The Mariners and Chicago Cubs have announced a trade sending right-handed pitcher Carlos Silva to Seattle for outfielder Milton Bradley.

Silva is still owed $25 million over the last two years of his contract. Bradley is owed about $23 million.

Hopefully the Cubbies can use some  of the cash to go out and get another outfield bat, but the addition by subtraction rule is going to be the focus.  Obviously my stance on the Bradley issue has been almost as unpopular as Bradley himself, but regardless of how anyone feels about him he had to go.

And for anyone excited about Carlos Silva, he’s pretty much been trash in the AL.  The hopes are that a switch to the AL will rejuvenate his career, but he hasn’t pitched well in over 2 years.

• Deron Williams dressed up like a goof with recspecs, a ghostbusters tee, and high socks playing dodgeball.  You have to see it to believe it. [BDL]
• I don’t usually link to this kind of stuff, but Maria Sharapova is a real looker. [Sharapova's Thigh]
• So the Milwaukee Bucks are still an NBA team, at least for fantasy purposes.  Kind of. [Give Me The Rock]
• Drew Barrymore is playing a Packer fan dressed like the Joker?  How strange…Also nice redesign Zoner! [Zoner]
• 21 different pictures of Packers fans doing what they do best: looking like fat white trash. [JCS]
• Cris Collinsworth is a complete idiot in the booth, but did you know he was a total jackass during his playing days as well? [Deadspin]
• With McNabb questionable for Week 2, it looks like the Eagles are pursuing Jeff Garcia.  Too bad Vick isn’t available. [Inside the Iggles]
• Here’s your NFL Week 2 Preview.  It’s got everything you need to know. [MidwestSportsFans]
• NFL players are donating their brains to science.  Just to make sure everyone is clear, let me die before giving me some football player’s “brain”.  Thanks.  [Bootlegger Sports]
• Another Chicago Blogger’s take on the Bears game.  Yeah, it’s negative. [Tremendous Upside Potential]
• It was NOT a good weekend for Ohio teams.  Browns, Bengals, Indians, Reds, Buckeyes all lost.  Ouch. [Paneech]
• Bruce Levine seems to think the Cubs are looking to trade Milton Bradley AND Carlos Zambrano.  It seems unlikely that they would trade both, but if the Cubs can shed bad contracts, they should.  Which begs the question: is Z a bad contract? [Bleacher Nation]
• I guess the Bengals prematurely ejaculated on the Broncos on Sunday, or at least that’s what Keith Olbermann ALMOST said.  You know he was thinking it. [Detroit4Lyfe]
• D-Wade held a charity bowling event at Ten=Pin in Chicago and a local blogger went and interviewed him.  It made me realize two things: Wade is awesome, and bloggers are dorks. [Docksquad]
• Patrick Swayze passed away, and here is a tribute to him by some sports guys. [Outside the Boxscore]

Now it seems that Peavy could be heading to the White Sox as the Sox and Padres have reportedly agreed to a deal that would send four players to San Diego for the ace.  Apparently the only step left is approval by Peavy, who called former teammate Scott Linebrink to do some scouting on Chicago.

A presence like Jake Peavy could drastically change things for the White Sox, who before winning their last two had been in a serious funk, dropping 5.5 games behind Detroit for the lead in the Central Division.

It’s been reported that the deal includes Clayton Richard and Aaron Poreda.  They are both young lefties, with Poreda being a former #1 pick.  According to ESPN’s Peter Gammons, first round pick Gordon Beckham is not part of the trade.

This would be huge news for the Sox and we’ll try to keep you updated throughout the day.

**Update: Apparently Peavy has expressed that he wishes to remain in the NL, but there is still a possibility he okays the deal.

***Update: No deal

I’m really shocked by the news.  The Bears always seemed like also-rans in the deal and I really expected Cutler to end up in Washington, Detroit, or even to stay in Denver before Angelo would make a move for him.

Kudos to Jerry Angelo, I didn’t know he had it in him.  This changes a whole lot on offense for Chicago.  Cutler is a legit NFL quarterback and in my lifetime, I barely know what that is like.  So there goes the speculation about who the Bears are looking at in the first round; they already made their first round choice and it’s Jay Cutler.

I think Stormin’ Norman peed himself when he heard the news.  The only downside for me is that the Bears got rid of both their fun quarterbacks in the same year.  Still, what a move.

