Union May File Grievance After Suspension

The Major League Baseball Players Association is considering filing a grievance to challenge the Cubs’ suspension of outfielder Milton Bradley, the union’s general counsel, Michael Weiner, told ESPN.com Monday.

However, the Cubs have yet to issue a formal notice of the suspension to either Bradley, his agents or the union. Once that notice has been received, Weiner said the union would confer with Bradley and his agents, Seth and Sam Levinson, before deciding whether to proceed with the grievance.

Bradley hasn’t yet been informed whether the suspension is with or without pay. He also hasn’t been told what the specific basis for the suspension was.

Once those matters have been clarified, he might be able to challenge the suspension in several potential areas. One might be that the Cubs didn’t have “just cause” to suspend him. A second could be a disagreement about the facts of the case. A third might be simply that the punishment was too severe, given those facts.