Carlos Zambrano has a no-trade clause, but has hinted he would go to certain teams.
Carlos Zambrano, the enigmatic Cubs ace, was in fine form Tuesday. Pitching a day after the one-year anniversary of his no-hitter against the Houston Astros, Zambrano baffled the Brewers for four innings, striking out eight and leading 4-0. In the fifth, he completely fell apart, yielding five runs before escaping with a no-decision in the Cubs' 13-7 victory.
It was just the latest chapter in a disastrous season for Big Z. He missed a crucial stretch of August games due to a bad back that may have been caused by excessive batting practice, and admitted he has been "lazy" about doing preventative abdominal exercises. He twice has been on the DL and was suspended six games for "inappropriate and violent actions" after melting down during a May game against the Pirates. When Zambrano unraveled during a June loss to the White Sox, a local baseball columnist urged the Cubs to cut the hotheaded hurler immediately.
That was ridiculous, but it's certainly reasonable to ask: Would unloading Zambrano be addition by subtraction?
Complicating matters is the fact that Rich Harden is going to be a free agent, and the Cubs will have to think long and hard about shelling out big money for a pitcher with a history of arm miseries who rarely goes deep into games because of high pitch counts (last Friday, Harden had to leave a 6-4 victory over Cincinnati before he could qualify for the win because he had thrown 103 pitches in four innings).
If the Cubs let Harden go, could they afford to also bid farewell to another quality starting pitcher?
Bottom line: Is Zambrano the kind of ace who can lead you to the World Series? He certainly has the talent, but does he lack the willpower to keep his emotions in check on the mound and the discipline required to stay in shape to avoid stints on the disabled list?
Do you think Zambrano still will be wearing Cubbie blue next season, and would you be happy or sad to see him go?
Stu, you forgot your disclaimer, so I will put it in:
****please no feedback from Sox fans. It is not wanted,nor needed****
Yes, I sure am a firm believer in the theory of addition by subtraction, especially in this case. Big Z is too immature and unreliable to keep on the team. He either chooses not to or doesn't know how to take good care of himself (remember the caffeine incidents with the cramping?). He's hot headed, admittedly 'lazy' and injury prone. He hasn't exactly been pitching great either. He is not the kind of 'ace' that could lead the Cubs to a World Series. They need a Messiah for that. He is just one of many players the Cubs have to find a new home for this off season. No Cubbie blue for Z next year. He'd probably do great on the Royals.
Bye bye big Z.
Honestly, Zambrano has been overvalued since day one. he's definitely not been producing to warrant 18 mil + per season. He's never won 20 games (18 being his high in 07') and his ERA has been near 4 for 3 seasons now.
He doesn't listen to advice, loses composure, and is quick to blame his teammates at any opportunity. To quote Samurai Mike', "Cannot play with them, cannot win with them, cannot coach with them. Can't do it."
Honestly, who's going to trade for him? His salary is bloated to Jupiter size proportions and teams around the league are seeing that this guy is breaking down. So with Big Z and Soriano (easily the worst signing in Cubs history) looks like the Cubs are stuck with two huge, non-movable contracts. I can't wait for the new owners to get in here and start cleaning house. While were it, how much longer till Hendry is fired?
Stu responds: Don't hold your breath on that house-cleaning, RPK. Hendry isn't going anywhere, he got a four-year extension that Ricketts reportedly signed off on last year. And as you noted, it won't be easy moving some of those contracts. But hey, the Cubs are on a roll right now, making a belated wild-card bid! They figure to tweak a bit in the offseason, but don't look for major moves.
They're stuck with Big Z-ero. He has a no trade clause, and it's doubtful that he'd agree to waive it. And he certainly doesn't have the stats these past three seasons to warrant another team paying him almost 18 million dollars next year, and $54 million overall through 2012.
They're stuck with him, the same way that they're stuck with Milton Children's Games Bradley, Alfonzo I'm Always Sore-iano, and Kosuke What The Fuk-udome.
If I remember correctly, the Marlins won a World Series a few years back, with a total team payroll that was less than what the Cubs paid these four losers this year.
I firmly believe that the biggest problem in all professional sports is the guaranteed long term contracts. Paying someone for what they did in the past is just as stupid as paying them for what they might do in the future. I'm a firm believer in people getting paid for what they're doing right now.
