Kaplan: Royals interested in Z

[BeerHere]

If I were GM I would pay his entire salary if we could get Montgomery or Hosmer.

 

Well yeah, but that's not going to happen for 1 year of a mentally unstable middle of the rotation pitcher no matter how much we eat.

I was thinking that the 2013 option was his. According to this article is a player option if he meets some criteria. The 2013 option could kick in if he's healthy and finished in the top 4 in the Cy Young. I doubt it happens but it's still out there if he pitches extremely well in 2012.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2978642

 

He has a full no-trade clause and gets a $5 million signing bonus. If he finishes first or second in Cy Young Award voting in 2011 or finishes in the top four in Cy Young balloting in 2012 and is healthy at the end of the fifth year, he has the option for a sixth year at $19.25 million.

 

Why would you not want him back on 1/19.25 if he was top 4 in Cy Young?

From the team's perspective it's a no-brainer but like I said it's a player option for 2013 if he meets the criteria. If he pitches that well in 2012 I'd guess he would see what he can get as a FA and he declines the option.

[BeerHere]

Didn't Zambrano or the players association file a grievance?

[apete6]

Any chance Moore mentioning Zambrano by name could lead to a tampering charge and maybe some undeserved, but free draft picks or cash?

[Guest]

Any chance Moore mentioning Zambrano by name could lead to a tampering charge and maybe some undeserved, but free draft picks or cash?

 

No.

 

 

Hopefully this is an indicator that there's a healthy market for Z, because I don't think the Royals are all that great a fit. They don't have much talent that would be worth paying Z to get(that they'd be willing to give up, that is), and they're pretty unlikely to want to pay him most/all of his salary.

[davell]

I don't think this is the right fit. Doubt Z waives his NTC to go there. But, if one GM thinks this way about him, it's a relatively decent chance another one does as well. Again, if you move him, Theo is going to look at potential compensation after this year as well. If he's a Type B FA, you have to look at the pick you could acquire by offering him arb. And if he winds up as a B, then it actually means he's had a solid enough season to where we wouldnSt be worried about him accepting arb either. He's still young enough to where some team could offer him a 3 or 4 year deal. Of course, he'd also have to behave himself, which is an iffy proposition. It's cool to know there may be a market for him, but I think we're going to need a team a little closer to contention to show interest before I think it's viable to deal him, especially since he does have value to us as a middle of the rotation guy with upside to still be more if things went correctly.

[UMFan83]

Wow, anybody else surprised how open he was talking about a player under contract to another team?

 

I had the same thought.

[buckeye27]

hosmer, moustakas, meyers and lamb are all very highly ranked royals prospects. hosmer is untouchable, as i'd think moustakas is also.

 

however, from what i had read over the past few months, with butler and hosmer both basically playing first, i'd think billy butler would be the trade chip that the royals would be dangling. there was talk that butler would be gone sooner or later because of the necessity to play hosmer at first, which is butlers natural position.

[davell]

I read a blurb yesterday the Royals are very comfortable with Butler at DH and he's going no where anytime soon.

[Rob]

Any chance Moore mentioning Zambrano by name could lead to a tampering charge and maybe some undeserved, but free draft picks or cash?

 

This type of tampering gets Moore a lecture from Selig. At worst there's a small fine. No chance the Cubs benefit from it though.

[Little Slide Rooter]

The question is how much of it would the Cubs have to eat and what could they get back in return? I dont know anything about the current Royals roster or farm system.

 

I don't think it matters. Ricketts has probably told Theo and Jed to do whatever they need to do to make this team a contender. If it means eating 75% of a contract, they probably have the ability to do it.

 

Furthermore, this probably means Soriano's days are very numbered.

 

You're talking like they have to get rid of Zambrano and Soriano to contend.

 

Meaning if Theo and Jed feel Z and Sori need to go, they can do what they need to do to make it happen.

 

If you do trade them and don't get anything of value in return be it cash or players in return, explain how it makes the team better, and don't even think about the phrase "clubhouse cancer"

[UK1679666180]

I think the best case scenario is that it brings his name up in any trade talks. Given what happened and was said following the incident, they would have to create some value on their end to get anything in return even with eating salary.

 

Like others, I can't see KC being a fit.

 

The only type of fit I could see would be something like Zambrano and a prospect/cash to Anaheim for Hunter or Zambrano to the White Sox for Peavy.

[Hollandsworths mug]

The question is how much of it would the Cubs have to eat and what could they get back in return? I dont know anything about the current Royals roster or farm system.

 

I don't think it matters. Ricketts has probably told Theo and Jed to do whatever they need to do to make this team a contender. If it means eating 75% of a contract, they probably have the ability to do it.

 

Furthermore, this probably means Soriano's days are very numbered.

 

You're talking like they have to get rid of Zambrano and Soriano to contend.

 

Meaning if Theo and Jed feel Z and Sori need to go, they can do what they need to do to make it happen.

 

If you do trade them and don't get anything of value in return be it cash or players in return, explain how it makes the team better, and don't even think about the phrase "clubhouse cancer"

 

That's why I said if Theo and Jed feel Sori and Z should get dealt and they have a deal in place THEY feel makes the team better, then they will make it. If the deal does not make the Cubs better they will not make the trade.

