The Cubs will place Carlos Zambrano on the restricted list tomorrow, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat (via Twitter). Players on the restricted list do not count towards a team's 25-man or 40-man roster, so the Cubs will be able to add a player to replace Zambrano. It's not the first time a prominent player has been placed on the restricted list this year; former Cub Milton Bradley spent time on the restricted list earlier in the year, and so did Yorvit Torrealba.
By placing Zambrano on the restricted list, the Cubs free up a roster spot and provide themselves with time to determine their next move. The Mariners paid Bradley while he was on the restricted list, but teams do not always pay players on the restricted list. The Cubs will pay Zambrano, according to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com.
Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports that Zambrano will not return before the All-Star break as he undergoes treatment for anger issues. Cubs GM Jim Hendry contacted MLB, the MLBPA, Zambrano and agent Barry Praver about the team's decision.
The Cubs may want to move Zambrano and (part of) the $45.4MM remaining on his contract, but trading the big right-hander won't be easy, as MLBTR's Tim Dierkes showed earlier today. Teams are presumably uneasy about acquiring Zambrano given his salary, his recent tirade, and his 2010 numbers (5.66 ERA, 8.6 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9).
what exactly is the restricted list
Basically, if a team wants to suspend a player, you usually place that player on the restricted list.
Or, if a player needs to miss a specific amount of time for a non-physical injury (like Bradley did), you can restrict list him.
this organization really just needs a fresh start so badly.
the cubs have 30 days to decide what they want to do with him and he doesnt count against the 40 man roster
Be logical. Blow it up, Hendry. The farm isn’t bad, it’s among the top 15 in baseball, in my opinion. Colvin is looking to be better than the 4th outfielder type he was projected to be, although in a small sample size. You also have a good future ahead of you with Starlin Castro, Carlos Marmol, Andrew Cashner, etc… Guys like Lilly, who can just be let go with his Type A free agency status at the end of the year, Lee, Ramirez, etc… are just holding this team down.
I don’t really follow the Cubs. Are the players that the Cubs should move to make room for young players movable? Do they have contracts that the Cubs could expect to get decent to good prospects back for?
Lilly is probably the only guy that the Cubs could get a decent return on if they don’t want to have to eat money on a lot of their players. Their hitters are on the decline, for the most part. The Cubs are in a tough situation in that it’s going to take a complete blow-up to fix the team, and chances are they won’t see much return on many of their players.
Well, you can look to get an extremely raw player or a guy who has a decent future as say a 2nd outfielder for a Lee considering his contract is coming off the books and can rebound. Same with Ramirez. It’s a gamble situation that teams would look to give up a little as possible for a big reward.
Also if they decide to completely blow it up moving say Dempster, Byrd, Silva, etc… they should get some decent returns for them.
What’s a 2nd outfielder?
I meant like the 2nd best outfielder on the team.
I meant like the 2nd best outfielder on the team.
Cubs have a bunch of guys underperforming big salaries, most with no trade clauses. They have about $103 milion invested in just 9 guys for next year, including Zambrano, Fukodome, Soriano, Ramirez, Dempster, Silva. And while they may take off some salary by trading guys like Lilly and Lee, that may not give them actual flexibility. New owners will not be ok with leaving $140 million payroll in place.
Basically all of the veterans the Cubs would like to move have pretty big contracts, most of them beyond this season. Lilly and D. Lee’s contracts are up at the end of this year and both are being rumored in trades, although D. Lee isn’t playing very well this year. Lilly is most likely candidate to actually be traded.
Find a list of the worst contracts in baseball and about half of them are on the Cubs right now.
Find a list of the worst contracts in baseball and about half of them are on the Cubs right now.
“Be logical. Blow it up, Hendry.”I wish he would, too. It sounds good, but you do not see the major markets completely ‘blow up’ a team often mid season. The Ricketts family is the wild card because we don’t know what they will do. It’s year one with them at the helm and there is no track record. Maybe empty seats and lower TV ratings will give an indication of what needs to be done. I fear it’s not enough yet. I hope I am wrong. While fans want this mess off the books ASAP, it is going to take time and creative thinking. It’s just too much money to absorb by blowing it up all at once. I am all for Hendry making moves. Even if the return on some will not be much.
the sad thing is, he is almost non tradeable, no team would take on his salary and temper with oswalt and Lee out there, who have never cause any problems. The cubs would either have to eat most his salary or just release him. Who would give up a prospect for a declining player, temper and huge salary
No one is saying they’d deal a prospect. There are plenty of bad contracts out there other than Zambrano.
