bradley-Carlos Silva Trade

And with that, the Chicago Cubs just got less crazy and the Seattle Mariners have found a middle of the order hitter

Cubs acquire: Carlos Silva, $9 million

Mariners acquire: Milton Bradley

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Cubs Perspective

• Finally get rid of Milton Bradley!
• Very little upside on return
• Carlos Silva stinks
• Save $9 million!
  
• Where does he fit on the Cubs roster?

Conclusion: It has come to this. The Cubs were forced to take on one of the worst contracts in baseball just to get Milton Bradley off their hands. On one hand they should be celebrating that Milton is gone and they got some savings in return, but Carlos Silva has been one of the worst pitchers in baseball over the past two years. I guess the Cubs will give him a look and if they don't like what they see, they will simply release him and eat the remaining cost. The Cubs can now use the Bradley savings to spend on a center fielder and hope that this deal is addition by subtraction at its finest. n

Mariners Perspective:

• Acquire a potential impact bat
• No more Carlos Silva!
  
• Bradley can DH or play left field
• High risk because of his terrible attitude
• Can they keep Milton Bradley sane?
  
• In addition to taking on Bradley's contract, the Mariners also sent the Cubs $9 million
  
• In the end, the Mariners take on an additional $5 million over the next two seasons

Conclusion: There's no doubt that this move is a risk for the Mariners, but GM Jack Zduriencik must believe that Bradley can give them the middle of the order production they need at very little cost. Taking on $5 million over the next two seasons is not much for the Mariners and Carlos Silva was dead weight on the Mariners anyway. The real question remains if the Mariners can keep Bradley sane, because if they can, then this deal has lots of upside for them and the potential to be a steal.