It's official: Milton Bradley is a Mariner no more (via seattlepi.com) ...

After designating Milton Bradley for assignment last week, the Seattle Mariners placed him on irrevocable waivers for the purpose of granting him his unconditional release on Monday.

There was some loose talk about the M's trading Bradley, but that seemed pretty far-fetched considering his famous anger-management issues and (especially) his awful performance; since joining the Mariners, Bradley's batted .209/.298/.351 in 101 games, which might be acceptable for a slick-fielding shortstop well studied in the works of Thich Nhat Hanh.

Of course, given the $12 million he's earning this season, Bradley can afford to buy a dozen monasteries packed with Zen masters. Or a fortress full of Samurai, if he prefers that route.

In the end, the Mariners probably "lost" the trade that got them Bradley, because at least Carlos Silva pitched effectively for three months last season with the Cubs. But neither of the GMs who showered Bradley and Silva with so many millions of dollars are likely to spend much time on those deals in their memoirs.