Milton Bradley is weighing his options with the Cubs and Rays. Joe Maddon and the Rays may be a better fit than the Chicago media circus and Lou Pineilla. And spending time at DH would allow him to "protect his oft-injured body." But will the Rays meet Bradley's asking price when they can turn to Bobby Abreu, Jason Giambi, Garrett Anderson, or Pat Burrell instead?
about 3 years ago
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So we are in the final 2
Well, at least this news a lot better than yesterdays that it was going to be a Cub at any second
Just like I am not worried about Griffey Jr.
I have confidence we won’t do something dumb.
Top Josh Paul Pornos- Big Navi Stroking, 2pitchers1cup, BJ to the Balls, Riggans Your Thingans
09: This one is for all the rings.
I have the confidence as well.
I still don’t want to hear about Anderson again though.
"And you just don't get it, you keep it copacetic..."
you know what I wish?
That this was between the Rays and White Sox so the Ozzie can stick his foot in his mouth and we get Bradley
I want the Cubs to be sold to some stingy owner who demands a LOLfiresale.
"And you just don't get it, you keep it copacetic..."
BWAHAHAHAHA.
The Chicago Astros, general manager: Jim Wadry.
Screw the farm system, we just gotta have some winz.
"And you just don't get it, you keep it copacetic..."
My preference is Abreu.
Never mind that he is left handed. He plays nearly every game every year. He has broad based skills with mid-range power, terrific OBP and even decent base running. His one weakness is defense, which is common to all the available DH free agents and may not matter much. Even as his home runs have settled in around 15-20 or so, his doubles remain in the 35-45 range. And at 34, even a 3 year contract would not be overly risky.
As for being left handed, he has a .372 career OBP, and in 2008 had a better line across the board hitting lefties than righties. Not a problem, and especially as the Rays probably are not as vulnerable to lefties as many seem to think.
Bradley has all kinds of talent, but it is not very useful if he is not on the field. He has not gotten 500 ABs since he was 26, and that was the only year he did. Since that year, when he still missed 21 games, he has managed to get into 75, 96, 61 and last year 126 games. (Before that he made 98 and 101 games.) So even in his terrific 2008 he missed over 22% of the season. Why do we think, even with a DH (but also on turf) that he will be more durable after he reaches 31?
Incidentally, Giambi also presents an injury risk. He will be 38 in January, and while he managed 145 games in 2008, since he turned 33 he has gotten into 80, 139, 139 and 83 games otherwise. I am sure being a full-time DH will help, but even on a 1 year deal, that is risky for such a non-athletic type player. I wouldn’t be upset if the Rays sign him, and recognize his power gives him an advantage over Abreu, but lean towards the player with a better chance to be out there every game.
speaking of lefties and hardly getting injured
Why is there no talk of Dunn? I would LOVE that in our lineup.
once the Nats lose out on Teixeria, I bet they go above the 3/30 Ibanez got to sign Dunn.
Rays 2009 Slogan: "Come back with your shield or on it"
by PriceMultiCyYoungs on Dec 14, 2008 7:01 PM EST up reply actions
My order of preference
Dunn, Burrell, Abreu, Giambi, Bradley (game-boy)
Griffey is not even on my list
neither is Anderson.
Top Josh Paul Pornos- Big Navi Stroking, 2pitchers1cup, BJ to the Balls, Riggans Your Thingans
09: This one is for all the rings.
well put
we cant afford Bradley or Burrell unfortunately. The Big Donkey might be pricey as well. Giambi and Abreau might slide into the $6mm range for us and be had for 1-2 year deals.
Who says we can't afford Bradley or Burrell?
We don’t know how much the team is willing to spend for the player that they want.
Add into the fact that Ibanez was considered to be one of the top free agents, the other top free agent hitters may not cost as much. This is especially for those who profile more as COF/DH-types
by FromAybarToZobrist on Dec 14, 2008 8:10 PM EST up reply actions
Where exactly are you getting your payroll number?
We’re around 43 million by my count.
by R.J. Anderson on Dec 14, 2008 8:18 PM EST up reply actions
raysindex.com
are you counting arbitration eligible players. They are just guessing but it looks legit. They also counted the Baldelli buyout of $4mm
I'm counting arb eligible players.
I didn’t count Rocco’s buyout, but that’s still not taking us to 55 million.
49 with Miller, Floyd, Gomes, and Jackson. -6ish mil without them = 43 mil. There are better methods than guessing, for instance, get their market value, and then depending on their arbitration year, multiply it by .4/.6/.8 that gives you the estimated value. That being said, I can see almost everyone (minus Balfour) re-signing for less than that. Balfour’s worth 4.96 mil, but he’ll probably get half of that given his past. I’d say 6 mil for ARB players, giving us 6 mil to play around with, and I’d fully anticipate one of the relievers going, giving us 9ish.
by R.J. Anderson on Dec 14, 2008 8:32 PM EST up reply actions
No
However, we made a trade that cleared a pitcher who was going to get a decent sized raise and we were schmoozing with Free Agents in vegas, especially Bradley.
Why would we do that if we didn’t believe we could afford him?
You forget that the Rays got money from ticket revenue, merchandise, etc. from the playoffs and the team is trying to attract fans enough to change their perception of the team. They still want the stadium built, most likely.
by FromAybarToZobrist on Dec 14, 2008 8:53 PM EST up reply actions
This is right.
We can afford anyone within reason. It’s just a decision about how we want to allocate our resources. Realistically, how many people are in need of a DH/OF with bad defense? Not many. Which means they are going to be cheaper. Ibanez has set the market at 10 million. I doubt any of these guys makes much more than that. And I would be surprised if any of them sign for 3 years.
Tools Whore
Sign Bonds!
Everything I've read says that, while yes....Bradley wants to be paid....
he wants more then a1 year contract (security). Going to a contender, getting a 3-4 year contract, he’s not going to break the bank.
I don't think he'll be on the turf much whilst running the bases...
I could be wrong though
by staplemaniac on Dec 15, 2008 12:53 PM EST up reply actions
As far as 'game-boy' goes
be careful what you wish for
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