Sammy Sofa

Bingo. And Hill still looking at least something like 2nd half Hill. And Miller reverting back to a competitive form. And Lilly adjusting well to the NL as AL pitchers often do. I'm not saying some, if any, of these guys can "replace" Z straight up, but if a couple of these "what if's" happen it makes not having him far from a catastrophe.

Define working out! The extra weight does not help keep the players healthy and we all know the Cubs have had a problem with the DL. I've heard Wood also has shed some pounds. Wasn't there talk during the convention that he had lost some decent poundage?

Weaver is more than a prospect, though. So is Kendrick. Exactly. People are acting like if Z is moved we won't we any real return in results player-wise for another year or more. Z can get you top tier guys, either young or established, that can play now, solve multiple problems and play (hopefully) every day.

Baltimore ain't that dumb.

Or you let him become a FA and get top draft picks. You're clearly not going to trade him before the deadline at this point, when you've went all-in to win this year. I agree. Barring serveral major setbacks and injuries, I can't see us not contending this year. You aren't going to trade Z if you are in the race. Just won't happen. Unless you get a player or players who impact your team NOW. Z doesn't HAVE to be traded for prospects or prospects alone.

I couldn't agree more. Z is a hell of a player, but ARod is possibly the best SS of all time, and the Yankees are prime to be talked into moving him if the right pitcher came along (and ARod has said he'd go if the Yankees came to him and said they wanted to move him). You'd get yourself an uber-elite player that plays every day as opposed to a really good pitcher that pitches every 5 days who has worrisome injury possibilites as he gets older.

Anyone thinking you can actually REPLACE Z with an acquired pitcher of his talent-level isn't thinking realistically or, quite frankly, intelligently. You don't trade a pitcher like that to get the exact same pitcher in return. You'd try and use him to fix/improve as many different spots as possible. Otherwise there's no point in trading him at all if you're just expecting another pitcher of his calibre in return. You "settle" ideally for a good pitcher or two or whatever and whatever other good to great players you can get. Expecting another Z in return for Z himself would be like the Yankees trading ARod ONLY if they could get another ARod in return. Not gonna happen. A guy like Z "you spread around" in a trade.

if hes anything like Roger Clemems? quite awhile Again, the very tiny exception to the huge majority.

Dude is set for a breakdown in the next couple of years thanks to Dusty. greg maddux pitched under dusty too. How often was he on the DL? I'm not saying Dusty didn't abuse pitchers, but to trade arguably your team MVP based on a maybe seems like a terrible, terrible idea Maddux didn't have chronic back problems stemming from weight that he couldn't keep off as the season went on so early in his career, either. Greg also wasn't put through the endurance test like Z has under Dusty. Maddux didn't get abused because he was a vet and his limits were known. Dusty viewed younger pitchers as a blank slate that he could do with as he pleased. Zambrano very easily might see the problems of that very soon.

Yeah. If anything, Zambrano strikes me as the kind of guy who would stick around until he's 42! Just because he wants to doesn't necessarily mean he can. The back issues I talked about and his heavy usage this early in his career worry me greatly.

Actually, given that his back problems stem from his weight, that makes his potential somewhat limited. As you get older, it's harder to keep off the weight. He shows up looking great and then packs on the blubber again each season. How soon before that starts being a serious problem?

Psh. I'd trade Z to them for Tejada and Bedard. Bedard looks like he's got the goods, but he's not the centerpiece in a deal for Z. I don't know that the O's deal for Z (in order to compete) just to trade Tejada. Well, they'd have to step up a lot more than Bedard. Who is in their farm system that's worth it?

Psh. I'd trade Z to them for Tejada and Bedard. Bedard looks like he's got the goods, but he's not the centerpiece in a deal for Z. It may depend if the O's think they can compete or not so it's possible Tejada could be had for prospects and/or very good young players like Murton if they don't think they can now. I don't see them trading Bedard. I would be absolutely shocked if this were ever to happen...but if we'd somehow be able to grab Tejada (Say for Guzman and 2 other prospects) we'd have a pretty damn good team. That will never happen. Dangle Z and give them Captain Arthritis as a "bonus." Suckers...

Psh. I'd trade Z to them for Tejada and Bedard. Bedard looks like he's got the goods, but he's not the centerpiece in a deal for Z.

Oh come on. It's not like Lou Brock was THAT great Hmmmm...in a way, you could argue for Brock himself somewhere on the list.

