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Carlos Zambrano

Cubs Rumors: Epstein, Zambrano, Sandberg

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ESPN's Wayne Drehs has the story of Pat Looney, the man who almost became a scapegoat for Cubs fans in 2003 instead of Steve Bartman.  ESPN's Bartman film airs tonight at 7pm central time.  The latest on the Cubs:

Cubs Rumors: Aramis, Zambrano, Quade, Hughes

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The Cubs project for the seventh overall pick in next year's draft, though it's a tight race.  The latest on the club:

Carlos Zambrano’s Season Ends

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Carlos Zambrano will get another paycheck this year, but he won’t pitch another inning. The Cubs announced that the 30-year-old right-hander will remain at home for the remainder of the 2011 season. Once his 30-day suspension ends on September 11th, the Cubs will continue paying him. 

Zambrano would not have enough time to prepare for games once his suspension ends, according to the Cubs. MLB, the Cubs and the MLB Players Association will process the grievance that the union filed on Zambrano’s behalf during the offseason.

The MLBPA filed a grievance for Zambrano after the Cubs placed him on the disqualified list following an August outburst. Zambrano could lose as much as one sixth of his $17.875MM salary this year if the Cubs' decision stands, since players don't get paid on the disqualified list. He is under contract for $18MM next year and his contract includes a $19.25MM vesting player option for 2013.

Zambrano finishes the season with a 4.82 ERA, 6.2 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and a 42.4% ground ball rate in 145 2/3 innings – pedestrian enough numbers that the Cubs will be absorbing most of Zambrano's salary in any offseason trade.

Players Who Cleared Waivers

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This is a running list of players who have cleared waivers, based on published reports. Once a player clears waivers, he can be traded to any team (barring a no-trade clause). This list can always be found in the sidebar under MLBTR Features. Player names are linked to the source articles.

Updated 8-30-11 at 10:56pm

Starting pitchers

  • Aaron Harang, Padres - Harang's ERA is a respectable 3.92 with 6.7 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in pitcher-friendly Petco Park.
  • Dontrelle Willis, Reds – Willis has bounced back with the Reds, posting a 4.10 ERA, 6.3 K/9, 3.8 BB/9, 0.68 HR/9, and 56.8% groundball rate in 52 2/3 innings.
  • Carlos Zambrano, Cubs – Zambrano cleared waivers prior to being placed on the disqualified list.  He has a short fuse, lousy stats, and over $22MM remaining on his contract through next year.
  • Rodrigo Lopez, Cubs – Not surprising to see the journeyman clear waivers.
  • Chris Capuano, Mets – Capuano owns a 3.74 SIERA as of August 14th and earns only $1.5MM plus incentives, so it's hard to see why a few teams didn't place claims.
  • Bronson Arroyo, Reds – His peripheral stats haven't changed much, but Arroyo has a 5.31 ERA as of August 15th.  $15MM of his $35MM contract is deferred through 2021 without interest.  The deferrals are voided if he's traded, however.  At any rate, expect Arroyo to stay put.
  • Bruce Chen, Royals – Chen has his moments, but it's not surprising to see him clear waivers.
  • Jason Vargas, Mariners – Like many of the starters here, Vargas' fastball wouldn't break a window.  But he has less than a million bucks left on his contract this year and is under team control through 2013.  He'd fit nicely at the back end of several rotations.    
  • Chien-Ming Wang, Nationals – His three starts this season were his first in over two years, so it's understandable that contenders wouldn't jump to claim him.
  • Tom Gorzelanny, Nationals – Booted to the bullpen last month, the 29-year-old flyballing southpaw has posted strong strikeout rates in recent years but can't hold a rotation job.
  • Ted Lilly, Dodgers – He always has strong strikeout-to-walk numbers, but is prone to the longball.  With over 82% of his $33MM contract remaining ($27MM+), it's no surprise he cleared waivers.

