Where will Zambrano go?
OK, Cubs fans, this is a completely hypothetical situation that I am about to present. Let’s say that the Cubs do not sign Big Z by opening day. He will most likely test the Free Agent market and leave the Cubs, as he has hinted. There are four teams that I think that will be in the main running of the Zambrano sweepstakes: The Yankees, Mets, Cubs and the White Sox.
These are four teams that will be able to afford Zambrano.
The Mets definitely need Zambrano, because they have no pitching right now besides Tom Glavine, who is a year older, and no one is quite sure if Pedro will be the same when he returns.
The Yankees would dominate with a rotation of Wang, Pettitte, Mussina, Zambrano and Igawa. Just replace a normally-injured Pavano with Zambrano and they have one of the best rotations in the league.
The Cubs are in desperate need of Big Z to return to their club. Without him, Ted Lilly is probably the best pitcher on the team, pending on how Prior fairs and how Rich Hill succeeds in his first full season in the big leagues. If the Cubs want to be in contention the next few years, they need to sign Big Z now.
The Chicago White Sox are the team that I believe will have the best chance of signing Big Z. This pains me to write, but it just makes the most sense. The White Sox still have money that they have not used, because they do not want to pay for “mediocre talent” as White Sox GM Kenny Williams once said. I, also, think that Carlos Zambrano would fit well in that dugout with Ozzie Guillen as manager, as they are both natives of Venezuela.
Let’s hope this article is completely useless by next month as we will be reading headlines saying something along the lines as “Big Z signs Big Contract with Cubs”.
Filed under: Cubs Articles, Cubs Questions Heading into 2007
I think that Big Z would go to the Mets. They are in dire need of a young power pitcher and could afford Big Z. Also, they have a large Hispanic influence on that team with Pedro, Delgado, Beltran, and Reyes. That being said, he has said he and the Cubs are talking again about a 5 year extension which the Cubs have to get done if they want to be serious contenders.
Don’t rule out the Red Sox. If Schilling doesn’t re-sign for next season or even if he does, the Boston payroll is limitless and they’d definitely be willing to dish it out to snag a young stud like Zambrano for their rotation. On the other hand, it all depends on how the Sox rotation comes together this season. This is the same team that traded All-Star Bronson Arroyo for a bench player. If Schilling, Daisuke Matsusaka, Josh Beckett, Tim Wakefield and Jon Lester/Jonathan Papelbon work out, it might not be an issue, but Papelbon and Lester are no where near sure things and Schilling and Wakefield are both getting up there. Only Beckett and Dice-K should be long term staples.