Exactly. That’s the only deal the Cubs may be able to make — something similar to the Bradley/Silva deal where the Cubs give up a problem child with talent for someone who’s apparently useless: Oliver Perez, maybe? We got lucky with Silva. I’m not going to expect lightning to strike twice. The biggest thing I’m looking for is to clear some rotation room for our young pitching talent.
apart from the mets with a Perez trade, I cannot think of anyone else who would want him at that price.
Maybe the dodgers might need some pitching if the Cubs take on the money, about the only addition they could make.
Can’t see any AL team taking him on.
apart from the mets with a Perez trade, I cannot think of anyone else who would want him at that price.
Maybe the dodgers might need some pitching if the Cubs take on the money, about the only addition they could make.
Can’t see any AL team taking him on.
Zambrano for Sherrill. Cubs pay Zambrano’s salary, Dodgers pay Sherrill’s.
Zambrano for Sherrill. Cubs pay Zambrano’s salary, Dodgers pay Sherrill’s.
As a Cub fan, I realize we are all impatient and hope that ‘this is the year’. After reality sets in, it is apparent that this club is loaded with old players with bloated contracts in need of a savvy GM who can continue to focus on building around the younger core of the team. With new ownership brings an opportunity for new direction. It’s not going to be easy and it will likely result in eating a large chunk of some of the bad contracts on this team. The problem is, you want to buy low and sell high and all of the bargaining chips are at their lowest value and may not net much of a return…
Heheheheh….
Carlos Zambrano to 60-Day DL (Anger Management Class)
Back in the old days would ship guys like Zambrano, BJ Upton, Milton Bradley, Elijah Dukes off to the NYY when Billy martin ran that team. He was meaner and less unstable than any of these guys, but he knew how to win baseball games and pull entire teams loaded with these mindsets together as 1.
There is nobody around like old Billy anymore don’t think though and doubt they allow whiskey bottles into the dugouts either if there even was. Maybe some Thorazine for will will do short term for people like “Z” in the absence of any people skills.
Maybe it’s me but I don’t have as big of a problem with Upton as most people do. He wasn’t running super hard for the ball but “hustle” is such a subjective thing. Fine line between gliding and loafing after a ball. Maybe he just didn’t have his legs. I just don’t want to see Upton labeled as a “bad atttitude” relative to Bradley and Z. Dukes is not a “bad” player on the field but clearly has had too many charachter off the field issues for most peoples liking.
Maybe when a guy does it on a 1 time thing, but Upton (BJ) will pull this, or run 1/2 way to 1B, then peel off and run back to the dugout, jog to 1B, or something like that several times each season. he and maddon have had a “few” chats over the course of his career and he will hustle for awhile, then dog it like this, get chewed out, then hustle for awhile and repeat the cycle all over again.
Some people get away with it, I fully understand. david ortiz for some reason gets away with 1/2 way running out ground balls, or watching his flyballs that don’t go out, then get thrown out at 2nd base because of it. Yaz dogged it also a couple years after he won the triple crown as well, but he quit. Some guys grow out of it, some don’t.
Maybe when a guy does it on a 1 time thing, but Upton (BJ) will pull this, or run 1/2 way to 1B, then peel off and run back to the dugout, jog to 1B, or something like that several times each season. he and maddon have had a “few” chats over the course of his career and he will hustle for awhile, then dog it like this, get chewed out, then hustle for awhile and repeat the cycle all over again.
Some people get away with it, I fully understand. david ortiz for some reason gets away with 1/2 way running out ground balls, or watching his flyballs that don’t go out, then get thrown out at 2nd base because of it. Yaz dogged it also a couple years after he won the triple crown as well, but he quit. Some guys grow out of it, some don’t.
I think it’s all matter of how you view things.
Definite clear no-no’s- Watching long fly balls that you think are going to HRs instead of running aggresively.
Subjective situaitons-
Hitting a tapper to the pitcher or 2B and not running hard because by the 3rd step out the box the IF has the ball in his hands already. Posada did the same thing yesterday and no one said anything about it.
An OF seemingly jogging after a ball that goes to the wall instead of an all out run. I think that’s a subjective situation. I’ve never seen him “jog” to catch a fly ball hit into the gaps or failing to crach into a wall or dive for a ball falling in front of him. Accusing an OF of not running hard for a ball hit to the wall is just as subjective as questioning why an IF didn’t dive for a ball that he barely missed just bending over or doing a half assed reach.
