6:25pm: The Cubs will absorb all of Zambrano's $18MM salary less the MLB minimum, tweets Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.
6:15pm: Chris Volstad is joining the Cubs in the deal, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). The 6'8" right-hander posted a 4.89 ERA with 6.4 K/9, 2.7 BB/9 and a 52.3% ground ball rate in 165 2/3 innings for the Marlins in 2011. His career numbers (4.59 ERA, 5.8 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, 50.4% ground ball rate) show he's a steady if unspectacular back-of-the-rotation option. However, he's homer prone and struggles against left-handers, as MLBTR's Mike Axisa pointed out earlier in the offseason.
The 25-year-old former first rounder projects to earn $2.6MM through arbitration in 2012 and will remain under team control through 2014, which makes him a relatively affordable medium-term option.
4:42pm: The 2012 Marlins are about to get a little more interesting. In case Ozzie Guillen, Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Heath Bell don’t add enough intrigue to the upcoming season, the team is close to acquiring Carlos Zambrano from the Cubs, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The move would round out Miami’s rotation and provide the Cubs with the chance to part ways with a volatile but talented player who was no longer welcome in Chicago.
Zambrano would need to waive his no-trade clause for the teams to complete the deal, but he would presumably be open to playing for friend and fellow Venezuelan Ozzie Guillen. Zambrano and Guillen reportedly discussed the possibility after the 2011 season.
Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein had a productive meeting with Zambrano after the season, but the right-hander hasn't seemed wanted in Chicago for a while. The Cubs placed Zambrano on the disqualified list last summer following an August outburst and declined to play him in September, after his 30-day suspension ended.
The deal would give the Marlins a projected rotation of Buehrle, Josh Johnson, Anibal Sanchez, Ricky Nolasco and Zambrano. The deal would presumably take the Marlins out of the running for another Cubs starter: right-hander Matt Garza.
It's not yet clear how the Cubs and Marlins would split Zambrano's salary. He will earn $18MM in 2012 and his contract includes an option for 2013 that could vest depending on his health and performance in 2012. He needs to finish in the top four in next year's Cy Young vote and finish the season healthy for the option to vest. The Cubs will take on much of Zambrano's salary and are "not expecting to receive much back in the way of prospects," David Kaplan of CSNChicago.com writes.
Zambrano, 30, posted a 4.82 ERA with 6.2 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and a 42.4% ground ball rate in 145 2/3 innings for the Cubs in 2011. He has spent his entire 11-year career with the Cubs and earned nearly $100MM in the process. Zambrano, a three-time Silver Slugger, owns a .241/.251/.395 career line as a hitter and has hit 23 home runs. The Cubs signed him out of Venezuela in 1997 under former GM Ed Lynch.
The Marlins have a full 40-man roster and would have to clear space for Zambrano unless they're sending a player from their 40-man to Chicago.
This post was originally published on January 4th.
They want a matching headcase for Hanley and Guillen, or what?
Imagine the dugout after Hanley lollygags after a grounder with Zambrano on the mound!
I feel sorry for Marlin fans, wow I wouldn’t want that headcase on my team
They may want to consider hiring Michael Buffer as well to be the in locker announcer . “LEETTTT’SSS get ready to rumblleee .”
haha
The hell you say.
BOUT TIME!!
Ugh. I’d rather sign Joe Saunders. All water coolers in the Miami Area should now be on HIGH alert.
Believe me u don’t want Saunders. He was incredibly lucky this year. I watched him a lot as a Dbacks fan. There was rarely a clean inning. He had 30 double plays turned behind him, many of which saved runs. You can’t replicate that, especially since the Dbacks middle infield was pretty good.
If any other pitcher did that, everyone would praise his groundball percentage..While granted having a runner on is his fault, getting the groundball is also his responsibility at that point..which obviously he did 30x
Joe Saunders is a fly ball pitcher though, that’s the problem.
So you’d rather have Big Z over Saunders? I know I wouldn’t.
edit….
I very much would want Saunders at this point…I was arguing that Saunders isn’t as bad as Matt said he was because of the double play ratio..Miami will also have a good middle infield so Saunders would be a smart choice
Amen lol.
You would say that
I guess the Marlins are taking a swing at anything available. Hype up that shiny new toy Mr. Loria.
