Zambrano throws down Gauntlet!

[BSN07]

Listning to Mike and Mike in the morning right now, there talking about a story saying Zambrano says he wants a new contract before opening day or HE will go somewhere else via Free Agency!

 

Hes gonna make bank if he hits the open Market, Brian cashman will blow a load in his pants when he heres this!LOL

[BSN07]

Heres the story from ESPN,

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2763803

[jacksonianmarch]

I dont see the cubs giving him what he will get on the market. He'll easily command close to 20 mil a season for 8 yrs. Come to papa Carlos, big daddy george will pay you.

[TheKilo]

I dont see the cubs giving him what he will get on the market. He'll easily command close to 20 mil a season for 8 yrs. Come to papa Carlos' date=' big daddy george will pay you.[/quote']

 

Kind of how Minnesota can't afford to keep Mauer, Morneau, and Santana, right?

[jacksonianmarch]

Kind of how Minnesota can't afford to keep Mauer' date=' Morneau, and Santana, right?[/quote']

 

correct. They wont be able to afford to keep all three long term. Mauer is locked up, but he is still a relative bargain. Santana will not come cheap. Chicago can afford Zambrano, but I think they will let him walk.

[jacksonianmarch]

you know what. I am looking at Zambrano's stats and something scares me, just like Zito did. 115 walks last season, that is pisspoor and would not translate well to the ALE.

[ORS]

He's walking more hitters, but he's also missing more bats and giving up fewer hits. I think he'd still be a horse in the AL, but he won't make it here. Chicago just invested big bucks on fielding a good team for the next few years, and the only question mark to that team is the pitching staff, IMO. They don't have a bumper crop of pitching prospects coming up soon, so they'll pay the piper to keep their stud.

[HeadOfSoxNation]

Chicago offered him $11.25/yr or something, and he was asking for $15...I don't think those figures are too far apart to get something done. I really hope he stays with Chicago.

[BSN07]

In the arbitration world that is miles apart.

[TGov]

Chicago offered him $11.25/yr or something' date=' and he was asking for $15...I don't think those figures are too far apart to get something done. I really hope he stays with Chicago.[/quote']

 

YA me too cuz I sure as hell dont wanna see him in NY...

[BSN07]

I actually don't think he will fair well in the AL East. As Jackson pointed out his walk numbers are pretty bad. He has alot of miles on his amr for his age, that might mean impending arm issues. Hes a good pitcher but I wouldn't want to be the team that has to pay him 20M a season for the next 7 to 8 yrs. I just don't see it as being a smart investment. Only pitcher in the game I would lock up for that money and that amount of time is Santanna.

[BSN07]

Let NY sign him and we can go after Miguel Cabrera when he becomes available.

[jacksonianmarch]

Cabrera is available in 3 yrs.

[Gom]

I dont see the cubs giving him what he will get on the market. He'll easily command close to 20 mil a season for 8 yrs. Come to papa Carlos' date=' big daddy george will pay you.[/quote']

 

Jax, you are off bro. They will pony up the money. Otherwise, why bother with what they did this year?

 

As much as I would love to see Zambrano in pinstripes, it aint happening.

[CrespoBlows]

Eight years? I don't think Zambrano will hold up for eight years. As ORS said, his numbers have been declining. Not a massive decline, but those 115 walks are scary. I'm curious to what will happen when his stuff begins to decline. I don't think he'll be able to compensate for the number of missed bats he was generating.

 

Plus, his shoulder's probably going to fall off. He's only 26 years old, but he's thrown nearly 1450 innings in his career. Christ, that's a lot of pitches for a guy that young.

 

He finished fourth in number of pitches thrown in 2006, he would have easily finished 1st, had Arroyo, Harang, and Zito had comparable innings. (24, 16, and 7 respectively)

 

Zambrano is a great pitcher, but I don't think you're going to get a great return on investment on this guy. I'd go five years at the most.

[example1]

you know what. I am looking at Zambrano's stats and something scares me' date=' just like Zito did. 115 walks last season, that is pisspoor and would not translate well to the ALE.[/quote']

 

He kept a 1.29 WHIP, which is pretty good. He did so by allowing only 6.8 hits/9. I see your point, in that in the AL East he would face a lot of people taking pitches and wouldn't be quite as dominant. BUT HE'S 25 and has pitched more than 200 innings the last 4 years, 200K the last 2. I'll take the walks at his age, especially since last year was about a 1.5 walk/9 increase over his performance the prior two seasons (3.48 and 3.47 vs. 4.84). In other words, I think he'll regress to the mean on that one and not walk as many guys next season. He's a guy who occasionally walks some guys but he still managed to have an OBP against of only .314 last year. Yes, that's higher than a hall of fame pitcher would have, but given the number of walks its amazing that its that low. He's dominant and has enough control to keep the walks from killing him. He's also younger than Papelbon (supposedly).

 

I can see the Sox and Yankees both going after Zambrano, and I can see this being a factor in their choice about resigning Schilling. Everyone was asking about who else was available, well, here's a guy I would go after over Schilling.

[ORS]

Cabrera is available in 2 yrs.

Fixed. Florida will get more than a couple of draft picks for him. It will be a big market club, and that club will extend him for big bucks.

[Gom]

Cabrera will cost a ton. If the Yankees were able to extract good prospects for Sheffield and RJ, what do you think Cabrera will cost? At the time he goes, he will command a Hughes/Bailey type prospect as well as a Sanchez type minimum. Unless Florida is run by idiots at that time.

[Cocos Disciples]

per mlbtraderumors:

Rogers thinks Z will get his five or six-year deal from the Cubs. But he speculates on several possible return packages. Ervin Santana, Wood/Aybar, and Adenhart/Mathis from the Angels. Pavano and Sanchez/Clippard from New York. Pelfrey/Humber, Heilman, and Martinez/Gomez from the Mets.

 

So he thinks thinks the Angels would have to give up:

 

A stud young pitcher, a top prospect and either another top prospect or a decent catcher

 

The Mets would have to give up 2 top prospects and a very good young pitcher

 

But the Yanks would have to give up an overpaid injury prone s*** starter and a good prospect

 

Huh?

[redsoxrules]

done , cubs reached a deal with zambrano

 

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/6487028

 

they have now spent over 300 million dollars this offseason

[jacksonianmarch]

its a one yr deal.

[He Hate Me]

is that a record for arbitration? 12.4 mil sounds like a lot

[ORS]

is that a record for arbitration? 12.4 mil sounds like a lot

No, because he didn't go to arbitration. It might be an arbitration settlement record, though.

[BSN07]

He wanted like 15M and the cubs had offered him something like 11M and change, anyway it looks like he gave them more of a discount.

[jacksonianmarch]

what is a half a mil or a little more when you are staring at a 7yr 140 mil contract sitting on deck.