Relievers

  • Joe Nathan, Twins - Nathan won't be traded, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
  • Chad Qualls, Padres – Qualls is enjoying a bounce-back season, though his strikeout rate dipped to 5.3 K/9 this year.
  • Bill Bray, Reds – Bray has been decent this year, and a little tougher against lefties.  He'll be arbitration eligible for the second time this offseason.
  • Hong-Chih Kuo, Dodgers – A dominant reliever last year, Kuo has dealt with a back injury and anxiety disorder as his control has eluded him.
  • Huston Street, Rockies – Between a recent triceps injury and the $9MM+ owed to him through 2012, Street was expected to clear.
  • Brian Fuentes, Athletics – He's owed over $6MM through next year, and has been mediocre for the A's.
  • Jon Rauch, Blue Jays – Rauch is affordable, but he's on the DL for an appendectomy and wasn't great before that.
  • Mike Gonzalez, Orioles – Gonzalez has been dominant in August, and against lefties.  The problem is that he's still owed almost a million bucks.
  • Kevin Gregg, Orioles – Gregg might be the worst reliever holding down a closer's job, and he's owed at least $6.4MM through next year.
  • John Grabow, Cubs – He's been ineffective even against lefties, and he has over $700K remaining.
  • D.J. Carrasco, Mets – The Mets signed Carrasco to a two-year deal in December – their biggest acquisition of the offseason - but optioned him to Triple-A in April.  He stayed there until mid-June.

Position players

  • Aramis Ramirez, Cubs – In July, Ramirez's agent said that his client would consider an August deal but he has since had a change of heart.  The Cubs hold an option on Ramirez's deal worth $16MM.
  • Alfonso Soriano, Cubs – This one was also obvious.  SI's Jon Heyman notes on Twitter that the Cubs are willing to pay a "major, major chunk" of the $58.35MM owed to the left fielder through 2014.
  • Lance Berkman, Cardinals – Berkman has said he hopes to re-sign with St. Louis after the season, when he hits free agency.  Still, it's a surprise to see him clear waivers.
  • Ryan Theriot, Cardinals - Theriot earns $3.3MM this year and will be a non-tender candidate after the season.
  • David Wright, Mets - It's surprising that Wright cleared waivers, but it doesn't mean the Mets have interest in dealing him. Wright earns $15MM next year and can void a $16MM club option for 2013 if traded.
  • Conor Jackson, Athletics – Olney notes that the Red Sox asked about the light-hitting 1B/LF/RF, but there doesn't seem to be any traction there.
  • David DeJesus, Athletics – DeJesus has had a rough year but could at least be useful against right-handed pitching.
  • Hideki Matsui, Athletics – The Athletics have several waiver trade candidates, and Matsui's hot second half and low salary (owed less than $2MM the rest of the season) could make him a popular target.
  • Jason Bay, Mets – With Bay being owed at least $38.8MM through 2013, this was expected.  It's only been 12 games, but Bay is at least having his first good month of 2011.
  • Willie Harris, Mets – The versatile Harris has less than $200K left on his contract.
  • Angel Pagan, Mets – It's been a dismal year for Pagan, who may be in line for a non-tender after the season.
  • Carlos Lee, Astros – No surprise here, as the 35-year-old is hitting .263/.321/.417 and is owed almost $23MM through next year.  El Caballo's ten-and-five rights kick in after the season.
  • Johnny Damon, Rays – Damon blocked an August trade last summer and 12 months later he's a candidate to be traded once again.

Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.

Cubs Rumors: Zambrano, Aramis, GM Search

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Before the Cubs can moving on their offseason, they face big decisions in their next GM, what to do with Carlos Zambrano, and how to handle Aramis Ramirez's $16MM club option.  The latest on each situation:

  • Cubs owner Tom Ricketts told ESPN's Dan Shulman last night that he found it hard to imagine Zambrano would ever pitch for the Cubs again.  Buster Olney points out that the Cubs would have to reinstate or move Zambrano before the end of the season, should the pitcher win his grievance.  On Tuesday, I presented 11 scenarios the Cubs could consider in their attempts to move Zambrano.  
  • Ramirez would have been "pretty much a slam dunk" to return to the Cubs next year under Jim Hendry, his agent Paul Kinzer tells Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.  But now, Ramirez plans to step back, see who the Cubs hire, and also see what's out there on the free agent market.  With his resurgent season, Ramirez may be the only viable free agent starting third baseman, and would be hard for the Cubs to replace.
  • The Cubs have reached out to front office member Greg Maddux about remaining in the organization, reports Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.  Maddux is close to Hendry.  As for the team's GM post, Sullivan writes, "The names of Josh Byrnes, Andrew Friedman and even Theo Epstein have also come up in conversation. While the Red Sox are unlikely to let Epstein out of his contract with a year remaining, the Cubs seem interested enough to explore the possibility."
  • Hendry, who Sullivan speculates could land in Arizona working under Kevin Towers, is off the hook for the Alfonso Soriano signing in the opinion of Wittenmyer.  Wittenmyer says then-president John McDonough drove that disastrous contract.
  • Ricketts said on Friday that he seeks a GM with a commitment to player development, a stronger analytical background, and a track record of success.  I expect him to look into big-name current GMs like Epstein, Friedman, and Jon Daniels first.  Those guys will probably stay put, at which point I can see Ben Cherington, Thad Levine, and Jerry Dipoto being candidates.  Click here to see our top 20 GM candidates, among those who have not yet held that position permanently.
  • ESPN's Jon Greenberg is "convinced the Cubs will be run by a forward-thinking general manager with a strong emphasis on advanced statistics, and reliance on cheap, farm system labor."  I think the stats thing is a big factor – teams tend to go in the opposite direction from the previous guy.
  • Talking to Wittenmyer, Cubs interim GM Randy Bush said he could see a lot of the team's front office members keep their jobs.