Probably not a good idea, imagine all the tempers flaring up between lomo, hanley, zambrano AND ozzie…sheesh
and then there’s also the fact that he just isn’t as good as he used to be
he’s only fallen off last season, so it’s not like he can’t bounce back is he can work out his behavior issues.
Zambrano had bad tendencies on the mound and off it dating back to 2007, which is ironically the last year he pitched 200+ innings.
In 2006 and 2007, I think, he led all MLB starters in walks issued. Heck, even last year, he had an ERA north of 5.00 heading into August before a ludicrous September/October dropped his ERA to 3.33. And if you recall, he posted the worst BB/SO ratio of his career – something like 69/117.
Characterizing 2011 as the beginning of Zambrano’s “falling off” trend is shortsighted, if you ask me.
last year was the first year Zabrano’s rookie season where his WAR fell under 2, so it’s a bit more of a drop than his usual production level.
WHAT?!
He said the same thing.
woah
Yes, Mr. Michaels…I do believe in miracles!
Zambrano and Guillen…should be fun.
Hanley, and LoMo too. Should be fun.
who would the cubs get back? could lomo be involved? seems like the last i heard he was on the outs with sampson regarding twitter.
I really hope the Cubs eat a large chunk of his salary…..
Depending on the rest of the players involved, I like this move for the Marlins.
The question is how much payroll will they be taking, if it’s very little, and they don’t give a descent prospect, this could be a descent move for a team with little veteran pitching.
That is going to be one EXPLOSIVE locker room. Oh boy.
Is the clubhouse even big enough to fit all those heads?
If it was a problem I’m sure they’d just ask the Yankees or the Red Sox where they got theirs.
Oh I don’t know about that. I think the Marlins may lead the league in character issues in 2012.
The stadium has a retractable roof, no?
LOL . They are gonna need it .
“Acquire” Zambrano? As if he’s an asset? HAH! More like “Cubs dump headcase on only team dumb enough to oblige.” You MLBTR guys are wayy too PC.
hahahaha…..exactly!!!!
Totally agree .
good luck…lol
As a Braves fan , I would love to see him in Florida . But if he throws at Chipper again this year , the gloves are coming OFF !!
Bravesdude vs. Zambrano. Yeah, good luck with that.
And Chicago’s return from Miami is (1) StrikePro Plus Pitching Machine and a case of Old Style.
All hail Theo
Why though.
EDIT: Wow, the Cubs are getting pretty screwed. Then again, Theo never had a problem dumping the entirety of huge contracts just to get rid of annoying players.
Well now THIS is interesting
The real story is how much cash Chicago is gonna have to choke on….
Happy Days!!! I asked a question earlier if there is any movement in Z to the Marlins and what do you know there working on it!!!
Great move by Chicago . Not so much for the fish . As a Braves fan though , I like it .
im sure Heyward likes it to.
Careful! 10 minutes from now there will be a statement that this just isn’t true.
WHY!?
I usually trust Ken, so if this is true, then it’s true. So we have Garza, Demp, Wood, Wells & Cashner? We’ll eat half of Z’s money but we’ll also free up some money to get Fielder & Cespedes. Getting a Joel Piniero or Paul Maholm would be nice as well. Soriano, your next bud.
not only will you get fielder and cespedes but you’ll save a ton of money not having to replace all your gatorade coolers. this move is going to turn around the cubs season, can you say world series contenders??????? yayayaya
Nice sarcasm, lol.
Zambrano, Hanley, Morrison and Guillen. That is all.
They look like ingrediants for DYNAMITE .
lol… Zambrano, Hanley and Guillen. It’s certainly going to be an interesting team.
Theo’s first move is a BIG one! I wonder how much salary and which prospects are involved.
How is this Theo’s first move? And if anything, it’s Hoyer’s like 4th move.
I mean his first significant move with the Cubs. I assumed it would be Garza moving..
“Theo’s first big move is a BIG one!” lol. Quite redundant, I’d say.
ok cool
Sean Marshall Chimes in
10 bucks says zambrano has a 3WAR season next year
Bill James projections suggest 2.3 WAR
Hey I didn’t see the – before the 2.3 . What gives ?
I believe the term is “brawl” or “dugout fight”, not war.
nicee
10 bucks says zambrano starts 3 wars next season
Thats more likely to happen .
3 Watercoolers Are Ruined? I’ll take the under.
When you say 3WAR, do you mean 3 WAR’S in the clubhouse? I’ll say over 3.