[apete6]

Any chance Moore mentioning Zambrano by name could lead to a tampering charge and maybe some undeserved, but free draft picks or cash?

 

This type of tampering gets Moore a lecture from Selig. At worst there's a small fine. No chance the Cubs benefit from it though.

 

That's what I figured. Oh well, worth a shot.

[Guest]

I think the best case scenario is that it brings his name up in any trade talks. Given what happened and was said following the incident, they would have to create some value on their end to get anything in return even with eating salary.

 

Like others, I can't see KC being a fit.

 

The only type of fit I could see would be something like Zambrano and a prospect/cash to Anaheim for Hunter or Zambrano to the White Sox for Peavy.

I disagree. It doesn't have to be a swap of bad contracts. Any team that needs pitching is a potential trade partner because the Cubs can send enough cash to make the contract palatable to the other team. We'd just have to find a team that values Z enough to either take on a sufficient amount of the contract or send decent talent back in return.

 

While we'd obviously not get any of the top prospects from the Royals, I'm sure they have plenty of depth guys that might be intriguing enough to trade for.

[UK1679666180]

We'd just have to find a team that values Z enough to either take on a sufficient amount of the contract or send decent talent back in return.

 

Given what happened, I'm not sure that's possible.

[Guest]

We'd just have to find a team that values Z enough to either take on a sufficient amount of the contract or send decent talent back in return.

 

Given what happened, I'm not sure that's possible.

That's why seeing another team's GM talking him up is a good thing. :)

[Little Slide Rooter]

We'd just have to find a team that values Z enough to either take on a sufficient amount of the contract or send decent talent back in return.

 

Given what happened, I'm not sure that's possible.

 

I think we can forget about cash, or at least enough to make it worth our while. However, I think we could get either another bad contract or a former top prospect whose team is close to giving up on him. I recently read a Tweet that the Marlins don't want to move LoMo, but would for James Shields. Another guy whose team seems close to giving up on is Travis Snider who's still only 23. I'd be quite interested in working out a deal of some kind for him.

[Clem Fandango]

Any chance Moore mentioning Zambrano by name could lead to a tampering charge and maybe some undeserved, but free draft picks or cash?

 

This type of tampering gets Moore a lecture from Selig. At worst there's a small fine. No chance the Cubs benefit from it though.

 

That's what I figured. Oh well, worth a shot.

 

I'm confused how any of this can be tampering. He's not having dinner with Z to discuss his future in Kansas City, he's answering a question about whether or not Z would be a viable trade target.

 

Ozzie trying to convince Z about going to Miami is tampering.... this is a GM answering a question from a reporter.

[Clem Fandango]

In other related news...

 

After talking with members of the Royals' front office, Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star gets the sense that they will pursue Carlos Zambrano only if he's released.

Given how in-depth general manager Dayton Moore spoke on Zambrano during a recent radio program, it seems like he has more than passing interest, but perhaps that's not the case. If Zambrano is released, which is a possibility, we would expect a good number of teams to be interested in giving him a shot. Big Z is due $18 million in 2012 and has a $19.25 million vesting option for 2013.

[Hollandsworths mug]

The bottom line is that Z has value and it is certainly not out of the question for him to become a 15 game winner again for another team or the Cubs.

 

The Cubs were able to deal Milton Bradley and all of Baseball knew of his problems. The contract is not an issue here, it's finding a suitor.

[JWCUB]

I think the best case scenario is that it brings his name up in any trade talks. Given what happened and was said following the incident, they would have to create some value on their end to get anything in return even with eating salary.

 

Like others, I can't see KC being a fit.

 

The only type of fit I could see would be something like Zambrano and a prospect/cash to Anaheim for Hunter or Zambrano to the White Sox for Peavy.

 

 

Peavy. Theres a thought.

[BeerHere]

Zambrano would be a big draw in Miami and his friendship with Guillen could pull him in that direction. I honestly think Hoyer should give them a call assuming that Z performs well in Venezuela.

 

Z and $8-9M for Morrison

[KingCubsFan]

Zambrano would be a big draw in Miami and his friendship with Guillen could pull him in that direction. I honestly think Hoyer should give them a call assuming that Z performs well in Venezuela.

 

Z and $8-9M for Morrison

I'd do Z and $18 million for Morrison, but I doubt the Marlins would.

[davell]

Morrison isn't getting dealt this offseason, unless it's for Shields this offseason, according to a few guys today.

[illiniguy]

hosmer, moustakas, meyers and lamb are all very highly ranked royals prospects. hosmer is untouchable, as i'd think moustakas is also.

 

however, from what i had read over the past few months, with butler and hosmer both basically playing first, i'd think billy butler would be the trade chip that the royals would be dangling. there was talk that butler would be gone sooner or later because of the necessity to play hosmer at first, which is butlers natural position.

Hosmer and Moustakas have exhausted their prospect status. They would move Mouse, but it would take a heck of an offer. Hosmer is their Starlin. John Lamb is out for thisyear with TJS. Michael Montgomery was thought higher of anyway though, but he struggled with his first taste of AAA. They have some interesting prospects still though. Wish we could get Wil Myers from them. I also like Cuthbert that plays third for them at low A this past year.