The thing that seals it for me, since Upton hasn’t hit in years, he should run full speed after home run balls to prove he should be out there.
If he isn’t running hard after everything hit in the outfield, there is no reason to play him.
The thing that seals it for me, since Upton hasn’t hit in years, he should run full speed after home run balls to prove he should be out there.
If he isn’t running hard after everything hit in the outfield, there is no reason to play him.
I think it’s all matter of how you view things.
Definite clear no-no’s- Watching long fly balls that you think are going to HRs instead of running aggresively.
Subjective situaitons-
Hitting a tapper to the pitcher or 2B and not running hard because by the 3rd step out the box the IF has the ball in his hands already. Posada did the same thing yesterday and no one said anything about it.
An OF seemingly jogging after a ball that goes to the wall instead of an all out run. I think that’s a subjective situation. I’ve never seen him “jog” to catch a fly ball hit into the gaps or failing to crach into a wall or dive for a ball falling in front of him. Accusing an OF of not running hard for a ball hit to the wall is just as subjective as questioning why an IF didn’t dive for a ball that he barely missed just bending over or doing a half assed reach.
No disrespect intended to Cub nation, but I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a collection of bad contracts/bad luck that what’s been going on with the Cubs. Combine bad decisions like Milton Bradley and Alfonso Soriano w/ bad luck/unseen fall offs w/ Z, Ramirez and Lee and you have a lot of money tied up in guys not performing well.
Many have asked for them to simply release Z but I think they MUST get something back in return. As much of a distraction as he is, when his head is on right he is still at his worst, a middle of the rotation starter capable of winning 12-15 games and giving you 180-200 IP. He clearly needs a change of scenery and why he wishes to fight against a trade w/ his no-trade clause is bizarre.
What about trading Zambrano to the Dodgers for George Sherrill and Scott Elbert with the poor Cubbies throwing in about $40 million to make up the difference in salaries? 🙂
Got a question. According to COTS, Z is owed $18 mil in 2011 and 2012 and for 2013 has what is listed as a VESTING player option. I know what a vesting option is and I know what a player option is but I never heard of a vesting player option. Does that mean that the option ONLY becomes guaranteed if he meets the vesting criteria listed below?-Zambrano receives 2013 player option if he is first or second in 2011 Cy Young vote or if he finishes in top 4 in 2012 Cy Young vote and is healthy at end of 2012So if the above DOESN’T happen then does that void the option and he is a FA after the 2012 season? It’s higly unlikely he’ll finish top 4 in Cy Young voting so doesn’t that reduce a teams guarantee to $36 mil for 2011 and 2012?
Got a question. According to COTS, Z is owed $18 mil in 2011 and 2012 and for 2013 has what is listed as a VESTING player option. I know what a vesting option is and I know what a player option is but I never heard of a vesting player option. Does that mean that the option ONLY becomes guaranteed if he meets the vesting criteria listed below?-Zambrano receives 2013 player option if he is first or second in 2011 Cy Young vote or if he finishes in top 4 in 2012 Cy Young vote and is healthy at end of 2012So if the above DOESN’T happen then does that void the option and he is a FA after the 2012 season? It’s higly unlikely he’ll finish top 4 in Cy Young voting so doesn’t that reduce a teams guarantee to $36 mil for 2011 and 2012?
BTW, is that John Silver my Red Sox buddy? Long time dude.
BTW, is that John Silver my Red Sox buddy? Long time dude.
