End of "Z" Line: A Look at Carlos Zambrano's Chicago Cubs Career

Getting into a dugout (and locker room) fight with his catcher (Michael Barrett) didn't do it.  Engaging in a dugout shouting match with the mild-mannered Derrek Lee didn't do it either.  But cleaning out his locker and walking out of Turner Field in the middle of Friday's game - that may be the act that finally marks the end of Carlos Zambrano's tenure in the Chicago Cubs organization.  The Cubs have placed Zambrano on the disqualified list, essentially banning him (without pay) from the team for 30 days.  Judging by the reactions of his teammates, they won't miss him, even if it means more starts for the likes of Casey Coleman or Ramon Ortiz in Zambrano's absence.

If this is indeed the end for Big Z's time in Chicago, it's a sad reminder of another once-popular Cubs player who walked out of the clubhouse in the middle of a game - Sammy Sosa, who also never played with the Cubs again after committing his transgression.  And as with another hot-headed Cub of recent vintage - Milton Bradley - Jim Hendry (or his successor) will undoubtedly be forced to purge Zambrano from the roster one way or another.  It's not like finding a taker for a slightly-above-average pitcher with an $18 million contract for 2012 would be an easy job under any circumstances, but Zambrano's selfish actions have made getting any kind of value in return a near-impossible task.

Carlos Zambrano won 125 games as a Cub - a total topped by only three other Cubs pitchers since World War II (Fergie Jenkins, Greg Maddux, and Rick Reuschel, who has an awesome nickname).  Only Jenkins recorded more strikeouts as a Cub than Zambrano.  Only eight pitchers in major league history have hit more home runs than Zambrano, who had 23.  And in 2008, he pitched the Cubs' first no-hitter since 1972.  But unfortunately, that's not what fans will remember.  They'll likely remember him the way baseball fans remember players like Dick Allen and Bradley - both of whom had emotional issues that prevented them from reaching their full potential as players and teammates.   Despite the anger management issues, Zambrano is still young enough and healthy enough that someone will probably find a spot for him on a 2012 major league roster.  But it won't be the Chicago Cubs' roster.

So farewell, Big Z.  Thanks for the memories, and best of luck to you getting not only your professional life together, but also getting your personal life together.

Carlos Zambrano Tells it Like it Is

Whoever had June 5 as the day Carlos Zambrano had his first meltdown since being "cured" of his anger management problem - Mazel Tov! You win! Money quote:

We should know better than this. We play like a Triple-A team. This is embarrassing. Embarrassing for the team and the owners. Embarrassing for the fans. Embarrassed - that's the word for this team....We should play better here. We stink. That's all I've got to say."

It's good to see that someone on this team cares enough to have the guts to come out and say what everyone in the world (except for maybe the guy who matters most) is thinking. Big Z didn't necessarily have to throw his closer (or was it maybe his backup catcher or his pitching coach?) under the bus for poor pitch selection to Ryan Theriot in the bottom of the 9th inning. But I think that's a good thing. In my last post, I said this team wasn't even "fun" bad, and wondered if I'd have trouble sticking with them to the All-Star break. But considering Zambrano's history of scuffling with a teammate or two, a little internal dissension, especially involving Big Z, could make this snoozefest of a season worth watching after all.

EDIT: So it turns out Big Z wasn't actually angry when he said this, just frustrated. And boy, howdy, do I understand how that feels:

"What I said yesterday was (in) a moment of frustration," Zambrano said, before the first game of a series against Cincinnati. "I apologized to Marmol. Let's move on."

Aw, great, thanks for making with the nicey-nice, guys. So now I guess the Cubs won't have any internal dissension, and after another listless performance against Cincinnati on Monday night, it looks like Snoozefest 2011 is back in business.

Trading Day

Good movie, featuring an Oscar-winning performance by Denzel Washington. Why is this on a sports blog? Oh, you said trading day, not Training Day - sorry, my ears are a little stuffed up. Allergies.

Getting back to the trading deadline, the Cubs bid farewell to beloved left-handed bulldog T. Roosevelt Lilly, Esq., and (s)crappy infielder Ryan Theriot, who are now property of the L.A. Dodgers. I'll miss Lilly, but I'm sure he won't miss the Cubs putrid offense, which stuck him with the lowest run support of any starter in the NL and left him with a 3-8 won-loss record that in no way reflects how well he pitched. As for Theriot, I'll miss his career OPS+ of 83, his penchant for baserunning blunders, and fans who wear his jersey in a non-ironic way. In return, the Cubs are out from all but $2.5 million of Lilly's contract and any financial obligations for Theriot this year and next, which amounts to a few million bucks. Also, they received a couple of minor-leaguers we'll never hear from again, and Blake DeWitt, he of the career OPS+ of 93 and much lower salary. DeWitt is a better hitter than Theriot, so I'd say the Cubs did OK personnel-wise and in clearing out some salary room for next year, assuming DeWitt is a better baserunner and defender than Theriot (a pretty safe assumption).

In other news, it looks like there's a market for lunatic starting pitching. Mets GM Omar Minaya proposed swapping left-handed headache Oliver Perez and once capable second baseman/leadoff hitter Luis Castillo for Big Z. On the books, the salaries would have essentially cancelled each other out this year and next, but the Cubs would have been rid of the contracts after 2011 (instead of 2013 under Z's deal) - sort of a copy of the Hundley for Karros/Grudz deal Hendry engineered before the 2003 season. I'm not sure what to think about this one. On one hand, it would be nice to cut our losses and get out from under the weight of one of the team's "untradable" contracts, considering 2011 is shaping up to be a lost year anyway. On the other hand, this would be a classic "sell low" move by Hendry (see Hill, Rich, and Pie, Felix), driving down the return on a once-valuable investment to basically nothing. I'm leaning towards actually agreeing with Hendry on this one and trying to rebuild Z's value - the guy was a staff workhorse (and a really good pitcher) for so many years. Unless he's just cooked from all those innings. Crap, I can't decide how I feel about this trade. When does college basketall start?