Edmonds: Still Not Thrilled to be Here

Call me naive, but when a player signs with a team, I generally assume he wants to be a member of that team, or at least wants to play the game. According to FanHouse’s Ed Price, it seems like Jim Edmonds still isn’t too crazy about playing for the Milwaukee Brewers — hell, he’s not even sure he still wants to play:

So, I asked, why? Why is Edmonds in the Cactus League and not still on the beach?

“I’ve asked myself that plenty,” he said. “I haven’t come up with a good answer yet.”

Because he enjoys the game so much?

“I don’t know if ‘enjoy’ is the word,” Edmonds said. “This is my job and this is what I know. I still feel I can play. So just taking that approach.”
…
“I think I was just kind of pissed off a little bit about last year. I think I had a pretty good second half with not being able to play every day and just didn’t get an offer and was kind of upset about that. But other than that there’s no other reason — just to prove to myself I can still play.”

Edmonds seems to think he’s still an everyday player, and hinted to Price that he didn’t come back to be a twice-a-week player.  My question is this — what did Edmonds think he was getting himself into when he signed a deal with the Brewers? It’s great that he likes the clubhouse once he gets there, but some of his quotes sound like they could come from another guy constantly waffling on retirement that the people of Wisconsin aren’t too fond of right now.

Edmonds has had a good career, but he’s coming off more like a whiny 20-year old than a guy going on 40.  The Brewers were the only team interested in giving him a shot this winter, and considering the lack of depth the Brewers have in the outfield, he could possibly put them in a big bind if he calls it quits at the end of spring because he’s not getting enough at-bats.

After getting a taste of the retirement life, it’s understandable that he’s having second thoughts. But why didn’t Edmonds think of this before agreeing to sign with the Brewers? If he’s not going to be staying with the team, the Brewers would be better served letting him go — according to Adam McCalvy, he has an “out” in his contract if he isn’t on the roster by Thursday — and giving the at-bats to someone who will help the club in 2010.