What is Milton Bradley's Net Worth and Salary?
Milton Bradley is a former professional baseball outfielder who has a net worth of $18 million. During his professional career Milton Bradley played for numerous MLB teams from 2000 to 2011, including the Montreal Expos, Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, and Chicago Cubs. He had his best career season in 2008 with the Rangers when he led the American League with a .436 on-base percentage and earned his first and only All-Star selection. Notorious for his bad temper and behavior both on and off the field, Bradley was convicted on nine counts of domestic violence in 2013 and was sentenced to 32 months in prison. During his career Milton earned $48 million, the vast majority of which was earned from a three-year, $30 million deal with the Cubs that he signed in 2009.
Early Life and Education
Milton Bradley Jr. was born on April 15, 1978 in Los Angeles, California to supermarket clerk Charlena and Vietnam War veteran Milton Sr. He had four half-siblings from his mother's previous marriage. Reportedly, Bradley's father was a cocaine addict who abused his wife.
As a teenager, Bradley attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School, where he played baseball. Although he planned to attend California State University, Long Beach for college, he ended up entering MLB when he was drafted in 1996.
Minor League Career, 1996-2000
In the 1996 MLB June amateur draft, Bradley was selected by the Montreal Expos in the second round. He began his professional baseball career in the organization's farm system with the Gulf Coast League's GCL Expos. In his first season, Bradley batted .241 with 27 hits. The next season, he played nine games for the GCL Expos before moving to the Vermont Expos. In 1998, Bradley played for the Cape Fear Crocs and the Jupiter Hammerheads, and in 1999 played for the Harrisburg Senators. With the Senators, he hit a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the ninth in the final game of the Eastern League championship to give the team a 12-11 win over the Norwich Navigators. Bradley subsequently played for the Ottawa Lynx during the first half of the 2000 season.
Montreal Expos
Bradley made his MLB debut in July of 2000 when he was called up by the Expos. That season, he batted .221 with 15 RBI in 42 games. Bradley played 67 games with the Expos in 2001 before being traded.
Cleveland Indians
At the end of July in 2001, Bradley was traded to the Cleveland Indians. He was subsequently assigned to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, with which he played 30 games. Bradley ended up playing in 10 games that season for the Indians. In 2002, he spent a couple stints on the disabled list and played six games with the Bisons while recovering. Bradley returned to the Indians in early June, and finished the season with a .249 batting average, 38 RBI, and nine home runs. Despite spending more time on the disabled list in 2003, Bradley led the Indians in stolen bases, with 17. After the season, he signed a new one-year contract with the team; however, he was traded in the spring of 2004.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Bradley had a turbulent first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2004 due to his rowdy on-field behavior. In June, he was ejected from a game for arguing over balls and strikes, and was shortly after suspended for four games for angrily throwing a ball bag onto the field. Later, in September, Bradley was ejected from a game for throwing a bottle at a fan who had first thrown it at him. The day after the incident, he was suspended for the remainder of the regular season. Bradley returned in the postseason to play in the NLDS, which the Dodgers lost to the St. Louis Cardinals. During the offseason, he underwent anger management counseling. Bradley played in one more season with the Dodgers in 2005. After batting .290 with 38 RBI, he was placed on the disabled list in late August, and subsequently missed the remainder of the season.
Oakland Athletics
In late 2005, Bradley was traded to the Oakland Athletics. He had a strong first season with the team, batting .276 with 52 RBI and 14 home runs as the Athletics reached the 2006 ALCS. In the series, Bradley became the third MLB player ever to hit home runs from each side of the plate in a postseason game. Ultimately, the Detroit Tigers swept the A's. Midway through the 2007 season, Bradley was designated for assignment and traded to the San Diego Padres.
San Diego Padres
Bradley began his tenure with the Padres on the disabled list; he was activated in July. In September, he had an altercation with first base umpire Mike Winters, who had cussed him out. While being restrained by Padres manager Bud Black, Bradley fell and tore his right ACL, causing him to miss the final week of the regular season.
Texas Rangers
Following the 2007 season, Bradley signed a one-year contract with the Texas Rangers. He went on to have his best career season in 2008, leading the American League in both on-base percentage, with .436, and on-base plus slugging percentage, with .999. Moreover, Bradley was chosen for his first and only career All-Star Game.
Chicago Cubs
In early 2009, Bradley signed a three-year contract with the Chicago Cubs. However, he only ended up playing in one season with the team due to his proclivity for on-field physical altercations and fits of anger. In September of 2009, he was suspended by the Cubs for the remainder of the season after disparaging the team in an interview with the Daily Herald. Bradley finished his tenure with the Cubs batting .257 with 40 RBI and 12 home runs.
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Seattle Mariners
Bradley concluded his MLB career with the Seattle Mariners from 2010 to 2011. In his first season on the team, he played in 73 games and batted .205 with 29 RBI and eight home runs before he was placed on the disabled list at the end of July. After starting the 2011 season with a .218 batting average, 13 RBI, and two homers, Bradley was designated for assignment by the Mariners. Reportedly, he had aggravated the team due to his frequent arguing and poor throwing. Bradley was consequently released in May.
Domestic Violence Conviction and Imprisonment
Bradley was previously married to Monique Williams, whom he first met in 2003 when she was a community relations intern for the Cleveland Indians. In 2005, police in Redondo Beach received three domestic-violence-related calls from the couple's house, although no charges were filed. The following year, Bradley filed for divorce, but the divorce was never finalized. Later, in early 2011, he was arrested at his home in Encino and charged with threatening his wife; she subsequently filed for divorce.
In 2013, Bradley was charged with multiple crimes relating to five different domestic violence incidents that occurred in 2011 and 2012. He was ultimately convicted on nine counts of physically attacking and threatening his wife, and was given a sentence of 32 months in prison with 52 weeks of anger management and domestic violence classes. Pending appeal, Bradley was released on bail, although that appeal and another later one were ultimately rejected. In September of 2013, Bradley's wife passed away at Encino Hospital Medical Center.
Second Domestic Violence Charge
Following his release from prison, Bradley married his second wife, Rachel. In the spring of 2018, he was once again charged with spousal battery and was taken into custody for an incident that occurred while he was still on probation from his earlier domestic violence conviction. That June, Bradley pleaded no contest to the charge, and was sentenced to 36 months of probation with 52 weeks of domestic violence counseling.
Real Estate
In August 2019, Milton listed his longtime home in Encino, California for $3.8 million. He sold the home in December 2021 for $4.15 million Here is a video tour of his former home:
