Following Friday's meltdown against the Braves, Carlos Zambrano cleared out his locker and threatened to retire, leading the Cubs to place him on the disqualified list. The union will file a grievance tomorrow, and Buster Olney of ESPN.com (Insider required) writes that the Cubs may be left with a "thin defense" for their decision. Regardless of the outcome though, Olney thinks the team's actions make it clear that they're done with Big Z's antics, and that the right-hander won't be a Cub by next spring. Here's the latest chatter on the situation:
- The Cubs will call up Casey Coleman to take Zambrano's spot in the rotation, tweets Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.
- Ryan Dempster tells Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times that there's a positive vibe in the clubhouse now, and said of Zambrano, "He's made his bed; he's got to sleep in it."
- With Zambrano likely out of the picture for 2012, Randy Wells' performance down the stretch could affect how much pitching help the Cubs pursue this winter, as Wittenmyer writes in a separate piece.
- Rick Morrissey of the Sun-Times says Zambrano only ever cared about himself, and that the Cubs should have been done with him long ago.
- Ozzie Guillen, a good friend of Zambrano's, said the pitcher "should feel embarrassed, should regret what he said or what he did," according to the Tribune's Dave van Dyck.
- Although a report yesterday suggested Zambrano had moved his belongings back into his locker, Sullivan says that isn't the case, and that Wells has moved his things into the empty locker.