I’ll take your money .
I think that’s reasonable. We have no idea how the Marlins’ new park will play, but his HR/FB rate will almost certainly be considerably lower (it was really high for a ground ball pitcher last year), and will have a much better infield defense behind him. Plus he wont be pitching for a team that (very) clearly didn’t want him around. Regardless, I like this for the Marlins (pending which pieces are headed to Chicago).
(all of this is, of course, assuming the deal does happen)
LETS GET READY TO RUMBLEEEE!
Ladies and gentlemen, your 2012 Miami Rumblefish.
The good new is that if there is one manager who can control Big Z and get him back to where he was, it’s the manager currently employed by the Marlins.
i can see how you got your handle.
Someone’s gotta have a positive outlook, yanno? haha
Or the worst.
After watching his attitude that he showed when he purposely threw at the back of Chipper’s head last year , the only one who is gonna control his temper is himself .
Yeah very true. He can only change his tune if he wants to.
I like how the article suggests there’s even a remote possibility that his option could vest.
Cy young voting is done by sportswriters. If I’m a writer in Philly, Atlanta or Washington, I’m voting him first just to see the option vest.
Ahahaha, good point!
As a Braves fan I am elated.
Logan Morrison for Carlos Zambrano and $12 Million makes a lot of sense for both teams
Yeah except the Marlins.
You heard it here first
And last.
Zambrano is a better pitcher than what you know about baseball but just because youre being a baby about it I hope he has a -3 WAR next year. Although with Ozzie hes likely to duplicate his success he had in the second half of the 2010 season
Being a baby? lol There is no way Big Z will net LoMo in return even if Big Z comes for no salary remaining.
Anyone who thinks Joe Saunders is a better pitcher than Carlos Zambrano has no right to voice their baseball opinions…nexttttt
Anyone who thinks that the only team even willing to trade for a nutcase is going to give up any real talent while still paying salary is even worse.
It’s not about how you think Zambrano is going to perform. If no one else wants him (and the Marlins are the only team that does), why would they give up any real value to get him? Cubs are going to get rid of him for any return they can get, and no one else is dumb enough to bid.
read your entire thread and all i can say for sure is that you have no concept of baseball and/or are a huge cubs homer. please stop, for your own sake.
Once you learn how to use proper grammar and how to type get back to me about having concepts.
nice ad hominem retort. i expected nothing less.
From someone like yourself… I take that as a compliment.
Yeah because I’ve said that multiple times, right?! Get real, bro. Sorry for wanting a left-handed inning eater over a nutcase, my bad.
Do you realize that you are suggesting that the Marlins would give up several years of Logan Morrison for 1 year of a pitcher that is a shell of his former self and has a habit of getting kicked off of the team. All because you think he will return to form just because he is pitching for Ozzie Guillen? Do you realize how bad this makes you look?
The same Logan Morrison who was in AAA last season towards the end of the year. I bet his trade value has skyrocketed since
There isn’t anyone on the face of the earth that believes he deserved a demotion. If the Marlins were willing to trade LoMo they are going to get waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more than Zambrano. It makes no sense and you are revealing how little you know.
Performance on the field had nothing to do with it and you’d know that if you bothered paying attention.
The fact is when a player has character issues do you not think that affects his trade value? I realize he was demoted for reasons other than performance. Although his numbers took a dive in the second half of the season. Im not discrediting Morrison, I just think Zambrano is mishandled. In the second half of 2010, he was one of the best pitchers in baseball…..and has always had that potential. Realistically Morrison for Zambrano straight up is not going to happen. But say Logan Morrison had 1 year left on his contract. The Marlins would be getting ripped off because of Morrisons’ potential?
I’d still say yes but if they couldn’t re-sign him then it wouldn’t be a bad thing to get something in return.
Zambrano at his worst is an improvement over Volstad and has a legitimate reason to turn his career around this year. Time will tell!
No doubt about that!
I think he was referring to the fact that your proposal makes send for just half the teams involved.
Really? You can’t be serious.
This may be one of the more outlandish trade proposals I’ve seen all offseason.
You over evaluate your players Ill over evaluate ours
these aren’t even my players. I’m not a fan of either team. I just own a brain.
All you are is a troll. You cant be serious.
sorry there is no way the Cubs get Lomo, maybe that Dominguez fellow since Hanley is going to third.