MLBPA Files Grievance For Zambrano

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The MLB Players Association has filed a grievance on behalf of Carlos Zambrano, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. The Cubs placed the right-hander on the disqualified list Saturday after he struggled against the Braves, cleared out his locker and said he was retiring.

Players don't get paid on the disqualified list, so Zambrano would stand to lose about $3MM if the Cubs' decision holds up. The MLBPA aims to lighten the penalty, though there's no timetable for the process at this point, according to Muskat. The Cubs and the union will meet and, if they don't reach an agreement, they'll go in front of an arbitrator.

Players don't get paid or pick up service time on the disqualified list, so Zambrano could lose as much as one sixth of his $17.875MM salary. He is under contract for $18MM next year and his contract includes a $19.25MM vesting player option for 2013.

Heyman On Cubs, Marlins, Cole, Posada

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Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano could use a change of scenery, as Jon Heyman explains at SI.com. One rival GM considers the right-hander a fourth starter, which matches Tim Dierkes’ assessment of Zambrano from yesterday. Here are the rest of Heyman’s rumors, starting with another note on the Cubs… 

  • Cubs owner Tom Ricketts has had good things to say about GM Jim Hendry, but Heyman hears that Hendry is still “at risk” of losing his job. Despite a weekend report to the contrary, Hendry doesn't have any guarantees. 
  • The Marlins demoted Logan Morrison to the minors because Marlins officials, including manager Jack McKeon, believe the outfielder needs to show more maturity and be less outspoken. It doesn't appear that Morrison will file a grievance.
  • One GM called first overall pick Gerrit Cole a “slam dunk” number one starter, Heyman reports. The Pirates signed the former UCLA right-hander to an $8MM deal on Monday.
  • The Yankees won’t release Jorge Posada, but it appears that he’ll have to earn a spot on their playoff roster.

Stark On Cubs, Red Sox, Yankees, Phillies

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ESPN's Jayson Stark posted a new column yesterday; let's take a look.

  • Stark speculates on four players the Cubs could attempt to trade Carlos Zambrano for: Carlos Lee, A.J. Burnett, Barry Zito, and Derek Lowe.  I posted 11 Zambrano trade scenarios yesterday; check it out.  A few baseball insiders Stark spoke to did think that with the right veteran team or manager Zambrano could be useful.
  • Cubs players Kerry Wood and Reed Johnson were claimed on waivers and pulled back, reports Stark.  Carlos Pena has yet to be placed on waivers, but the Cubs may not be motivated to move him.
  • One baseball man who is close to Bud Selig told Stark the commissioner has "basically promised a lot of people he'll get them slotting by next year."  
  • The Red Sox are poking around for a right-handed bench bat, while the Yankees and Phillies seek veteran left-handed relievers.  

Unloading Carlos Zambrano

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I would say the Cubs have no chance of unloading combustible righty Carlos Zambrano this offseason, but the Vernon Wells trade showed that even the game's worst contracts can be moved.  The big difference there: Wells was coming off a solid 31 home run season and doesn't come with clubhouse baggage.

Cubs GM Jim Hendry has been through this once before, ditching a little bit of Milton Bradley's contract and actually getting some value out of Carlos Silva in 2010.  There was no way the Cubs weren't going to dump Bradley that offseason, and it's possible their thinking is the same regarding Zambrano.

Zambrano

We don't need to run through Zambrano's history; suffice it to say that he has big-time negative trade value.  Contract and attitude aside, Zambrano the 30-year-old pitcher still has some use at the back end of a rotation.  He's consistently posted SIERAs in the 4.30 range, something for which plenty of teams pay around $4MM.  However, teams signing the Kevin Correias of the world are hoping for innings, which Zambrano has not provided lately.  And unlike most back-end starters signed on the free agent market, Zambrano has the potential to be a clubhouse distraction.

