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More tradeable - Bradley or Wells?
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E2
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Post subject: More tradeable - Bradley or Wells?
Posted: 09 Nov 2009 14:25 pm
Just interesting discussion for "baseball heads" from ESPN Jerry Crasnick's survey of 20 baseball execs. It's just amazing how bad the Vernon Wells contract is. Never has so much been paid for so little.

From the article: Which player is more difficult to trade -- Cubs outfielder Milton Bradley, because of his reputation and other baggage, or Blue Jays outfielder Vernon Wells, because of his contract?

Responses: Wells 20, Bradley 0.

After signing a three-year, $30 million contract with the Cubs, Bradley posted a lower slugging percentage (.397) than Marco Scutaro and Ryan Sweeney. He alienated his teammates, manager and an entire fan base to the point that the Cubs couldn't wait to send him home in September. He has a lengthy inventory of antisocial outbursts in his past, he's played for seven teams since 2001 and he's owed $21 million during the next two seasons.

And still, this one wasn't close.

Wells is a nice guy, model citizen and one-man charity machine, but the double whammy of his contract and middling production since 2006 make him virtually impossible to trade, in the estimation of the executives surveyed.

Wells will make $12.5 million in 2010, at which point the big-money portion of his deal will kick in. He'll make $23 million in 2011 and $21 million in each of the next three seasons. Wells hit 15 homers with a .711 OPS in 158 games this past year and is about to undergo surgery on his left wrist.

"That may be the worst contract in baseball history," a National League official said. "Worse than Barry Zito."

An American League assistant GM was only slightly less depressing in his analysis. "I believe that Vernon Wells' contract makes him the most difficult player to trade in the entire major leagues," the assistant said.

Although Bradley obviously has made Chicago GM Jim Hendry's life more complicated, the consensus is that he's movable if the Cubs: (a) eat most of his salary; or (b) take on somebody else's overpaid headache in return. The Jays don't have that luxury with Wells.

"You always see baggage guys moving team to team," an NL official said. "You can't trade a player with $98 million left on a contract unless that team takes back close to that amount in a bad-money deal. That's a lot of bad money to expect Vernon Wells to get moved. Throw in his wrist surgery, and he's not going anywhere."
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futuregm
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Post subject: Re: More tradeable - Bradley or Wells?
Posted: 09 Nov 2009 14:28 pm
I'd agree. I'd rather put up with garbage for a couple years than a big contract like Wells to eternity.
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UncleBuck45
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Post subject: Re: More tradeable - Bradley or Wells?
Posted: 09 Nov 2009 14:32 pm
Yeah this one is pretty easy.

I'd bet that the Rangers wouldn't mind getting Bradley(and cash) back and I think Bradley wouldn't have as many problems there for the next 2 years.

The Jays will never get rid of Wells.
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LTSmash
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Post subject: Re: More tradeable - Bradley or Wells?
Posted: 09 Nov 2009 14:52 pm
You always can make more money. You can even get a loan if you have to.

But someone who rips apart a team with his immaturity and tantrums? Well, that's just something priceless.

Take it down to our level: Wouldn't you rather be broke than be in a poisonous relationship? If you disagree, can I ask why there's such a thing as divorce?

But with the Cubs, the beautiful thing is that they're going to have both the poisonous relationship AND they're going to lose money in the deal.

... what is it about the Cubs and their utter blind spot over the years when it comes to character? George Bell, Sammy Sosa, Michael Barrett, Carlos Zambrano, Milton Bradley -- Soriano, I guess, too.
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LTSmash
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Post subject: Re: More tradeable - Bradley or Wells?
Posted: 09 Nov 2009 14:56 pm

UncleBuck45 wrote

Yeah this one is pretty easy.

I'd bet that the Rangers wouldn't mind getting Bradley(and cash) back and I think Bradley wouldn't have as many problems there for the next 2 years.

The Jays will never get rid of Wells.


You're assuming Bradley had no problems with the Rangers. His great year in 2008 (.321/.436/.563) didn't even convince them to have him around for a second year. Now why would that be?

The Jays may not be able to get rid of Wells, but even he's not as toxic as Bradley.
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futuregm
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Post subject: Re: More tradeable - Bradley or Wells?
Posted: 09 Nov 2009 14:59 pm

LTSmash wrote

UncleBuck45 wrote

Yeah this one is pretty easy.

I'd bet that the Rangers wouldn't mind getting Bradley(and cash) back and I think Bradley wouldn't have as many problems there for the next 2 years.

The Jays will never get rid of Wells.


You're assuming Bradley had no problems with the Rangers. His great year in 2008 (.321/.436/.563) didn't even convince them to have him around for a second year. Now why would that be?

The Jays may not be able to get rid of Wells, but even he's not as toxic as Bradley.


Because they had Nelson Cruz needing playing time. They didn't expect Hamilton to have the problems in ST and have an injury plagued 2009 season.

From all things I've read and heard, Bradley was actually not that bad in the Rangers clubhouse. He just gets a bad reputation because of the media, who hates him and he hates them. I've heard from scouts that he's actually a pretty nice guy, if you can believe it. Shocked
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UncleBuck45
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Post subject: Re: More tradeable - Bradley or Wells?
Posted: 09 Nov 2009 15:05 pm

futuregm wrote

LTSmash wrote

UncleBuck45 wrote

Yeah this one is pretty easy.

I'd bet that the Rangers wouldn't mind getting Bradley(and cash) back and I think Bradley wouldn't have as many problems there for the next 2 years.

The Jays will never get rid of Wells.


You're assuming Bradley had no problems with the Rangers. His great year in 2008 (.321/.436/.563) didn't even convince them to have him around for a second year. Now why would that be?

The Jays may not be able to get rid of Wells, but even he's not as toxic as Bradley.


Because they had Nelson Cruz needing playing time. They didn't expect Hamilton to have the problems in ST and have an injury plagued 2009 season.

From all things I've read and heard, Bradley was actually a pretty positive influence in the clubhouse. He just gets a bad reputation because of the media, who hates him and he hates them. I've heard from scouts that he's actually a pretty nice guy, if you can believe it. Shocked


Add in a 3 year, 30 million extension that the Rangers had to match.
If they could get him back for 2 years, 14 million or so, I'm sure they'd listen. I don't know if they have the roster space for him, though. I haven't checked.
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Post subject: Re: More tradeable - Bradley or Wells?
Posted: 09 Nov 2009 15:08 pm

futuregm wrote

I've heard from scouts that he's actually a pretty nice guy, if you can believe it.


I've read that, too. And if it were just one team, maybe so. And maybe there's something to the media making him out to be a bad guy.

But all media outlets? I mean, not everyone is Joe Strauss.
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