In the real world (where the rest of us live) if you don't do a good job and perform up to expectations, you're certainly not going to be rewarded for your failure.
In the parallel universe known as Major League Baseball, you can stink up the field all year long, and be invited back next year to do the same thing again, for another 10 or 15 million bucks.
Here's how it should be:
If you want to dine on prime steak every night at Gibson's, then hit the damn ball, catch the damn ball, or pitch the damn ball where the other guy can't hit the damn thing. If you want to eat at White Castle every night, then strike out 200 times a season.
That sounds fair to me.
Stuck - with all due respect, when Cubs fans stop posting on Sox blogs then we will stop. Besides I don't hate the Cubs and told you all they would still be in it. Whitesox are still alive also.
I think moving Big Z would be a mistake especially if you don't get a stud for him in return. The Yankess would take him in a heartbeat, and so would the Whitesox if the price wasn't so high. Big Z is still a stud. You think the Cubs miss DeRosa, you aint seen nothing yet.
Stu, if you're not expecting major moves this offseason with the Cubs, then the entire ownership sale process was a big waste of time. The team basically couldn't make any further adjustments to the roster when the team was spiraling out of control last month that not only blew the season, but is now the ridicule of talk among even the most faithful and diehard Cubs fans and the media. And how did Ricketts sign off on a personnel contract before the team sale was officially finalized? More shady politics behind the scenes I see? But fine, even if Hendry stays, my suggestion for the Ricketts is to first start hiring more "true" baseball personnel/consultants in the management office similar to what the Blackhawks did with Scotty Bowman and then clean house from there. I want to see asap if this new ownership team is more interested in changing the culture of this organization to a serious baseball team or if it's just another no-brainer cash investment on a profit machine for them. Regarding the bad contracts, again, if these guys had enough money to buy the Cubs and Wrigley Field, then they should be able to figure out a way to get rid of the bad contracts and possibly take a hit by eating a portion of the contracts just to make it happen. It's called damage control. Is this normal course of business? Of course not, but if they want to show that they're serious players in the baseball market, then they'd be wise not to try to make it work with keeping most of this roster intact. As for Zambrano, his contract is nowhere close to being as bad as Soriano. He at least will have value in the trade market and might even be a perfect fit for the White Sox and Ozzie Guillen. Fine by me if Z is traded, but I'd expect something decent in return. It's the Soriano and Bradley contracts which I figure the Cubs might have to eat a huge portion of their contracts for them to go, but in this particular case with this particular team, it's absolutely necessary.
And lastly, I just wanted to comment about the Cubs current winning streak illusion... it's pretty obvious that with practically everyone writing them off this season already, the team is only playing well now that the pressure is off of them without expectations. Well, that's great, but it really only tells me none of these guys, including even Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez, can't play under pressure at all. You can get away with that in the regular season with a talented team, but not in the playoffs and World Series. Until any one of these guys can prove otherwise with a World Series ring, they'll always be chokers.
The Cubs invested a lot of cash in a juvenal, inconsistent Zambrano and a one-year wonder in Dempster.
How is Jason Marquis doing in Colorado right now?
Why were the Phillies able to pick up Cliff Lee while the Cubs just sat there?
With the money spent on Zambrano and Dempster why not go after C.C. Sabathia instead?
Yeah the Cubs will be forced to keep Hendry around because they threw him money and they don’t want to pay him to go away.
Just like the Bears have been stuck with the likes of Wannstedt, Jauron and Lovie.
Waste a few more years over the salary of your coach or G.M. instead of admitting that this is not working and trying to fix the mess that you created.
Congratulations.
They are well on their way to another century of losing baseball and cultivating their famous loser reputation.
I am glad that I don’t buy into this running joke of a team.
it is one of those situations where if he goes somewhere else, then he
will be lights out. However, we can't get much for him right now.
He is not someone to rally the troops, more of a follower-so once
the Cubs start playing consistently well again(next May), he will fall
in line. He just needs to understand that his body is a temple, and
you must stretch out, eat well, and excercise. Look at Prince Fielder.
He may be a big dude, but he has developed the habbits of being
healthy.
I don't think the Cubs need a house cleaning...they actually need
the opposite. Consistency. They should keep e1 and grow as a team.
