Big Z

[LeeEila's/rant]

When do you go ahead and give into what Zambrano is obviously wanting and make him an outfielder ?

I do not think he will achieve his full potential as a pitcher. I don't think it will ever click in his head. Once he loses his fastball he will be done ,and by the way he takes care of himself I think it will be much sooner than everyone thinks. That fastball is his out pitch and he runs into trouble every time he can not spot it and that trouble appears to happen more and more often.

Babe Ruth was a pitcher but they decided that his bat would be more help than his arm. I am reaching the same point with Big Z . He seems to be more passionate about hitting than pitching and we all know the only way you succeed in the big leagues is to be totally committed. I do not see that commitment to keeping himself ready to pitch and I think he would be worth more as a power outfielder than an inconsistent pitcher.

I am not saying that it would be smart to pay him what he is getting paid to pitch altho it mirrors Soriano's. Zambrano would be closer to being worth that more than Soriano ever will . If we did not have Soriano's check in left I would really not have a problem with it but $19 million on each corner is a little extreme.

It is just a thought and was wondering what everyone else may think about it.

[SKIPPER 11]

I would put him on waivers just to see if there any bites.

[LeeEila's/rant]

I would put him on waivers just to see if there any bites.

That is what I was thinking. Put him on waivers and see if there are any bites. If there are and quite low on the bids or no interest , I would present that to him. Then I would tell him it is crunch time if he wants to remain a Cub and a starting pitcher then he needs to straighten his act out or decide to change positions. I doubt if he can get his crap together .

That game last night is what you have an ace for , to stand up and get a win no matter what and he failed. It was not the first time and I really doubt if it is the last. He really needs to make a decision about where he wants to go with his career.

[TheBenjamin]

That is what I was thinking. Put him on waivers and see if there are any bites. If there are and quite low on the bids or no interest , I would present that to him. Then I would tell him it is crunch time if he wants to remain a Cub and a starting pitcher then he needs to straighten his act out or decide to change positions. I doubt if he can get his crap together .

That game last night is what you have an ace for , to stand up and get a win no matter what and he failed. It was not the first time and I really doubt if it is the last. He really needs to make a decision about where he wants to go with his career.

Someone claims him, I believe the Cubs still need Z to waive his no trade clause. Even if it does mean just giving him away. But no one will claim that contract. However, if the Cubs were to get rid of him, while the cap relief would be nice, I dont want to lose him for nothing. No team would give up talent for him AND eat that contract.

[Bockstock]

I would put him on waivers just to see if there any bites.

Chances are he was. Almost every high-salaried player in the league is put on waivers at least once during the year.

The whole 'put him on waivers' is stupid because:

a) when he's been pitching he's been good this year and last

b) the cubs have nobody that can take his place and be as effective

c) you're gambling on Randy Wells being more than a 1-yr wonder

Zambrano is just another media punching bag for people looking for simple solutions.

[SKIPPER 11]

Chances are he was. Almost every high-salaried player in the league is put on waivers at least once during the year.

The whole 'put him on waivers' is stupid because:

a) when he's been pitching he's been good this year and last

b) the cubs have nobody that can take his place and be as effective

c) you're gambling on Randy Wells being more than a 1-yr wonder

Zambrano is just another media punching bag for people looking for simple solutions.



Im not blaming anything on him, I just dont look at him the same way other fans do. He can be as good as anyone on certain nights. When things do not go his way, he can be as bad as anyone. IMO he is not the same P he was in 2005 and before. He used to throw 97. It could be the same thing that happened to Gooden. Stottlemeyer tried to make him a P instead of a thrower and it backfired. He is an innings eater no doubt. If I was making out the rotation however he would be no higher than 3rd. As far as Wells goes, I say the likelihood of him pitching this well again is doubtful. Z is a solid P but this team needs someone of Carpenter or Wainright caliber heading the rotation. They pitch well every time out. Thats why I wanted Peavy so bad. I know he got hurt and he may never be the same but when you have a chance to get a P of that quality, I think you do whatever is necessary with your minor leagues. I mean there is not telling what we could have had for Patterson or Pie early in their careers.

[Bockstock]

I hear you skip, and I'm sure you'll agree I don't see the point in a move that's going to make the team weaker while also still eating up salary.

If you look at what the Blue Jays did with Rios, they also have another toxic contract in Wells in the OF, but they also have Adam Lind and Travis Snider as two highly productive OF who will be cheap for years to come. The cubs don't really have that luxury with the state of the upper farm system right now.

[LeeEila's/rant]

I don't see how it is stupid to put him up on waivers. If it was me I would put every player where the is a question on his worth up on waivers. It would be no different than any business that would year end inventory and appraisals to make a balance sheet. Before you make any other purchases or trades I would want to know the value of what I had. If you have a clear idea of your assets and liabilities you can make more educated decisions on future deals.

You know Soriano is a bust so you would not even think to put him up and Fukudome looks like a pretty good one so you don't worry about that but Bradley and Big Z I would.


I am not saying get rid of Big Z ,just that I do not see a long future for him as a pitcher. Most other pitchers can adjust when they don't have a pitch working for them , Zambrano is lost when that happens. If he can not keep himself conditioned for pitching then that will give him even less shelf-life. He said he doesn't like to do the workouts he needs for maintaining a pitching body. He has more interest in keeping strong for hitting. I am just saying if that is his most pressing concern he would be best off to pursue that avenue.

[Bockstock]

I don't see how it is stupid to put him up on waivers. If it was me I would put every player where the is a question on his worth up on waivers. It would be no different than any business that would year end inventory and appraisals to make a balance sheet. Before you make any other purchases or trades I would want to know the value of what I had. If you have a clear idea of your assets and liabilities you can make more educated decisions on future deals.



Like I mentioned above, almost every player in the MLB goes through waivers at least once during the year. It's a common occurence and not some kind of discrete event.