Not probable straight up, but its not as far fetched as some biased fans would like to suggest. I get so tired of the over usage of the word “potential” in baseball. Whats the probability potential turns up in the 80th percentile….less than 5 perecent?
Well, look at that. The Marlins got Volstad instead of LoMo. The fact that the Marlins weren’t willing to pay anything over league minimum should tell you what you need to know about Big Z. The fact that the Cubs were willing to swallow $18 million dollars just to get rid of him should offer more convincing, in case you still don’t get it.
Marlins gave up*
Meh…I suppose anything is better than being a Cubs fan. But seriously, If you like Carlos Zambrano then great. If you aren’t high on Logan Morrison, then that is fine too. Just don’t expose your lack of knowledge by suggesting the 2 could possibly be traded for each other. No one here, or anywhere else, would agree with you. And that’s pretty bad considering MLBTR message boards are notorious for being littered with uneducated fans making ridiculous trade proposals. Yours just happens to stand out above and beyond the silliest of them all.
agreed
This would be exactly what I’m hoping for, and it would make Theo and absolute god in my eyes, but it wont happen, but I’ll continue praying hoping he is the return!
Not going to happen straight up because of the contracts only. Both players need a change of scenery though
the writers should all get together and make it happen for the nationwide laughter that would ensue.
a manager like ozzie is NOT what zambrano needs. he pretty much needs a therapist for a manager.
Great trade!
Who’d we get?
Does it matter?
I think that was his point of saying “great trade!” even though he has no idea what the return is.
Oh thanks for the clarification……………..
Its a Lenny Dykstra quote
He can still pitch about 75% of the time. Just needs a change of scenery. Deal should work out for both teams.
Assuming Chicago pays his entire salary, and Miami doesn’t have to give up any prospects, I agree.
Change of scenery and a full time team of therapists.
Would it be appropriate to do Santino Marella’s trombone celebration dance right now? Because that’s what I’m doing in my office at the moment.
I bet the 28 people that “liked” this article are all Cubs’ fans.
I’d bet they are Braves and Nationals fans.
I did it . I really want our team to see him a few times next year . You can mark up a win against him almost every time . Thank you fish .
I can assure you you’re correct about at least one of them.
I thought the same thing. Why even bother with the details. My mom might get a new house next month if I just so happen to win Powerball.
what are the odds that Big Z tries to shatter the fish tank behind HP in one of his HULK anger rages? i say 76%. what say you?
over/uner
Good luck Florida. Zambrano is an headache from top to bottom. Too bad, they had a good off season until that news !
Forget the headache part. When he was actually pitching, he usually was awful.
I bet $5 Ozzie strangles Zambrano on the mound before the All-Star break.
All Star Break? I don’t think it is going to take that long.
UFC: Miami Marlins style!
I’d like to see Zambrano vs. Anderson Silva or Jon Jones
Are they gonna set that home run celebration monstrosity off every time Zambrano explodes?
One major positive: No more Volstad every 5th day! Praise the Lord!!
You’d be better off with Volstad .
Ehh debatable.
No way.
He could become trade bait, or preferably he would be traded to the Cubs.
O good. We get to see Zambrano face the Braves a lot. Good things seem to happen for him when he faces the Braves.
He’s the only guy I’ve ever seen try to bean a batter and miss the first time
That is a good one!
you can’t tell me it’s not a hell of a upgrade over volstad. if the cubbies eat the salary, it is a great reward vs risk.
Zambrano + $10 million for Volstad? The Cubs need young, serviceable arms.
DONE DONE DONE DONE DONE DONE DONE!
i’d be ok with that. not up to me, obviously. but sounds fair.
Couldn’t agree more!
Heck yeah! As awful as Z has been, he’s still an upgrade over Volstad. Big Z as the Fish’s #5 is not bad. Sign me up.
Should be fun with Ozzie calling in to cuss out the local sports radio hosts
As much as I would be happy to see Z leave, for some reason I feel he will do pretty well next year. Depending on how much $ we eat off his salary and what we get back it could be ok for both teams. When Z is on a winner and has some motivation he could still be a decent pitcher. He could be very motivated since he will most likely be in his last year of his contract (I dont see him pitching well enough to have his option vested) and I highly doubt he will really retire as he has said for a few years now so he could be looking for a comeback year to make some money on a contract as a FA next offseason. As for if this will actually work in Miami…. who knows.
