Cubs Will Try to Trade Milton Bradley

It seems that not only is Milton Bradley's season in Chicago over, but his time as a Chicago Cub us as well. This weekend Bradley pulled himself out of two games due to a knee injury, gave the local media a hard time and then went out and slammed the Cubs and their fans in an exclusive interview. The Cubs responded to that interview by suspending Bradley for the remainder of the season, and it was a move that's been fully supported by both fans and Bradley's teammates.

Now it seems that the Cubs are going to do everything in their power to rid themselves of Bradley's presence on the team. According to sources within the organization the Cubs will try to move Bradley this winter in a trade.

[General manager Jim] Hendry declined to discuss his plans for the remaining two years of Bradley's contract, but sources confirmed again Sunday what has been reported for weeks: The Cubs will attempt to trade Bradley, even if it means eating much of the remaining $21 million on the contract.

The Cubs have looked into possible interest in Bradley since July and found enough listeners to suggest they might be able to find him a new home, likely in a smaller media market with a bigger home clubhouse -- similar to places where he has tended to have better seasons.

I think it's safe to say that if the Cubs are going to find a team willing to take on Bradley and all of his antics, then they're most definitely going to have to pay the majority of the $21 million left in his deal. As the excerpt above said, the most likely destinations for Milton will be a smaller market where the media scrutiny is less intense, and those teams typically can't afford to take on big contracts.

I'm not sure the Oakland Athletics would want Bradley back for a second go around, but maybe a team like Kansas City which is always looking for help on offense would be interested.

Either way, it appears Jim Hendry will be working the phones quite a bit this winter. Along with trying to find a home for Bradley, rumors have started to swirl around Chicago that the Cubs will also be looking for a possible deal involving Carlos Zambrano. The likely destinations there would be the Yankees, Red Sox or even the cross-town White Sox, all teams Zambrano has said he'd be willing to waive his no-trade clause for.