Brewers give Gibbons second chance
Veteran outfielder Jay Gibbons passed a physical in Huntsville, Ala. on Tuesday afternoon, the final obstacle on his long road back to organized baseball.
Milwaukee inked a Minor League contract with Gibbons, a left-handed hitter who belted 121 home runs for the Orioles from 2001-2007 but was released in March and had been playing in an Independent league.
Gibbons, 31, will spend at least the next 10-14 days with Double-A Huntsville as a replacement for outfielder Michael Brantley. When Brantley returns, Gibbons will likely be promoted to Triple-A Nashville.
Brewers assistant GM Gord Ash and amateur scouting director Jack Zduriencik met during the All-Star break with Gibbons, who has been forthright about his use of performance-enhancing drugs to speed his recovery from injuries. A Brewers scout then was dispatched to see Gibbons play for the Independent Long Island Ducks.
"They sat down and basically interviewed him," Brewers GM Doug Melvin said. "Gord is familiar with him from Toronto and he wants to get back and playing. I don't know exactly what his [off-the-field] issues were, but they were not enough to not give a guy a second chance. He's always been a good guy with a good work ethic."
The Orioles are paying Gibbons nearly $12 million this season and next. Unless someone is traded before the July 31 nonwaiver deadline, Gibbons would join a slew of other left-handed outfield bats at Nashville with Major League experience, a list that already includes Tony Gwynn, Jr., Laynce Nix, Hernan Iribarren.
Gwynn has been the focus of trade rumors for much of the past calendar year and would have been sent to Texas last July had Boston not stepped up to complete a deal for Eric Gagne. Adding Gibbons could give the Brewers the depth they need to trade Gwynn, though club officials continue to insist he is part of the team's future plans.
-- Adam McCalvy
Milwaukee inked a Minor League contract with Gibbons, a left-handed hitter who belted 121 home runs for the Orioles from 2001-2007 but was released in March and had been playing in an Independent league.
Gibbons, 31, will spend at least the next 10-14 days with Double-A Huntsville as a replacement for outfielder Michael Brantley. When Brantley returns, Gibbons will likely be promoted to Triple-A Nashville.
Brewers assistant GM Gord Ash and amateur scouting director Jack Zduriencik met during the All-Star break with Gibbons, who has been forthright about his use of performance-enhancing drugs to speed his recovery from injuries. A Brewers scout then was dispatched to see Gibbons play for the Independent Long Island Ducks.
"They sat down and basically interviewed him," Brewers GM Doug Melvin said. "Gord is familiar with him from Toronto and he wants to get back and playing. I don't know exactly what his [off-the-field] issues were, but they were not enough to not give a guy a second chance. He's always been a good guy with a good work ethic."
The Orioles are paying Gibbons nearly $12 million this season and next. Unless someone is traded before the July 31 nonwaiver deadline, Gibbons would join a slew of other left-handed outfield bats at Nashville with Major League experience, a list that already includes Tony Gwynn, Jr., Laynce Nix, Hernan Iribarren.
Gwynn has been the focus of trade rumors for much of the past calendar year and would have been sent to Texas last July had Boston not stepped up to complete a deal for Eric Gagne. Adding Gibbons could give the Brewers the depth they need to trade Gwynn, though club officials continue to insist he is part of the team's future plans.
-- Adam McCalvy
im glad gibbons has been give a second chance he deserves it
Report any abuse or spam