I don’t think there’s enough personalities on this team. The Marlins need to trade for Tony Plush when the Brewers sign Aoki.
I’d rather have Vincente Padilla, but Z is fine for the 5th spot.
It kinda makes sense, pair a nutcase with a bigger nutcase, plus he wont be stuck at the top of the rotation like he was with the Cubs so he’d be facing easier opposing starters. And the fact the Marlins were pretty much at the same offense as the Cubs last year and they added Reyes makes me think he’ll have a bounce back year.
I think Z will have a decent year. It’s a contract year for him. Ozzie is a close friend. He has incentives to stay in line. That said, he had to go. He walked out on his team last year. He has always been selfish and immature. I don’t think the Marlins would have to give up much. Cubs will probably have to pay 60% of his contract.
Hold on, I will have further comment when I am done laughing!
awesome news for me as a nats fan. now 2 headcases (guillen and zamrbano) with a disgruntled hanley ramirez, means a terrible marlins clubhouse
The only good news Nats fans can come away with from this post is its not another story about Rizzo overpaying another free agent or giving up too much in a trade for an average starting pitcher.
oh like overpaying for buehrle or whatever you guys give up for zambrano? zambrano is gio gonzalez only older, worse, and with a lot more miles on his arm
I highly doubt the Marlins are giving up 4 top prospects to acquire Z. Gio Gonzalez is a glorified, left-handed version of Anibal Sanchez. Calm down. But hey we’ll see whats up when the season starts.
except healthy and consistent, gotcha
Dear God,
Please let it be true!
If Chris Volstad becomes available, the M’s should pursue him. They need rotation depth until pitchers like Hultzen and Paxton are MLB ready. He is a guy that can throw in the low 90’s with an ability to log a considerable amount of innings. He is heading into his first arbitration year and would technically be under team control through 2014. I wonder if Kyle Seager would be enough to get a deal done.
If he has a pulse it sure as hell would be enough!
volstad soriano and cash for figgins
Unleash Tim Tebowwwwwwwwwwwww
Buddy Comedy: Jeffrey Loria and Big Z … “we can make our dreams come true, doing it our way!”
Only reasons I’m optimistic about the cubs getting a decent prospect back are because the Marlins have been making crazy knee jerk decisions all offseason and because of major SHWING both Ozzie and Big Z have for each other. Have fun f*gs
Chipper better get ready to be thrown at more often this year… especially with all the homeruns we’ll be hitting off this guy, Big Z’s bound to get angry….
what if z and lomo werent the only players involved? garza and z for lomo plus?
You say that as if Lomo is even mentioned in the article above as actually being involved in the trade at all. The cubs would be lucky to get anything but a low level prospect back for Z. His contract is too large to merit getting anything of value in return.
sure, thats why i was speculating what if the deall included garza, who miami has been interested in as well. that would leave the marlins with 7 starters, so perhaps nolasco and volstad in addition to lomo coming back?
they would have to get back pitching, maybe pieces to flip to SD for Rizzo?
HBO’s Hard knocks should change to baseball this year and follow the Marlins. Must watch TV.
Thank God Zambrano out of Chicago!!
I feel bad for the beat writer covering this team….. Won’t get to write a word about baseball.
Just when you think the Marlins were making moves to win games , then this happens . Take 1 step forward , and now 2 steps back . LOL .
They have to equal it out with the way Ozzy thinks. I know I’ve been a White Sox fan forever. He will probably try to win 1 championship and then stop coaching like he did with us here in Chicago.
Yeah. Volstad was definitely the answer to the Fish making the playoffs. Getting rid of him definitely took them way, way back. How can they go on without Volstad?
The sense of the deal for Miami depends on how much cash they are getting toward Zambrano’s salary. I believe that Zambrano can still pitch, but his situation in Chicago has been so poisonous for a few years that I don’t really know what proper conclusions to draw from his performance. We’ll see.
That being said, I think Ozzie might be the right guy for him to play for. Ozzie’s got balls and won’t put up with any garbage. He’d fight Big Z in the dugout, so if things go bad, they’ll be really good for all of the sports fans out there.
wow, Chicago is sending all its turds to Miami, yay! 🙂
Plus all of it’s money, yay! 🙂
Someone please explain to me why the Marlins are looking for a 5th starter at all, let alone Zambrano? Last time I looked at their depth chart they have a nice 4 and a very capable 5.