That's why Zambrano cleared waivers even before his latest incident: he has major negative trade value.  He could only be dealt for a player the other team wants nothing to do with, and the Cubs would have to send money or take a bad contract to match up with his $18MM salary for 2012.  Here are 11 trade ideas, assuming Z is willing to waive his no-trade clause without compensation.

  • Zambrano and $12.5MM to Astros for Brandon Lyon.  The reliever had bicep surgery in June and is out for the season.  If the Astros are unsure about his 2012 outlook and would prefer to add Zambrano to the back end of their rotation without paying any additional money, this could work.
  • Zambrano and $12.5MM to Blue Jays for Mark Teahen.  The Cubs could attempt to use Teahen as a supersub next year.  But to Toronto, does Zambrano offer any advantage to Teahen?
  • Zambrano and $2MM to the Dodgers for Juan Uribe.  If the Dodgers are having buyer's remorse on Uribe, this could be a way to wash their hands of the deal after 2012 instead of '13.  But since Uribe still has some positive value, the Cubs would have to add a player or additional money.
  • Zambrano to Giants for Barry Zito and $46MM.  I'm putting this here because the idea is a favorite of many Cubs fans and was even tossed out there by ESPN's Buster Olney today.  Let's think this through though, because it makes little sense for either side given the huge contract difference.  The Cubs would exchange one year of a problem veteran pitcher for three?  Releasing Zambrano would be simpler.  From their point of view the Giants would have to send even more money to compensate for having to have Zito through '13.  And on the Giants' side, would they really want to be free of Zito so badly that they'd send another team over $40MM to make him go away?
  • Zambrano and $6MM to the Giants for Aaron Rowand.  This, I can see, because the Giants might like to keep the money a wash and at least have the chance of getting some back-end innings out of Zambrano next year.  If not, they could release him as they might Rowand.  Plus, the years match up.
  • Zambrano and $1MM to the Mariners for Chone Figgins.  I can also picture this trade, as the money is very similar and Hendry and Jack Zduriencik swapped problems before.  Figgins is under contract for an extra year, but the Cubs could release him if things don't work out.
  • Zambrano to Orioles for Brian Roberts.  Roberts is owed $2MM more than Z, but he may still have value if his concussion symptons go away.  Plus, he was once a target of Hendry's.  However, former Cubs exec Andy MacPhail isn't expected to be in charge of the O's this offseason, and in general Zambrano is just a headache compared to whatever Roberts might give them.
  • Zambrano and $8MM to Red Sox for Daisuke Matsuzaka.  In the best case, Dice-K might be able to provide a couple of months of post-Tommy John innings next year, so maybe Boston would prefer to try Zambrano in some capacity instead.
  • Zambrano to White Sox for Alex Rios and $20MM.  The White Sox would reduce the years of their burden if not the money, while the Cubs could pray Rios bounces back next year or else cut him loose.
  • Zambrano to White Sox for Adam Dunn and $26MM.  The problem with both White Sox scenarios is that it's hard to see them sending so much money across town.  Whereas from the Cubs' point of view, they'd probably just release Zambrano rather than increase the commitment.  That said, Dunn makes sense for the Cubs at first base next year if the money is a wash.
  • Zambrano to Yankees for A.J. Burnett and $15MM.  $15MM would even out the money, but since Burnett probably has more value as a pitcher than Zambrano, the Yanks would probably either want to send a lot less or just keep the better pitcher.  We could play this game with Rafael Soriano too, but the Yankees would need a bigger gain than just Zambrano and a financial wash.
  • Bottom line: a few of these scenarios are feasible, with the best ones involving the least amount of money being sent and the Cubs getting a truly low-value player in return.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

NL Central Notes: Zambrano, Cubs, Astros

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On draft signing deadline night, let's catch up on the NL Central…

  • Carlos Zambrano apologized to his teammates and Cubs fans for his latest tirade and, according to the Chicago Tribune, he wants to remain "a Cubbie for the rest of [his] life."
  • SI.com's Jon Heyman says (on Twitter) that Zambrano's grievance against the Cubs is expected to be heard soon, with his side arguing for a shorter penalty since he had been ejected from Friday's game before leaving the stadium.
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports recalls some of the Cubs notable big money busts, including the disgruntled Zambrano and Milton Bradley.
  • In a separate article, Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports examine what's holding up the sale of the Astros.
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