Zambrano traded to Marlins for Chris Volstad (P. 8)

[CubColtPacer]

I can't see a new GM sticking out his neck to keep Zambrano. There's so little upside for a guy who had his worst strikeout rate, worst K/BB rate, worst HR rate, second worst LD percentage, and worst swinging strike percentage of his career this year. And with his history, it could very well be arm related damage and not just an off year. If there was potential for Z to be still be great, then maybe he thinks about it. But when you're hoping for acceptable and could take a big PR hit in year 1 if it doesn't work, then there just isn't a big reason for a GM to fight to keep him.

 

You don't have to fight to keep a guy under contract that is hard to trade. You tell your owner you gave it the old college try but did not feel comfortable with any offers and would feel more comfortable to try and make it work with him than dump him. The Cubs already suck and will have a tough time to be good next year. Letting Ramirez walk and paying Zambrano to go away is just going to make it harder to conted next season.

 

I'm just saying it's not worth it for a GM to get blasted in the press about a new GM and the same lack of accountability on the Cubs (which is a running theme with a decent part of the fanbase already) to protect a guy who's likely to put up between a 4.2 and 4.8 ERA for the Cubs next year. Yes, the Cubs would likely be better with Z there than with trading him. But the difference is pretty marginal and it's hard to imagine that a GM would want to risk a small part of his job security to gain that small difference.

[jersey cubs fan]

I'm just saying it's not worth it for a GM to get blasted in the press about a new GM and the same lack of accountability on the Cubs (which is a running theme with a decent part of the fanbase already) to protect a guy who's likely to put up between a 4.2 and 4.8 ERA for the Cubs next year.

 

And I'm just saying that's nonsense. He's going to get blasted in the press eventually over anything that happens on any subject. The level of press criticism he receives will eventually depend on how often the team loses. And press criticism is an asinine thing to consider when debating a transaction. He's the new guy. He will have a honeymoon period regardless. If he brings in quality players and the team wins, nobody worth listening to is going to kill him for hanging onto Zambrano instead of paying somebody else to try and win with him.

[davearm2]

Has it ever come out that something more happened besides what was reported? Because for the life of me I don't understand how that was a "can no longer be a part of this organization" offense. It's just so ineffective to force yourself to trade a guy.

 

I think it was more of a straw that broke the camels back thing than just that offense.

Exactly. I'm willing to bet there have been a lot of things going on behind the scenes with Z that we'll never know about.

 

Heck there was a quote or two (can't remember who) basically saying this.

[Magnetic Curses]

Has it ever come out that something more happened besides what was reported? Because for the life of me I don't understand how that was a "can no longer be a part of this organization" offense. It's just so ineffective to force yourself to trade a guy.

 

I think it was more of a straw that broke the camels back thing than just that offense.

Exactly. I'm willing to bet there have been a lot of things going on behind the scenes with Z that we'll never know about.

 

Heck there was a quote or two (can't remember who) basically saying this.

 

he was probably speaking spanish to another latino player in the presence of some white people.

[NCCubFan]

Has it ever come out that something more happened besides what was reported? Because for the life of me I don't understand how that was a "can no longer be a part of this organization" offense. It's just so ineffective to force yourself to trade a guy.

 

I think it was more of a straw that broke the camels back thing than just that offense.

Exactly. I'm willing to bet there have been a lot of things going on behind the scenes with Z that we'll never know about.

 

Heck there was a quote or two (can't remember who) basically saying this.

Hendry said as much.

[Post Count Padder]

According to a report in the Venezuelan newspaper El Nacional, new Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen has reached out to Carlos Zambrano and is interested in bringing the pitcher to Miami.

It makes sense, as the Venezuelan natives have been close friends for a while now. The Cubs recently activated Zambrano from the disqualified list but will be looking to shop him over the winter. He is due $18 million in 2012 and has a $19.25 million vesting option for 2013, but the El Nacional report suggests the Marlins would be willing to pay the right-hander's salary in deferred amounts. The Cubs would surely be OK with accepting next to nothing in return if the Marlins will eat Big Z's contract.

[Sammy Sofa]

If the Cubs can dump that contract I will kiss Ozzie on the mouth like he was my dad.

 

(And I'm actually not a fan of trading Zambrano just to trade him. But if they can free up all or nearly all of that money and it means they can get guys like Wilson and Fielder and maybe even bring back Aramis, then yes please).

[KingKongvs.Godzilla]

Oh please oh please give up that Logan Morrison fella for Z! One player who pisses everyone off for another player who does the same.

 

I wonder how much salary the Cubs would have to eat.

[Little Slide Rooter]

If the Cubs can dump that contract I will kiss Ozzie on the mouth like he was my dad.

 

(And I'm actually not a fan of trading Zambrano just to trade him. But if they can free up all or nearly all of that money and it means they can get guys like Wilson and Fielder and maybe even bring back Aramis, then yes please).