**Orlando Pace was also signed today.  After a slow start by Angelo in free agency, these two moves are blockbusters.

The final pieces to the Cutler deal seem to break down with the Bears getting Cutler and a 5th rounder this year, in exchange for Orton, a first rounder this year, first rounder next year, and a third rounder this year.

Adding Orlando Pace and Jay Cutler in one day is amazing for the Bears.  Yes, they gave up a lot in draft picks, but the Bears don’t exactly clean up in the draft ever.  This is a win for both teams I think.

Thanks to Sharapova’s Thigh for the tip.

Word is, though, the Bulls would feel much better about acquiring Bosh than they would Amare Stoudemire, another defensively-challenged forward that might be on the market. The biggest reason is Bosh’s personality. He sort of fits the mold of a Georgia Tech engineering student, serious and studious. The belief is Bosh would make a good teammate, while general managers aren’t quite sold on Stoudemire in that regard.

So if Bosh becomes trade bait this summer, the Bulls are sure to get involved. This is one reason why the Bulls should step up and re-sign Ben Gordon, so they’ll have spare parts to put in any potential deal. Tyrus Thomas and a player of Toronto’s choosing, not Rose or Joakim Noah, figures to be the offer, though the possibilities are endless.

Obviously there would be a lot of competition for Bosh’s services.  I also believe that Bosh would be a better fit for the Bulls, but to be honest I wouldn’t mind either one.  Pair either of those guys up with Rose and that is a perennial playoff team in the East.

Also, maybe keeping Gordon around on a qualifying deal this year will pay off.  If we can use him in a sign-and-trade, then I’m all for it.  Pax loves those ‘character’ guys.

In Pahlsson the Blackhawks get exactly the player they wanted.  Pahlsson won the Stanley Cup with the Ducks a couple years ago and won a gold medal with Sweden in the Olympics, giving him the experience the Hawks were looking for.  He’s an excellent defensive forward and ranks toward the top of the league in face-off percentage.

Again, the main draw for Pahlsson is the experience and history of winning that will be extremely important in the locker room when the playoffs come around.  If you get in that situation of being down a couple of games in a series, Pahlsson is the kind of guy you can look to for some perspective and direction.

The downside is that Pahlsson has never been an offensive stat-filler.  His best season was two years ago when he had 8 goals and 18 assists, though he did have 3 goals and 9 assists in the Ducks’ playoff run that season.  Another issue is that Pahlsson is out right now with mono and won’t be back for a few weeks.  It’s tough enough coming onto a team mid-season, but Sammy will have even less time to adjust before the playoffs than usual.  While I understand the point that he is mainly being brought on board for once the Hawks are in the playoffs, it couldn’t hurt to get him comfortable before that happens.

Plus, with some of the moves Calgary made today, it would be nice to have the Blackhawks at full strength as soon as possible.  The Flames are a point ahead of the Blackhawks right now and with Vancouver still in the mix in their division, it would be nice to make sure you finish ahead of the second place team there in terms of home ice.  Calgary grabbed a couple of guys I hoped the Blackhawks would be able to land in centerman Olli Jokinen and defenseman Jordan Leopold. Wait, flames fans are not happy?*

In terms of losing Wisniewski, it shouldn’t hurt the Blackhawks too much.  He was gone for most of the first half of this season and I’m sure a lot of fans didn’t really notice, but he’s a solid defender that was a great fit in Chicago.  He’s a good pick-up for the Ducks and will fit in well with their physically intimidating style.

Overall, you have to be happy with this trade as a Hawks fan.  This was not one of the flashiest trades they could have pulled off, but the more I think about it, the more I like it.  It would have been nice to get an offensive presence from a guy like Jokinen, or a bigger body like Nik Antropov, but in the end they went with the defensive specialist with Stanley Cup experience.  Moreover, they probably got Pahlsson for cheaper than they could have gotten those other guys.  This team has enough offense and is sorely lacking in the experience category.  In the end, Chicago addressed its biggest need and didn’t give up anything that will hurt them this season in the process.  Well done Mr. Tallon.

*h/t: Puck Daddy

Pahlsson has the reputation for being an excellent defensive forward, but has been severely lacking in production the last few seasons.  Wisniewski seemed to fit the mold for a defenseman in Chicago, but was by no means one of the more talented players on the team.

Pahlsson came at a lower cost than other free agents such as Antropov, Moore, or Jokinen would have.  I’ll google-stalk this guy tonight and have a breakdown tomorrow.

