Finally, the Chicago Cubs may have an opportunity to start investing in their future.
In the past couple of weeks, Carlos Zambrano announced that he is willing to waive his no trade clause, and finally cut ties with the Chicago Cubs. Now before all you Cubs fans have a heart attack (why would we trade HIM?), here's your chance to trade a guy while he still has some value and get some nice young pieces in return. Cubs fans
There's nobody in baseball that can deny when the guy is on, he's still a bona-fide staff ace. He'll never be accused of being a "clubhouse guy," but if you can live with the occasional temper-tantrum and have a manager that can channel the aggression, someone could make a nice trade deadline pickup that will last into next season.
Zambrano's contract is not great, but it's not the worst in the bigs (or on the team for that matter). He's due to make just under $19 million this season, $19 million next year, and has an option for 2013. Figure the Cubs have already paid close to half by the time they trade him, and may have to eat some of the dollars from next year, and all of the sudden you may have some teams interested.
If the Cubs decide to shop Big Z (which they should), expect some of the usual suspects to come calling. Despite reports that Zambrano isn't on their trade radar right now, I'd be blown away if the Yankees didn't pick up the phone. Joe Girardi is the type of manager that Big Z could play for (they had a good relationship when Girardi played with the Cubs), and the Yankees could be in need of pitching help for a stretch run. No offense to Ivan Nova, but does a rotation of CC, AJ Burnett, Phil Hughes, and...? really sound like a Yanks rotation that could win the series? Zambrano would slot in nicely, and you know money isn't a concern in the Bronx.
The other half of the AL East juggernaut, the BoSox, seem to be in better shape pitching-wise, but that could change with another season ending injury. Dice-K is out (probably for good), Bucholz is on the DL, but a 1-2-3-4 punch of Lester, Beckett, Lackey, and Wakefield makes me feel better than what the Yanks are working with. Assume Bucholz will be back soon, which sets up the staff nicely in Boston.
The west coast players don't look to make a big splash. The Dodgers could really use the pitching help, but with MLB taking control of the team in the wake of the McCourt divorce drama, they won't dare let the team pick up another large chunk of payroll. The Angels seem to be in good shape, even with the departure of Scott Kazmir. The lineup of Dan Haren, Joel Piniero, Ervin Santana, and Jered Weaver is solid, and the Angels need offense more than pitching.
If the Cubs decide to eat a large chunk of next year's salary in exchange for top-flight young talent, it opens the door for all kinds of fun possibilities. The Oakland A's have all kinds of young pitching, and we all know everyone is available when Billy Beane is at the helm. The Pirates are a team that could use a big time player to build their young nucleus around, but they simply can't afford a $19 million player. How about the Royals? You could make the case to add one veteran arm to a great young team. Or perhaps the Twins...?
If the Cubs decide young talent is more important than money and agree to eat some of the deal, it could make it a fun summer on the hot stove.
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