 

Theres a difference between trading him just to trade him and trading him to get a ton of money off the books. Railroading him out of town would be foolish, especially considering our lack of pitching depth. Besides, I don't think it's possible for his trade value to go even lower, so if we're not getting anything back, it prefer hope he can have a solid walk year, which this would be as theres no way they'll pick up the option and will buy it out for the 9 mil, and if we're not in it come July, trade him then. However, if the Marlins are willing to pick up a big chunk of his contract, go for it.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Luzón says that nothing is official but a deal could be reached where the Cubs cut the 30-year-old loose and give him the $18MM that he is owed in deferred payments. Cubs manager Mike Quade recently said that he would ideally like to have Zambrano back in 2012, but didn't sound optimistic about it happening.

 

 

Wait, what? This makes it sound as though we'd be the ones paying him the 18 mil and cutting him loose. That would be just stupid, unless they're giving us a decent return like Morrison. If the Marlins gave the White Sox 2 top prospects for a manager they were already sick of and we end giving them Z AND pay off his contract, somebody needs to be fired before they've even been hired.

 

I wonder if it would be possible to land Morrison and Nolasco for Z if we pay the full contract and maybe kick them some kind of sweetener. (Yeah, I learned that lingo from Moneyball)

[Clem Fandango]

If we're paying the vast majority of Z's contract, we damn well better be getting Logan Morrison in return at a minimum.

[davell]

Why? Zambrano isn't an elite talent at this point. He's an average 3 or 4 starter who's massively overpaid to be that and is certainly considered a clubhouse distraction as well. If you were another team would you give up a Morrison type guy to get Z's contract paid way down? I know I wouldn't. Until proven otherwise, holding onto Z and slotting him 3 or 4 next year is our best option.

[treebird]

wtg

[davell]

Good lord, freaking phone. Sorry about the quadruple posting.

[Clem Fandango]

Why? Zambrano isn't an elite talent at this point. He's an average 3 or 4 starter who's massively overpaid to be that and is certainly considered a clubhouse distraction as well. If you were another team would you give up a Morrison type guy to get Z's contract paid way down? I know I wouldn't. Until proven otherwise, holding onto Z and slotting him 3 or 4 next year is our best option.

 

You're right, he is massively overpaid for what he provides, but if the Marlins are getting him at a premium where he's massively underpaid for what he provides with the Cubs on the hook for the rest then they deserve something better than a few fringe prospects for him.

 

If they traded away two of their Top 10 prospects for a nuisance manager, then surely they'd be able to give up something of more value for a nuisance pitcher who, despite the drop in ability, can still prove to be useful and valuable if you're not paying a whole heck of a lot for him.

 

If we traded Z and his $18 million contract to the Marlins I would maybe expect to get a bucket of sunflower seeds for him. If we're trading him and, for arguments sake, kicking in $16 million of the $18 million he's owed, the Cubs should be getting at least one player/prospect of significant value. Realistically Logan Morrison shouldn't be an option, but his clash with ownership might make him attainable in such a deal, and if the Marlins are dumb enough to do that then the Cubs should take advantage of it. If he's not available in this deal, then they should be able to net someone else of value in a more realistic scenario

[CubColtPacer]

Zambrano's probably going to be worth 10 million or less to the Cubs next year (potentially much less) and would be worth even less to an AL club. Then add in the potential PR headache. There's no reason for a team to touch him if they either have to give up anything significant or if they have to pay more than 1/3 of his salary. There are too many other pitching options that can produce like Z can at this point in his career that are less risky. If they get a bargain because of the risk and only have to pay him 3-5 million, that's one thing. But IMO, no team is going to want to pay Z 10 million dollars, and I don't think he'd get close to that if he was on the free agent market.

[dew1679666265]

Zambrano's probably going to be worth 10 million or less to the Cubs next year (potentially much less) and would be worth even less to an AL club. Then add in the potential PR headache. There's no reason for a team to touch him if they either have to give up anything significant or if they have to pay more than 1/3 of his salary. There are too many other pitching options that can produce like Z can at this point in his career that are less risky. If they get a bargain because of the risk and only have to pay him 3-5 million, that's one thing. But IMO, no team is going to want to pay Z 10 million dollars, and I don't think he'd get close to that if he was on the free agent market.

 

That's exactly the reason I think we should keep him. Z's a perfect example of being worth more on the roster than he is in a trade.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Zambrano's probably going to be worth 10 million or less to the Cubs next year (potentially much less) and would be worth even less to an AL club. Then add in the potential PR headache. There's no reason for a team to touch him if they either have to give up anything significant or if they have to pay more than 1/3 of his salary. There are too many other pitching options that can produce like Z can at this point in his career that are less risky. If they get a bargain because of the risk and only have to pay him 3-5 million, that's one thing. But IMO, no team is going to want to pay Z 10 million dollars, and I don't think he'd get close to that if he was on the free agent market.

 

That's exactly the reason I think we should keep him. Z's a perfect example of being worth more on the roster than he is in a trade.

