Although the Seattle Mariners knew that they were getting a volatile player in Milton Bradley when they traded for him last season, it seemed as though they would get through their two-year commitment without any major incidents. Instead of making a fuss after being traded to Seattle from the Chicago Cubs for disappointing pitcher Carlos Silva, Bradley endured a quiet season in the Northwest, although he failed to make much of an on-field impact after seeking therapy for anger management issues, struggling through injuries, and failing to hit even when healthy.
Now we have this:
.@KING5Seattle has learned #Mariners outfielder Milton Bradley has been arrested on a felony in Los Angeles County.
Bradley, who led the American league in on-base percentage with a .443 mark in 2008, has had a troubled career in baseball despite his obvious talent. He first came up with the Cleveland Indians before being shipped out to Oakland after wearing a t-shirt with '**** Eric Wedge' (Cleveland's then manager, coincidentally now in charge of Seattle). After some productive seasons with the Oakland Athletics, he was unceremoniously dumped on the San Diego Padres, where his bat propelled them towards the post-season - but Bradley tore his right ACL while being restrained from going after umpire Mike Winters late in September. With the Chciago Cubs, who signed him to a 3 year contract after his strong 2008, he claimed that his son was racially abused in school before criticising general manager Jim Hendry in a media interview, earning him a rest-of-season suspension. Bradley, in other words, is a troubled individual with a history of picking fights with anyone nearby - as well as a track record of being involved in domestic violence incidents.
It's currently unclear what he's been arrested for, but we do know that he was arrested at 10:40 AM this morning, released on $50,000 bail at 5:57 PM, and has a court date set for February 3rd. Although the details are sketchy, it's probably safe to say that this is the end to Bradley's time in Seattle - and more than likely as a Major League baseball player.
Update: Mariners beat writer Geoff Baker reports via twitter that Bradley was arrested for violating California penal code 422, which involves "unequivocal, unconditional, immediate, and specific" threats to cause "death or great bodily injury to another person" according to Hardball Talk blogger Craig Calcaterra.