Big Z Is Miami's Problem Now

Teddy Wacholz

The rumors have been stewing for months. Last night the Cubs finally pulled the trigger and traded Carlos Zambrano's talents, his mercurial temper and his me-first attitude to South Beach, and they'll be eating a major portion of the $18 million owed Zambrano in the process.

Reports are that Zambrano has been traded to the Miami Marlins for underperforming pitching prospect Chris Volstad. Pending The Cubs will be paying $15 million of Big Z's salary this season, pending approval of the commissioner's office because of the money involved, and the trade has the approval of Zambrano.

Zambrano joins a Marlins team that will be managed by his friend and dinner companion Ozzie Guillen and former White Sox ace Mark Buehrle. The Marlins have been spending money like a drunken sailor on shore leave to rebuild the team into an World Series contender this offseason. In addition to signing Guillen and Buehrle and the trade for Zambrano, they signed Jose Reyes and Heath Bell and were players in the Albert Pujols Sweepstakes. The Marlins clubhouse also bears watching, with Guillen's mouth and Zambrano's penchant for acting a fool.

Volstad was a 2005 draft pick by the Marlins who hasn't panned out as a starter thus far in his major league career. The 6 feet 8 inch right-hander posted a 5-13 record and an ERA close to 5.00 last season and the Cubs control his rights until 2014.

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By Chuck Sudo in News on January 5, 2012 9:00 AM 0 Comments

Comments [rss]

Navin_Johnson

Miami's going to be a freak show. Grab the popcorn.

ReverendSlappy

Being a Cubs fatalist, I think this means one thing: the chances of Carlos Zambrano being a Cy Young winner some day just increased exponentially.

That said, I'm more or less pleased with the deal. It would've been nice if Theo had been able to get Miami to eat half of Zambrano's contract, and some proven talent and/or more promising prospects would've made it a no-brainer winner in my mind. But this Volstad kid has some potential, and it's good to just get the saga all over with. Not a "good" deal, really (not that there really could've been one involving Z at this point) but not a "bad" one either, I guess.

ChicagoD

Well, I have not seen any mention of the Cubs having to pick up the 2013 option, so in effect that is cutting half of what they would have owed him to sit in Venezuela.

Honestly, like the Milton Bradley/Carlos Silva trade, at some point it is worth it just to be out from under the bad decision.

ReverendSlappy

Honestly, like the Milton Bradley/Carlos Silva trade, at some point it is worth it just to be out from under the bad decision.

Yeah, I hear ya, and that's why I'm ultimately "okay" with it. I would've also been "okay" with Theo giving him one last chance (so long as it really was a LAST chance) in the hopes that he might increase his value a little before the trade deadline. That's a gamble either way, obviously, but one I'd have been willing to take.

But really, yeah. Good luck and GTFO.

ChicagoD

Oops. Just read that the option only kicked in if he was top 4 in Cy Young voting. On the other hand, getting him to waive that means the Cubs don't risk having to pay him in 2013 if he has a stellar 2012.

In any case, I wish him well, and GTFO.