I've kinda shifted to the "sign him for one year and trade him during that year" camp. Love the Z, but I think age is gonna be his foe, big time, and he can net the juicest of juicy returns. Short of the team's pitching being a disaster, I'd move him.

how many people played with Ron Santos number after he retired? I think at least half a dozen.

I've been trying to figure out how Rush's comments could make any possible sense. There were two white quarterbacks in the game. There are mostly white quarterbacks throughout the league. How is Rex possibly being singled out for being a "white quarterback?" Junky McPillhead must have been on a real bender that day.

Kerry and Mark are not the only pitchers who use the towel drill as a training exercise. Thank you. That bit of information will one day lead to my promotion at work. Laundry mat employee? :lol: That is Laundry Mat Manager...thank you. Is the laundry mat the thing you wipe your feet on before you go into the laundromat?

What percentage of golfers have a zero handicap? I'd put that number at maybe 0.0001% Tiger Woods can go shoot a 5 under 67 but if someone else goes out and shoots a 66 there isn't anything he can do about it. To me that gives Federer an advantage he only has one opponent to beat while Tiger Woods- or any golfer- has to play against both the course and his peers. That bold part is why I don't rank activites like golf as highly as sports likes tennis on the competitive scale. I think it's just our different opinions, but I'm much more impressed when someone deals with the play-by-play, second-by-second pressure of a sport like tennis than the prolonged startegy of golf. Again, golf is very difficult to master like Tiger has...I simply don't rank it up with there with something like tennis. And I think any player in any major sport has to play against his peers...and unlike golf, those actions impact them right then and there. On the spot adjustment at a moment's notice...I'm impressed more by that.

I think I would prefer ARods next 5 yrs to Z's, but that is just me. I think it is more likely that Z will break down and not be worth the money he is likely to command. I agree, especially if the other pitchers do well. Same here. Nobody should be "untouchable" on this team right now.

I voted for Stanley as the dark horse candidate. Seriously, the guy makes me laugh with just a look. I am surprised Michael's got no love.

He was plastered, and not in the good way. My enthusiasm went all funky as soon as he hobbled off the field.

Not a fair comparison. Z has a history of being healthy, Wood didn't. Z also has a history of a VERY heavy workload and back problems that get worse as he gets heavier. He shows up in great shape for spring training, but he's the first one to tell you that his lifestyle during the season leads to him packing the pounds back on and then the back issues. That's not a good thing with a guy who wants an expensive longterm deal, especially since it gets harder to stay slim as you get older. I don't think signing Z is a disaster...I simply think getting a guy like A-Rod would ultimately pay off more and lead to more production for what the team would be investing.

Not sure I agree with that. So you would trade Zambrano in the middle of the season if he is not going to re-sign with the Cubs? What if the Cubs are in the playoff race, then would you still trade him? So your options would be to either trade Zambrano now, which would make no sense, or you trade him in the middle of the season when the Cubs are in the playoff chase. Im keeping Zambrano. That probably depends a whole lot on what Prior, Miller, and Wood are doing healthwise and performance-wise. I don't care how good they are doing. If we are in the hunt for the playoffs don't tempt fate by trading Zambrano then have one of those guys go down right after the transaction is made. Not even if you're trading for a guy like A-Rod, who can potentially win you games every day, as opposed to Z, who is only out there every 5 days? You can't just not care how the others are doing...If Prior is looking Prior and Hill is keeping up his improvements, ou can definitely think about trading Z. Add on Miller getting healthy, Lilly succeeding or Guzman finally clicking and it becomes even more do-able. A lot of "if's," but as the season goes along, if enough of those "if's" become reality, I'd pull the trigger. It all depends. If Z is having a Cy Young type of year, you are going to need him for the stretch drive and the playoffs. I really doubt that between Prior, Hill and whomever else will give us enough pitching to get rid of Z. I just don't see it happening. Anything's possible. And there's no guarentee Z isn't going to just meltdown in the playoffs under the pressure. I know A-Rod gets bagged with the "he chokes when it counts" tag, but Z could potentially be even worse given how emotional he is out there. But ultimately, if the other pitchers aren't stepping up, he's gotta be held onto. If they are, hey, anything is possible. I'll need to see it to believe it, but Prior being Prior definitely makes some choices very interesting. Almost any pitcher who isn't flat-out garbage can step up suddenly in the playoffs...see the Cardinals. If we have Hill truly having turned the corner and Prior getting back to being himself, that does have to make Z possibly expendable (though I'd personally trade Prior instead, but I could easily live with either) short of all the other pitchers just completely tanking.