Milton Bradley Arrested For Making Criminal Threat In California

You can go ahead and add another chapter to the Milton Bradley saga: on Tuesday, the troubled veteran outfielder was arrested on a felony charge in Los Angeles County. More information came courtesy of Geoff Baker, who said the LAPD confirmed that Bradley was arrested for violating California penal code section 422.

What is California penal code section 422? According to this website:

Any person who willfully threatens to commit a crime which will result in death or great bodily injury to another person, with the specific intent that the statement...is to be taken as a threat, even if there is no intent of actually carrying it out, which...is so unequivocal, unconditional, immediate, and specific as to convey to the person threatened, a gravity of purpose and an immediate prospect of execution of the threat...shall be punished by imprisonment in the county jail not to exceed one year, or by imprisonment in the state prison.

There's no further information at the moment, so we can't speak to Bradley's guilt or innocence. However, he came into the offseason barely clinging to a bench spot with the Mariners, so it's possible, if not likely, that the team will decide that enough is enough and drop Bradley from the roster.

The 32-year-old Bradley was a disappointment in Seattle last season after coming over in a trade, batting .205 with eight home runs. He missed time early in the year to attend counseling, and missed the final two months with a knee injury. With left field occupied by Michael Saunders and DH occupied by Jack Cust, Bradley wasn't going to have a starting spot in 2011, and he may now not have a job at all.

Bradley is still due $12 million this year, but the remainder of his contract may be voided if he becomes unavailable to perform his duties. It isn't something for the Mariners to bank on, but it is something for the team and its fans to hope for.

For more on the story, check out Lookout Landing.