Larry Hughes:
@TOR—1/9 fgs, 1/3 3pt, 3 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, -8 +/-
vs. IND—2/7 fgs, 1/2 3pt, 5 points, 2 rebounds, 0 assists, -2 +/-

Andres Nocioni:
@DAL—2/11 fgs, 0/3 3pt, 10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, -6 +/-
vs. NO—7/11 fgs, 4/7 3pt,  19 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, -2 +/-

Thabo Sefolosha:
@GSW—0/3 fgs, 0 points, 1 rebound, 0 assists, 2 steals, -7 +/-

Drew Gooden:
@DAL—DNP-CD
vs. NO—DNP-CD

Cedric Simmons:
@DAL—DNP-CD
vs. NO—DNP-CD

At least Gooden and Simmons aren’t hurting their teams.  While Noce had one awful game and one decent game, his team lost both.  We were used to nights like this from Nocioni; high energy, good shooting night while his team loses.  This fools coaches and management into thinking he deserves minutes and a big contract, when really he only has one decent game in five.

Hughes is back up to his old tricks, shooting just 19% from the field (I rounded up) in his two games with the Knicks.  He has got to be the most inefficient player in all of basketball.

Thabo did nothing in 18 minutes.  I mean really nothing.  But he’s a defensive specialist, you say?  Well whoever he defended that game scored double digits, since 7 Warriors finished with at least 11.

I’m ecstatic not unhappy that these players are gone.

So Hughes’ short time with the Bulls has come to an end, and Chicago will welcome James and Thomas.  Is it me or does Tim Thomas change teams, or at least almost change teams every year at the trade deadline?  Anyway, more on this later from Stormin’ Norman I’m sure.  Just wanted to give the heads up and give some of you a reason to drink at lunch.

In my brief analysis Thomas seems to fill in the role that Gooden left open yesterday.  A big man that can shoot the ball.  I’m not sure but I think Jerome James is out for the year.  But he’s 7′1″!  Biggest thing here is getting rid of Hughes. Obvs.

Also, in bad Google search news: I went to look for a picture of Hughes with the search “Larry Hughes Sucks, Bulls”  and Google responded with “Did you mean Larry Hughes Sucks Balls?”  Now that you mention it…

The Bulls couldn’t lure Amare or Bosh to Chicago, but they made the move for Brad Miller and gave up much less than we were hearing in the process.  Here’s a little taste of how the blog world is reacting…

Tom Ziller at Fanhouse (Kings Fan): The Nocioni acquisition is odd at best for Sacramento; Andres is 29 years old, getting worse every year, and signed above the midlevel until 2012. He might fit better in Sacramento than Salmons did, but Salmons is cheaper and less likely to eat children. We like our children in Sacramento, and we like our children to have heads.

The Bulls should certainly make the playoffs now. Salmons could very well start in front of Ben Gordon (and make him expendable this summer). I imagine Vinny Del Negro will start Miller; it’s plausible that Tyrus Thomas or Joakim Noah could be involved in some trade talks, as well. (Who knows?)

The Big Lead: The Bulls send Andres Nocioni, Drew Gooden and Cedric Simmons to the Kings in exchange for Brad Miller and John Salmons. Knee-jerk: Uh … the Kings get the better talent here, and the Bulls get another big man without a back-to-the-basket game, a SF who is expected to steal minutes from … Luol Deng?

Ball Don’t Lie: Beyond that, it’s hard to see what the Kings actually are expecting from Nocioni. He’s a crowd favorite because he works his tail off and provides obvious hustle, but he’s a low efficiency performer on offense, and a poor defender at both forward spots despite his energy and effort.

In the meantime, Miller gives the team a solid offensive option at center, and Salmons gives the Bulls that size in the backcourt that will make the talk radio types happy, even if John doesn’t have anything close to Ben Gordon’s abilities.

Thank You Isiah: Miller is both a nice complimentary piece to Ty and Noah, and an expiring deal in the much-anticipated “Summer of ‘10″ (TM). Salmons is having a career year this season, and will likely never play this well again, but as a backup to Deng and possible 1-year Gordon insurance, he’s fine. What’s more, he’s owed considerably less than Noce, which is fantastic. Plus, I’m obviously pleased that I don’t have to watch Gooden and Noce any more.

StevieY19: Man the Pistons really suck this year!