That is how you win championships-not just by keeping a core of players. Milton and Soriano will be just fine next year...I am
already excited. Please don't change anything.
Keith sez: "Besides I don't hate the Cubs and told you all they would still be in it. Whitesox are still alive also."
______________________________________________
You remind me of that guy in Monte Python's Holy Grail. Remember the guy they threw onto the gurney as someone walking alongside shouted, "Bring out yer dead! Bring out yer dead!"
Remember what the guy feebly mumbled as he laid there on the cart?
I would not call losing 96 games one year, being swept in the post season the next two and then missing the playoffs again the next consistent and it is certainly not the way you win championships. As if the Cubs have some kind of experience in that.
Hell.... not even one trip to the World Series.
The division title team that won in 2007 did not even win 90 games so why pretend that this is a top team or some kind of juggernaut?
Getting all excited over one 97 win season that ended in total failure is great for little kids or those who think like one.
Why did they not even try to sign Mark Texceria and trade Lee for a real bullpen guy?
The money they give to Lee and Dempster would have gotten you one of the best hitters in the game and a left handed one at that.
Then you don’t throw away $10 million a year on Bradley and you keep DeRosa in right field instead.
That waste of money could have been spent on a number of players that would have made a difference.
This is not hindsight.
This is not a case of saying that no one could have know that Bradley was not worth signing at half the price they paid or that Dempster had done nothing to justify his big money.
Everyone knew that Texceria was a proven star while Lee has not come close to his career year he had with the Cubs.
He is never going to hit 40 HRs again and the Cubs should have known that.
It was a fluke season and they keep waiting for it to come back from dreamland.
You also don’t shell out “Ace” money to a guy who is a “follower” and “lazy” while he is one mosquito bite away from another childish melt down.
Zambrano's "baby wants his bottle" routine may appeal to fans who watch wrestling or can't handle a couple of beers them self but it is not going to bring you a World Series.
Entertainment for the clueless is what he offers.
They have not done a good job of putting together a winning team and there is no grown up reason to believe that they just need one more year of the same act to win a ring.
it's the Cubs...hellooo?!!?....you know.....black cat...billy goat....bartman....
Zambrano will be a Yankee next year....Cubs'll get Martin, Munson, and Mantle in the deal...
might as well trade for dead guys...cut the cat, goat, and dunce off at the pass...
Cubs fans should just go and enjoy Wrigley Field as it crumbles down around them...The Glory that was once...well.. never Rome
I kinda liked the Sox better this year....and you can feel pretty good about pooping at the Cell
Ozzie and Lou should have a stuttering contest....could you imagine both of those guys talking to you at once....while you were really drunk?......erp
In two years this hotheaded beavis will be on his rancho, getting plump on homemade flour tortillas and chiles rellenos, and nobody will give two beans about him any longer.
My bet is he even goes all out and buys a gatorade machine for the corral!
Don't look now but the Mighty White Sox are gonna sneak back into it after the Mariners series. Get the next headline ready, Stu.
I think Z. will still be around and definitely hope the Cubs give Harden a big contract. The Cubs are playing great ball right now and should try to keep the present team intact. They were plagued with injuries and slumps this year and still won most of the time. Barring injuries next year, they should be awesome from top to bottom.
Trade him to Juarez for a couple of Kilos and we'll keep the next Ace thin....
Edgar's right. The Cubs suddenly got hot after they were basically out of it. When there's no pressure to win, that's when they shine. What worries me is will the one player who has had a great year, Derek Lee, have another great year next season? And to reiterate, get rid of the trio of immature, overpaid, unprofessional unhappy babies; Big Z; Uncle Miltie; and Soriano. Since they're never going to win, the Cubs could've built a nice Children's hospital for the money they wasted on those three. By the way, The next to last person who remembered the 1908 Championship team died last week at age 115. I think there's one person left somewhere.
Don't get me wrong. I like emotion! However, I hate what I perceive as "dumb emotion" or the kind that makes you look silly or act stupidly. Unfortunately, I have felt for a long time that Carlos Zambrano's emotion often wasn't the kind I would have liked to have on my team. Here's yet another mega-talent that will likely not reach his potential just because of his make-up that has little or nothing to do with his physical talents.