Amidst reports that the Yankees are considering trading for Dodgers OF Milton Bradley, Newsday’s Jon Heyman can barely restrain himself.
At times like this, it becomes necessary to remind them it isn’t necessary to rush into anything foolish, or even nuts. Which brings us right to Milton Bradley, who’s the real issue here as one of six prime centerfield options Yankees people identified and debated at their recent pre-winter organizational meetings.
A word of advice: don’t.
Although Ugueth Urbina and his extremely spotty past were discussed at the Yankees’ recent meeting, I have to think they now understand that relief and work release are not compatible concepts. For the record, Urbina says he’s innocent, and just because Red Sox fans used to accuse him of setting things ablaze doesn’t mean he actually did set fire to those five workers on his ranch, as he’s been accused of.
Anyway, if Urbina’s a candidate for the pen, presumably it isn’t the Yankees’ pen.
Although it seems absurd to think the Yankees would even consider Bradley, agents Seth and Sam Levinson have talked the Yankees out of a load of loot and into a lot of bad moves, from Matt Lawton to Javier Vazquez to Grant Roberts to Mark Wohlers to Mike Stanton II (second phase).
More advice : If the Levinsons pull out their usual tools of hypnotism, please, run away.
With no easy-to-obtain alternative out there, there’s a chance the Yankees will weaken. It’s true the White Sox welcomed questionable characters such as A.J. Punk-zynski and Carl Everett into their midst in a Raider-like approach en route to their World Series win.
Yet the South Side of Chicago isn’t New York. With a limited payroll, the White Sox had to take chances. The Yankees shouldn’t have to take a chance like this.
How was the Grant Roberts signing a “bad move?” He pulled some tubes in Trenton for several games and then coasted towards the inevitable “granted free agency?” I can’t think of a way he hurt the team, and he actually helped sportswriters who didn’t have someone to rip fill a few column inches on a slow day. Imagine what Games could offer. Vecsey might have to come over and write about baseball, so great will the opportunities be for race-baiting and acid sarcasm.