fools....he's going after the Gatorade!

/now he's even closer to its birthplace

This is a good fit?

No, compared to this move, a chainsaw up the pooper sideways is perfectly sensible.

I'm pretty sure the Marlins just got worse, but they're overdue for a miracle year-and-firesale.

Hope you like playing for the Yankees in a couple years, Jose.

/Who am I kidding. Of course he'll like playing for the Yankees.
//Ugh.

OH THANK GOD WE GOT RID OF HIS CRAZY ASS.

...how many consecutive winters have us Cubs fans had to say that now?

Approves.

I'm ok with this!

I love this. The Cubs get a shiatty younger pitcher while losing Z.

It's enjoyable watching the Cubs lose and having their fans suffer year in year out. Delicious.

Cubs are willing to eat 14 million just to get rid of a pretty good pitcher because of hotheadedness.

He now goes to play for .... in.... ooooboy.

As a Cub fan, I hope for Carlos' sake this is a much better idea for him than it sounds like it is.

By the time the Marlins are done putting their team together everyone on the team will be speaking Spanish and it will be a pre req to qualify for any consideration to join the team.

Congratulations to the Marlins for mixing the two most combustible substances in MLB - Ozzie Guillen and Big Z.

Maybe they could make Yorvit Torrealba the catcher?

Isn't Volstadt the one who got into a fight with Nyjer Morgan? This should be interesting...

Actually a pretty good trade for the Cubs. Volstadt is under team control longer and essentially the same pitcher when taking into account Z's insanity.

Z + Ozzie should be good.

Carlos Zambrano to take his crazy talents to South Beach

Good. I'm tired of Zambrano's act and his fastball isn't what it used to be anyway. He only had a couple seasons where he performed to expectations, and his last good one was in 2008.

Epstein has said that the Cubs are rebuilding. To rebuild you have to tear down first. This move makes sense.

I love the direction the team is going, and I will happily watch bad baseball for the next couple years because I know that a perennial competitive team is coming.

Orgasmatron138: Good. I'm tired of Zambrano's act and his fastball isn't what it used to be anyway. He only had a couple seasons where he performed to expectations, and his last good one was in 2008.

I'm sick and tired of hearing about how good Zambrano'd be if he wasn't crazy.

It's not just the crazy. He's also lost some of his stuff.

Similar to Mets fans complaining about how Ollie Perez used to be good and then lost his mind. It wasn't his mind he lost; it was his fastball.

balfourk: By the time the Marlins are done putting their team together everyone on the team will be speaking Spanish and it will be a pre req to qualify for any consideration to join the team.

The Marlins admit they are going after hispanic players to appeal to the hispanic fan base. Imagine the uproar if the Twins said the same thing about white people.....

Dafatone: Hope you like playing for the Yankees in a couple years, Jose.

/Who am I kidding. Of course he'll like playing for the Yankees.
//Ugh.

I would be more worried about 2013 Yankee Third Baseman David Wright.

Dafatone: Orgasmatron138: Good. I'm tired of Zambrano's act and his fastball isn't what it used to be anyway. He only had a couple seasons where he performed to expectations, and his last good one was in 2008.

I'm sick and tired of hearing about how good Zambrano'd be if he wasn't crazy.

It's not just the crazy. He's also lost some of his stuff.

Similar to Mets fans complaining about how Ollie Perez used to be good and then lost his mind. It wasn't his mind he lost; it was his fastball.

Exactly. I want to say that Z has lost somewhere around 4 mph on his fastball. Add that to the fact that he is unwilling/unable to control his temper and his mechanics, and you have a player who is only going to be good in short stretches.

I'll give him his due: Zambrano gave Cubs fans one of the best moments of the past decade or so with his no-hitter. I was living with the folks at the time and they were watching House Hunters or some other crap HGTV show. I was following the game on my computer and made them change it in the 8th inning.

I wish him the best but am glad that we don't have to put up with his antics anymore.