There has been plenty of Zambrano-bashing and Hendry-bashing the past few days and I must admit my first reaction to the latest episode of Big Z Shock Video was one of disgust, anger and unwillingness to forgive. I am one of the many Cubs fans who roadtrips north along I-94 to Milwaukee when the Cubs face the Brewers at Miller Park/Wrigley North and as such I have seen many sparkling efforts by Zambrano including his no hitter in September 2008. My initial reaction after the incident was one of “No More Coddling of the Man-Child-Beastie Boy” and his volcanic temper tantrums and I think the comments over the weekend from Cubs management matched my sentiments. Then, today, I happened to read an article which appeared recently in “SPORTS ILLUSTRATED” (the June 21st issue with Strasburg on the cover) and it chronicled the evolving approach major league baseball management is taking as it pertains to players suffering from mental health issues. This SI article talked about Jimmy Piersall and Steve Blass as some of the earlier cases of mental breakdowns in baseball and and recent examples included the Royals’ Zack Greinke and the Reds’ Joey Votto and of course the much-maligned Milton Bradley. Mention was also made of former Angels closer Donnie Moore, who never recovered from a home run he allowed in the 1986 AL Championship Series and wound up committing suicide and attempting to murder his wife in the process. Yes, it is a shame that the Cubs are on the hook for $45 million dollars with a guy who just suffered a “breakdown”/”meltdown”/whatever you want to call it. But, for me, at least—this article got me to alter my perspective and realize there is more to this equation than just money and a shoddy investment by Cubs’ management. Has Big Z bottomed out? I would certainly hope so. His recent meltdown has caused a lot of damage to be sure and it will be hard for many of his Cubs teammates and fans to ever “trust” him again. Maybe a change of scenery is best a la Carlos Silva leaving Seattle and coming to the Cubs this season. It is my understanding that Zambrano had a father who was very abusive and some extensive sessions with the “shrink” possibly can deal with the situation. I do know there is a fun-loving and playful side to the man and I do know he loves his children and I would just hate to see him wind up like Donnie Moore. So for me, at least, I will think of Zambrano as “injured”—on the “mentally disabled” list—not as understandable as the injuries which befell Prior or Wood to be sure, but that is my latest “take” on the situation. To err is human, to forgive is divine. I for one want would like to applaud Jim Hendry and Lou Piniella for the way they have handled this recent Zambrano meltdown about as well as can be expected. Now it is on to the business at hand and trying to win baseball games. The season is not over. Plenty of examples in baseball history teach us otherwise. Get well Big Z !!! What a Jeckyll and Hyde final week it was — a dominating 12-1 win at Wrigley over the Angels on June 20th featuring Zambrano at his best followed by yet another spectacular crash and burn five days later showing the volcanic Venezuelan at his lava-spewing worst. At this point, I have written him off for the entire season. If he emerges from “rehab” and makes his way to the mound at Wrigley, I’ll be rooting for him to succeed. Insert cliches here: “TIME heals all wounds.”……”What does not destroy me, only makes me stronger.” “It ain’t over til’ it’s over.” “Ninety percent of baseball is half mental”
sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/M…
The web link language to the SPORTS ILLUSTRATED ARTICLE is above—–sorry I couldn’t provide a quick and easy direct link
sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/M…
The web link language to the SPORTS ILLUSTRATED ARTICLE is above—–sorry I couldn’t provide a quick and easy direct link
There has been plenty of Zambrano-bashing and Hendry-bashing the past few days and I must admit my first reaction to the latest episode of Big Z Shock Video was one of disgust, anger and unwillingness to forgive. I am one of the many Cubs fans who roadtrips north along I-94 to Milwaukee when the Cubs face the Brewers at Miller Park/Wrigley North and as such I have seen many sparkling efforts by Zambrano including his no hitter in September 2008. My initial reaction after the incident was one of “No More Coddling of the Man-Child-Beastie Boy” and his volcanic temper tantrums and I think the comments over the weekend from Cubs management matched my sentiments. Then, today, I happened to read an article which appeared recently in “SPORTS ILLUSTRATED” (the June 21st issue with Strasburg on the cover) and it chronicled the evolving approach major league baseball management is taking as it pertains to players suffering from mental health issues. This SI article talked about Jimmy Piersall and Steve Blass as some of the earlier cases of mental breakdowns in baseball and and recent examples included the Royals’ Zack Greinke and the Reds’ Joey Votto and of course the much-maligned Milton Bradley. Mention was also made of former Angels closer Donnie Moore, who never recovered from a home run he allowed in the 1986 AL Championship Series and wound up committing suicide and attempting to murder his wife in the process. Yes, it is a shame that the Cubs are on the hook for $45 million dollars with a guy who just suffered a “breakdown”/”meltdown”/whatever you want to call it. But, for me, at least—this article got me to alter my perspective and realize there is more to this equation than just money and a shoddy