Thanks.
Volstad isn’t well liked by the marlins fans, nor the front office. He isn’t really “capable”
He was capable in 2008 and for a little while after coming back from the suspension for the Nyjer Morgan incident, but otherwise he hasn’t been capable.
Now I wouldn’t really say I dislike Volstad, but I don’t have very much faith in his (for lack of better term) capabilities.
I don’t dislike him just for throwing down his glove all goofy like, wanting to fight nyjer.
Zambrano + $12 million for Chris Hatcher is more than fair.
I was really hoping for a Chone Figgins/Carlos Zambrano swap. Guess this eliminates that and now we will be stuck with Figgins for the entirety of the contract.
I like the idea – the money’s even but the talent isn’t quite. cubs would prob have to get back a decent prospect or two as ballast. What about Soriano plus $27M (half his remaining money) for figgins?
This is one case where you have to consider more than just performance. Zambrano has proven again and again that he is one of MLB’s premier lunatics. The only way I would have him on my team was if the Cubs picked up almost all of his remaining salary, so I could release him if he had one of his trademark incidents.
If the Cubs get anything of value for Z, even a few million in salary relief, that is a huge win for them.
Hanley and Zambrano are going to be fighting in the dugout a lot. Then add in Ozzy and you got yourself a sideshow circus.
Zambrano>Volstad.
By a little bit. But at least Volstad doesn’t make a habit of assaulting Gatorade coolers.
No. He just makes it a habit of giving up Home Runs. Lots and lots of home Runs.
And when they get Zambrano, the Marlins still won’t be good enough to win the division.
Boy. You sure sound bitter that the Sox got knocked out last season. What? Too early?
Marlins have little to do with the Red Sox.
Are the marlins he most overhype/ overrated team in baseball?
Let’s wait for them to play some games first. When Zambrano’s on he’s almost unhittable.
too busy throwing at people
Haha, maybe but if he behaves this could turn out to be a good deal for Miami.
And by “on”, we mean “on” his medications.
Yes.
when was the last time he was on? lightbulb could be burnt out on this one. maybe you just need to flick it and it’ll turn back on.
Lol, how are they overhyped or overrated? Most people have them pegged to finish AT BEST 3rd in the NL East
Volstad gets zambrano plus cash? Ok
Volstad looked like he was starting to figure it out the second half of the season, and was very good in September.
Fish fans have said that for years.
Cubs absorbing ALL of Z’s salary? Great move by the Fish.
All they need to do is keep a full-time Psychiatrist on staff and we’ll be fine. How much would that cost? $150,000? Not bad. Not bad.
Marlins should go after Manny Ramirez while they’re signing all these headcases. They would have the media all over them with the next big story (Non Sense Drama). They could make soap opera’s and also good drama movies while they are at it. THE OZZY SHOW staring manager Ozzy Guillen, Carlos Zambrano, Hanley Ramirez, and special guest Many Ramirez.
Although I don’t like having Manny Ramirez on my team, I do like the premise of the show. I’d definitely watch. Maybe have many on staff as a coach? Great, Great Television.
Ya, that clubhouse is going to be a funny farm.
All the salary? Wow
Have you seen Zambrano over the past few seasons? He destroys a good clubhouse. Cubs would probably take one of those new Marlins hats for him.
Marlins are just signing any Latin American players they can get their hands on.
They aren’t signing Zambrano…
Ok Lastings, signing or aquiring. Better?
Yeah. But I don’t know exactly what part of Latin America Heath Bell is from. Is it Heath Bell or El Heatho Bello?
Price tag to get ride of an headache? 18M…
I think that Z will actually have a good year this year. He has a lot to prove. He is a very good pitcher when his head is in the right place. I’ll put his on a 3.89 ERA with a WHIP around 1.30 and a 11 – 9 record. That is just my guess.
Theo’s already a hero in Chicago and the season hasn’t even started!
better than nothing. we were paying that salary no matter what.
at least volstad is controllable still. if he sticks for more than a
year this trade was a win. this was going to be Z’s last year here
anyways. not like he was gonna be a championship piece for us anyways,
and if volstad can be a #4 or #5 for two years wouldn’t this be a win for the cubs? created an asset… can’t complain.
I think it’s a decent deal for both teams really. Perhaps they needed a change of scenery. It remains to be seen.