The Cubs pursuit of Jake Peavy has tired the fanbase. Every day we read that the deal is on, the deal is off, the deal still may happen. It's getting old. At this point, if Peavy comes to the Cubs, great, if not, let's go out and find another free agent who could light a fire under the team who was swept out of the playoffs in the past two postseasons. If the Cubs truly want to shake up the team, they should put more of their resources in signing slugger Milton Bradley.
Though the Cubs seem fine at the plate when Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano are firing on all cylinders, that doesn't always happen. With Kosuke Fukudome not performing as expected, the Cubs will need another reliable bat. Bradley hit over .300 in the past two seasons. He also hit 22 home runs in 126 games and earned a spot on the All Star squad last season for Texas.
Rick Morrissey thinks that the Cubs need mean, ornery guys. That takes it a bit far. What the Cubs need, besides middle relief and an error-free outfield, is passion.
Beyond hitting, Bradley will bring with him a passion and a will to win. He has had some controversial incidents, like when he hurt his knee going after an umpire, or when he confronted a Royals announcer, but he has always brought with him a nearly maniacal focus on winning.
He isn't perfect. Bradley is injury-prone and hasn't played more than 130 games since 2004. His reputation for being a trouble maker is worrisome, but it isn't anything that Lou Pineilla couldn't handle.
Adding a pitcher like Peavy still could be a good idea for the Cubs. However, adding a firecracker like Bradley could provide the exact spark that the Cubs need.