investment by Cubs’ management. Has Big Z bottomed out? I would certainly hope so. His recent meltdown has caused a lot of damage to be sure and it will be hard for many of his Cubs teammates and fans to ever “trust” him again. Maybe a change of scenery is best a la Carlos Silva leaving Seattle and coming to the Cubs this season. It is my understanding that Zambrano had a father who was very abusive and some extensive sessions with the “shrink” possibly can deal with the situation. I do know there is a fun-loving and playful side to the man and I do know he loves his children and I would just hate to see him wind up like Donnie Moore. So for me, at least, I will think of Zambrano as “injured”—on the “mentally disabled” list—not as understandable as the injuries which befell Prior or Wood to be sure, but that is my latest “take” on the situation. To err is human, to forgive is divine. I for one want would like to applaud Jim Hendry and Lou Piniella for the way they have handled this recent Zambrano meltdown about as well as can be expected. Now it is on to the business at hand and trying to win baseball games. The season is not over. Plenty of examples in baseball history teach us otherwise. Get well Big Z !!! What a Jeckyll and Hyde final week it was — a dominating 12-1 win at Wrigley over the Angels on June 20th featuring Zambrano at his best followed by yet another spectacular crash and burn five days later showing the volcanic Venezuelan at his lava-spewing worst. At this point, I have written him off for the entire season. If he emerges from “rehab” and makes his way to the mound at Wrigley, I’ll be rooting for him to succeed. Insert cliches here: “TIME heals all wounds.”……”What does not destroy me, only makes me stronger.” “It ain’t over til’ it’s over.” “Ninety percent of baseball is half mental”
While I appreciate all of the thoughts on here. Am I the only thinking there has to be more going on here? Sure, Z has had little tantrums over the years, but this seems be a very VERY excessive response to the situation.
Furthermore, I feel the Cubs brass has handled the “incident” terribly. Publicly stating their upset thoughts about Z and Ozzie’s dinner. In my opinion, Z made a prior commitment for a charity event. Logically, it shows that Z was in a strong enough mental capacity to recognize this and hold up said commitment. Quickly it was announced that Z had lost his role as a starter. The press keeps saying the major reason he went to the pen earlier in the season was because of his poor pitching. At the time, the Cubs bullpen was in a bad state, so they asked Z if he would help out because they had extra starters arms. If you look past opening day, Z wasn’t pitching that bad at all.
The Cubs organization is a joke, and really parading it at this time. Here is to hoping Ricketts has enough wherewithal to turn this slop dragon around.
The Cubs management (or lack thereof) is the primary culprit here. Big Z came up to the Cubs as a 20 year old kid. At that time, the whole locker room – hell the whole team – revolved around Sammy Sosa. Big Z learned from an early age that you can walk all over the team. You can break whatever team rules you care to. No one is going to stop you. Z has apparently been doing much more behind closed doors than we in the public ever knew. And how was he punished for it? $91M and a full no trade.
The Cubs management (or lack thereof) is the primary culprit here. Big Z came up to the Cubs as a 20 year old kid. At that time, the whole locker room – hell the whole team – revolved around Sammy Sosa. Big Z learned from an early age that you can walk all over the team. You can break whatever team rules you care to. No one is going to stop you. Z has apparently been doing much more behind closed doors than we in the public ever knew. And how was he punished for it? $91M and a full no trade.
While I appreciate all of the thoughts on here. Am I the only thinking there has to be more going on here? Sure, Z has had little tantrums over the years, but this seems be a very VERY excessive response to the situation.
Furthermore, I feel the Cubs brass has handled the “incident” terribly. Publicly stating their upset thoughts about Z and Ozzie’s dinner. In my opinion, Z made a prior commitment for a charity event. Logically, it shows that Z was in a strong enough mental capacity to recognize this and hold up said commitment. Quickly it was announced that Z had lost his role as a starter. The press keeps saying the major reason he went to the pen earlier in the season was because of his poor pitching. At the time, the Cubs bullpen was in a bad state, so they asked Z if he would help out because they had extra starters arms. If you look past opening day, Z wasn’t pitching that bad at all.
The Cubs organization is a joke, and really parading it at this time. Here is to hoping Ricketts has enough wherewithal to turn this slop dragon around.
What a head case. The Cubs should just release him because he is not boosting the team morale any further than he is.
What a head case. The Cubs should just release him because he is not boosting the team morale any further than he is.
It goes deeper a bunch of different ways. think of how much is sucks to be so dominating and then come into a season and “want to do better and be more in shape” and turn out like he did. you add that on top of issues and it just gets worse and worse…. i wouldnt go as far as saying he would kill himself or anything, but he seems to be going through the motions. denial, blame, guilt… he needs to find a way to redirect that fire that made him a great pitcher.