Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays struggled at the plate a bit in 2009. Bat Burrell as the team’s DH was a flop. The Rays could decide to trade Burrell for Bradley and live with his antics.

Los Angeles Angels
The Angels had a very good year and featured a dynamic batting order. But with a few of their players aging — namely Vladimir Guerrero — they could see Bradley as needed depth.

Texas Rangers
Bradley had a quality stint with the Rangers and with Texas coming off of a relatively poor year at the plate, they could welcome Bradley back with open arms.

Toronto Blue Jays
With the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays in their division, the Blue Jays will need to put runs on the board to have a shot in the AL East. Bradley could help do just that.

Milton Bradley - Who will put up with him? (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Milton Bradley Trade Destinations

Soriano and his $136 million deal hasn’t been too productive this season for the Cubs. He is hitting .243 with 20 homers, 55 RBIs and 63 runs. The 33-year-old has now seen his home run total dip in four consecutive seasons.

With the Cubs 9 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central, Chicago may opt to keep Soriano out for the rest of the season so he can rest up for the 2010 campaign.

It sounds like Soriano doesn’t think he can play right now anyways.

Said Soriano: “I want to play, but it’s very tough. I don’t get a very good jump because I cannot put weight on my knee.”

Without Soriano, the Cubs were able to beat the New York Mets by a final count of 11-4 on Saturday.

Alfonso Soriano - Chicago Cubs (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Alfonso Soriano Undergoes MRI

With a single and a triple in the seventh inning, Pie was able to hit for the cycle. It was the seventh time this season that a player hit for the Cycle in Major League Baseball. Earlier this week, Troy Tulowitzki hit for the cycle.

With Pie supplying the heroics, the Orioles were able to beat the Los Angeles Angels by a final count of 16-6. For the game, Pie was 4-for-5 with three runs and four RBIs.

On the season, Pie is hitting .254 with three homers and 15 RBIs. The 24-year-old from the Dominican Republic still has a long ways to go to prove that he can live up to his potential — but Friday was a good start.

Felix Pie of the Orioles hits for the cycle (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Felix Pie Hits for the Cycle

On the season, the 30-year-old Grabow has a 3.42 ERA in 45 appearances. He’s been a member of Pittsburgh’s bullpen since coming into the big leagues in 2003. Last season was his best year — finishing with a 2.84 ERA in 74 appearances.

The Cubs have been interested in Grabow because they needed an additional left-hander in their bullpen. Currently, Sean Marshall is the only southpaw in Chicago’s bullpen.

Who exactly the Cubs are getting in return hasn’t been announced. Considering that the Pirates are clearly in a rebuilding mode, it’s likely that they will ask for young prospects in return. In their trades completed yesterday, the Pirates received Tim Alderson, Ronny Cedeno, Jack Lement, Aaron Pribanic, Brett Lorin and Nathan Adcock.

John Grabow traded to the Cubs (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Another Pirates Trade: John Grabow to Cubs

The combination of injuries has Lilly estimating that he’ll miss about four starts. Its the first time he’s gone on the DL since 2005.

On the season, Lilly has a record of 9-7 to go along with a 3.59 ERA and a WHIP of 1.15. With one more win on the season, the 33-year-old will have seven straight years of at least ten wins.

Without Lilly, the Cubs could find it difficult to hang in the playoff race. They are .5 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central, however the Houston Astros and Milwaukee Brewers are also less than three games back.

Ted Lilly - Chicago Cubs (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Ted Lilly Put on the Disabled List

The hot-headed Bradley was then told by Piniella to leave the ballpark and go home. Bradley was replaced in the field by Ryan Freel.

The star of the game for the Cubs was Geovany Soto. A day after it became public knowledge that he was busted for marijuana at the 2009 World Baseball classic, Soto hit a three-run home run in the top of the seventh inning that put the Cubs up for good.

Following the contest, both Chicago baseball teams have 35 wins on the season. The Cubs also have 35 losses, while the White Sox have 38 losses.

Despite the argument between Piniella and Bradley, Piniella said that he will start Bradley on Saturday.

Milton Bradley Melts Down (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Milton Bradley Melts Down, Cubs Win

Said Soto in a statement released to the media: “While I fully acknowledge my inappropriate behavior, I want to assure my fans and my family that this was an isolated incident. I do not say this to minimize or deflect from my conduct and I fully understand the ramifications of my actions. I have and will accept any and all consequences.”

So far in 2009, Soto has been in a bit of a sophomore slump. He’s hitting just .227 with six homers and 21 RBIs. That said, he’s starting to hit better in June. In fact, he has five of his six homers in this month.

It’s unknown whether the 26-year-old native of San Juan, Puerto Rico will face any disciplinary action from Major League Baseball and commissioner Bud Selig.

Geovany Soto Marijuana Positive Test (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Geovany Soto Tested Positive for Marijuana

Following his tirade, the star Cubs pitcher was apologetic.

Carlos Zambrano Video Above - Epic Meltdown (Image: Newscom)

Said Zambrano: “I apologize for that. Like I said, I should have more control of myself in that situation. I just wanted to get out of that inning and win the ballgame. I didn’t say a bad word. I should have gone to the clubhouse and keep watching the game. I apologize for throwing the ball and the other things.”

According to sources, Zambrano won’t appeal the suspension or the accompanying fine. He’s expected to start the game following the completion of his suspension.

Post from: EveryJoe

Carlos Zambrano Suspended Six Games

Here is what Bradley told the Chicago Tribune:

Unfortunately, I just think it’s a lot of ‘Oh, you did this to my colleague,’ or ‘We’re going to get him any time we can. As soon as he gets two strikes, we’re going to call whatever and see what he does. Let’s try to ruin Milton Bradley.’

It’s just unfortunate. But I’m going to come out on top. I always do.

So, it looks like Milton Bradley says there is a conspiracy against Milton Bradley. He also doesn’t appear shaken by his recent struggled and is confident that he’ll “come out on top” … like always.

If you want to know why he’s upset, checking out his stats is a good start. He’s hitting just .198 to go along with five homers and 13 RBI. Considering that the Cubs gave him $30 million to join their team this offseason, no one can be happy with that type of production.

Milton Bradley Whining (Image: Newscom)

Then again, Bradley always seems to be mad about something. Stay tuned to see what sets Bradley off next.

Oh and if you are reading this, Milton Bradley, Phil Gerbyshak over at Slacker Manager on Bizzia.com tells how you can overcome being labeled a whiner.

Post from: EveryJoe

Milton Bradley Whining About Umpires

On the season, Fox has pitched only one-third of an inning and has given up five earned runs on two hits and three walks. The result is a staggering 135.00 ERA.

Over 219 games in his career, the 38-year-old reliever has pitched 228 innings and has 262 strikeouts with a 3.79 ERA. However, he hasn’t pitched at least 40 innings in a season since 2004. In fact, he didn’t pitch at all in 2006 or 2007.

In total, he pitched more than 40 innings only three times — in 1998 and 2001 with the Milwaukee Brewers and in 2003 while splitting time between the Boston Red Sox and the Florida Marlins. His best season came in 2001 when he pitched a career-high 66.2 innings, a career-high 80 strikeouts, a career-high five wins and a career-low 1.89 ERA.

Fox is scheduled to get his elbow checked out be specialists but sources close to the team speculate that he may not want to go through another long rehab process that may affect his quality of life after baseball.

Chicago Cubs Logo (Image: Flickr)

Post from: EveryJoe

Cubs’ Chad Fox Career Likely Over