Orgasmatron138: Exactly. I want to say that Z has lost somewhere around 4 mph on his fastball. Add that to the fact that he is unwilling/unable to control his temper and his mechanics, and you have a player who is only going to be good in short stretches

Which is still worth the 3-4 million the Marlins are going to pay him, and a potential for considerable upside. That new ballpark looks like it'll be a pitcher's park too, 340 and 335 down the lines, 384 and 392 in the alleys and 416 to center (out to 420 at the deepest point). That's pretty big. Further, Z and Ozzie are good friends, so despite an appearance from the outside that the pairing of those two is a bad idea, Ozzie might be best equipped to deal with Z's insanity. If it works, they get a guy quite possibly worth 10 million-plus for cheap. If not, they're not paying him that much and his contract is done after this year (so they could even dump him completely if his blowups cause problems there too), and they gave up basically nothing. Guys like Volstad are a dime a dozen. The Cubs just wanted Z gone, and I don't blame them one bit.

Orgasmatron138: Carlos Zambrano to take his crazy talents to South Beach

Good. I'm tired of Zambrano's act and his fastball isn't what it used to be anyway. He only had a couple seasons where he performed to expectations, and his last good one was in 2008.

Epstein has said that the Cubs are rebuilding. To rebuild you have to tear down first. This move makes sense.

I love the direction the team is going, and I will happily watch bad baseball for the next couple years because I know that a perennial competitive team is coming.

Someone doesn't understand the difference between a 4-seam and 2-seam fastball. Z has always been more effective with his 2-seamer because the of the great movement. He just like the 4-seamer because he liked the high speed numbers. His biggest problem, which you mentioned, is mechanics. With most pitchers, you can't really pick up faults with mechanics by simply watching on TV, but with Zambrano is is quite visible. His arm angle falls off and when it does, his ball moves sideways instead of down, leaving everything out of the zone and when it is in the zone, it is very hitable.

I for one am not at all happy about the direction the Cubs are heading. Epstein made a comment yesterday about how he looks forward to LaHair getting a chance at first base. Of course, Fielder is still available. Who will be more helpful to the team when they are able to compete again, a guy who is a 29 yr old rookie or a 27 yr old All-Star MVP? I do not like this small market rebuilding mentality. The Cubs have one of the largest markets and fanbases in baseball, yet they are trying to rebuild like the Pirates. How has that worked out for them? I don't see the Yankees or Red Sox ever do this and they compete pretty much every year. There is no reason whatsoever that the Cubs can't compete salary and talent wise with these two teams every year.

GQueue: Orgasmatron138: Exactly. I want to say that Z has lost somewhere around 4 mph on his fastball. Add that to the fact that he is unwilling/unable to control his temper and his mechanics, and you have a player who is only going to be good in short stretches

Which is still worth the 3-4 million the Marlins are going to pay him, and a potential for considerable upside. That new ballpark looks like it'll be a pitcher's park too, 340 and 335 down the lines, 384 and 392 in the alleys and 416 to center (out to 420 at the deepest point). That's pretty big. Further, Z and Ozzie are good friends, so despite an appearance from the outside that the pairing of those two is a bad idea, Ozzie might be best equipped to deal with Z's insanity. If it works, they get a guy quite possibly worth 10 million-plus for cheap. If not, they're not paying him that much and his contract is done after this year (so they could even dump him completely if his blowups cause problems there too), and they gave up basically nothing. Guys like Volstad are a dime a dozen. The Cubs just wanted Z gone, and I don't blame them one bit.


Yeah, it's a good deal all the way around. Theo neds to establish the new culture of the Cubs organization, and the Marlins get a relatively inexpensive chance at some good stretches of pitching.

Jobber8742: Of course, Fielder is still available. Who will be more helpful to the team when they are able to compete again, a guy who is a 29 yr old rookie or a 27 yr old All-Star MVP?

The Cubs are still going to have a ~$120mil payroll this year. That's not exactly small market. What Epstein is trying to do is get rid of the bad contracts and not burden themselves with more payroll in the shortterm. Why would you pay Prince $40-50mil in the next 2 years when you know the team won't compete? Instead, they'll rebuild (there are a few prospects that are 1, maybe 2 years away from the big leagues) and then try to go after Votto when he becomes a free agent after the 2013 season.

markyp09: Jobber8742: Of course, Fielder is still available. Who will be more helpful to the team when they are able to compete again, a guy who is a 29 yr old rookie or a 27 yr old All-Star MVP?