 

Pretty much. There's no reason we should be paying this guy 18 mil to pitch for another team while we have Rodrigo Lopez or Casey Coleman on the mound and get nothing of value in return.

[Backtobanks]

According to a report in the Venezuelan newspaper El Nacional, new Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen has reached out to Carlos Zambrano and is interested in bringing the pitcher to Miami.

It makes sense, as the Venezuelan natives have been close friends for a while now. The Cubs recently activated Zambrano from the disqualified list but will be looking to shop him over the winter. He is due $18 million in 2012 and has a $19.25 million vesting option for 2013, but the El Nacional report suggests the Marlins would be willing to pay the right-hander's salary in deferred amounts. The Cubs would surely be OK with accepting next to nothing in return if the Marlins will eat Big Z's contract.

 

Zambrano + Colvin + decent prospect + $16 million ($9 million in 2012 and $7 million in 2013) for Nolasco + Morrison.

(The $16 million is the difference between the contracts of Nolasco and Zambrano).

[Little Slide Rooter]

According to a report in the Venezuelan newspaper El Nacional, new Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen has reached out to Carlos Zambrano and is interested in bringing the pitcher to Miami.

It makes sense, as the Venezuelan natives have been close friends for a while now. The Cubs recently activated Zambrano from the disqualified list but will be looking to shop him over the winter. He is due $18 million in 2012 and has a $19.25 million vesting option for 2013, but the El Nacional report suggests the Marlins would be willing to pay the right-hander's salary in deferred amounts. The Cubs would surely be OK with accepting next to nothing in return if the Marlins will eat Big Z's contract.

 

Zambrano + Colvin + decent prospect + $16 million ($9 million in 2012 and $7 million in 2013) for Nolasco + Morrison.

(The $16 million is the difference between the contracts of Nolasco and Zambrano).

 

It would take a good 5 mil more. Zambrano is virtually immovable without Ozzie being interested, and LoMo is a potential star where as Colvin is a potential decent 4th outfielder.

[Backtobanks]

According to a report in the Venezuelan newspaper El Nacional, new Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen has reached out to Carlos Zambrano and is interested in bringing the pitcher to Miami.

It makes sense, as the Venezuelan natives have been close friends for a while now. The Cubs recently activated Zambrano from the disqualified list but will be looking to shop him over the winter. He is due $18 million in 2012 and has a $19.25 million vesting option for 2013, but the El Nacional report suggests the Marlins would be willing to pay the right-hander's salary in deferred amounts. The Cubs would surely be OK with accepting next to nothing in return if the Marlins will eat Big Z's contract.

 

Zambrano + Colvin + decent prospect + $16 million ($9 million in 2012 and $7 million in 2013) for Nolasco + Morrison.

(The $16 million is the difference between the contracts of Nolasco and Zambrano).

 

It would take a good 5 mil more. Zambrano is virtually immovable without Ozzie being interested, and LoMo is a potential star where as Colvin is a potential decent 4th outfielder.

 

I'm not disagreeing with you, just reminding you that Morrison is and has been in the dog house in Florida.

[Little Slide Rooter]

According to a report in the Venezuelan newspaper El Nacional, new Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen has reached out to Carlos Zambrano and is interested in bringing the pitcher to Miami.

It makes sense, as the Venezuelan natives have been close friends for a while now. The Cubs recently activated Zambrano from the disqualified list but will be looking to shop him over the winter. He is due $18 million in 2012 and has a $19.25 million vesting option for 2013, but the El Nacional report suggests the Marlins would be willing to pay the right-hander's salary in deferred amounts. The Cubs would surely be OK with accepting next to nothing in return if the Marlins will eat Big Z's contract.

 

Zambrano + Colvin + decent prospect + $16 million ($9 million in 2012 and $7 million in 2013) for Nolasco + Morrison.

(The $16 million is the difference between the contracts of Nolasco and Zambrano).

 

It would take a good 5 mil more. Zambrano is virtually immovable without Ozzie being interested, and LoMo is a potential star where as Colvin is a potential decent 4th outfielder.

 

I'm not disagreeing with you, just reminding you that Morrison is and has been in the dog house in Florida.

 

Yeah, but were his problems with the organization or mainly the manager? New manager could mean a new start for him. I really don't see them moving Morrison now that a new manager is in town. I think that the best case scenario is sending them Z and about 18-20 mil for Nolasco.

[Clem Fandango]

Yeah, but were his problems with the organization or mainly the manager? New manager could mean a new start for him. I really don't see them moving Morrison now that a new manager is in town. I think that the best case scenario is sending them Z and about 18-20 mil for Nolasco.

 

His problems were most definitely with the organization regarding off field issues like inappropriate tweeting and charity event mishaps. He was clashing with the FO, not the coaching staff

[Magnetic Curses]

eat all of z's contract and colvin for anibal sanchez. we'd need pitching in return.

[KingCubsFan]

eat all of z's contract and colvin for anibal sanchez. we'd need pitching in return.

A mid-level prospect? They'd want Brett Jackson for Anibal Sanchez.