The Cubs are still going to have a ~$120mil payroll this year. That's not exactly small market. What Epstein is trying to do is get rid of the bad contracts and not burden themselves with more payroll in the shortterm. Why would you pay Prince $40-50mil in the next 2 years when you know the team won't compete? Instead, they'll rebuild (there are a few prospects that are 1, maybe 2 years away from the big leagues) and then try to go after Votto when he becomes a free agent after the 2013 season.


This. Paying Fielder $40-50 mil for in his prime is stupid when you won't be competitive anyway. With his frame, he probably won't last another 4 years before being a DH. Being 5'11, 275 is hell on the knees.

machoprogrammer: markyp09: Jobber8742: Of course, Fielder is still available. Who will be more helpful to the team when they are able to compete again, a guy who is a 29 yr old rookie or a 27 yr old All-Star MVP?

The Cubs are still going to have a ~$120mil payroll this year. That's not exactly small market. What Epstein is trying to do is get rid of the bad contracts and not burden themselves with more payroll in the shortterm. Why would you pay Prince $40-50mil in the next 2 years when you know the team won't compete? Instead, they'll rebuild (there are a few prospects that are 1, maybe 2 years away from the big leagues) and then try to go after Votto when he becomes a free agent after the 2013 season.


This. Paying Fielder $40-50 mil for in his prime is stupid when you won't be competitive anyway. With his frame, he probably won't last another 4 years before being a DH. Being 5'11, 275 is hell on the knees.

Yeah, if you need a look at what happens to chunky power hitters once their skills decline, look no further than Adam Dunn. He was getting k'd by fastballs.

Fielder's value will likely decline by the time the Cubs are ready to compete. Why pay all that money, when it could be better spent on younger talent, better coaches, and better scouts in the farm system? 40 million can help rebuild you a HELL of a farm system. Come 2015 or so, then you start seeing real talent come through the farm system just about every year. Not that every prospect will turn out to be Starlin Castro, but I'd settle for being able to produce a steady stream of average/above average players, then pick and choose which A-list stars you want in free agency.

Orgasmatron138: Fielder's value will likely decline by the time the Cubs are ready to compete. Why pay all that money, when it could be better spent on younger talent, better coaches, and better scouts in the farm system? 40 million can help rebuild you a HELL of a farm system. Come 2015 or so, then you start seeing real talent come through the farm system just about every year. Not that every prospect will turn out to be Starlin Castro, but I'd settle for being able to produce a steady stream of average/above average players, then pick and choose which A-list stars you want in free agency

The Cubs plans got totally screwed by the new collective bargaining agreement. I think they were planning on leveraging their financial advantage over most teams by dumping a ton of money into the draft and international signings, and that's now out the window. You can hear Jerry Reinsdorf cackling across town -- the Sox are one of the only teams that the new rules benefit, because they were one of the only ones being total cheapskates in the draft, and their international scouting and signing was in the tank after one of their guys was busted for being a ringleader in a bonus kickback scheme a few years ago.

VvonderJesus: [www.profootballhof.com image 640x313]

Approves.

I deem your comment funny, good sir!

/Wasn't it a tap, though, and not one of those coolers?
//Maybe it was both in separate incidents. This is Zambrano, after all.

Krustofsky: Congratulations to the Marlins for mixing the two most combustible substances in MLB - Ozzie Guillen and Big Z.

Maybe they could make Yorvit Torrealba the catcher?

Ozzie pushed hard for this deal. He and Z are good friends.

Glenechocreek: Krustofsky: Congratulations to the Marlins for mixing the two most combustible substances in MLB - Ozzie Guillen and Big Z.

Maybe they could make Yorvit Torrealba the catcher?

Ozzie pushed hard for this deal. He and Z are good friends.

If there's one thing Ozzie is really good at, it's being a lightning rod for the press. He will take anything negative towards the team and absorb it himself. Zambrano has made it clear that he's not willing/able to control himself like a grown man, so having a guy like Ozzie is better for him.