While it is most likely that Hendry is lying awake with visions of Matt Capps (ugh) and Marlon Byrd (ooof) or even Scotty Pods (DON'T DO IT, JIM!!!  I'm warning you) dancing in his head, it would be remiss of us to not mention the most recent and outrageous rumor about Big Z going to the Evil Empire.

It seems that the Yankees (Dutch for "John Cheese", a derogatory term for an American) are looking to make a trade for a front-line starter, and surprise, surprise, they are looking to take on salary so they don't have to give up top prospects.  More than likely, this trade would include one of their center-fielders with big-league experience, Melky Cabrera or Brett Gardner, that they no longer need. 

Perhaps there is truth to the rumor being started by the New York media, or perhaps somebody just did some math and figured the Cubs have a highly paid, high-profile starter and also have a need for a CF, so they threw their dart there.  Z's agent, when contacted, said that he hasn't been 'formally notified' and that Z would not waive his no-trade protection to go there regardless.  It is a shame that we've heard this talk hundreds of times before, yet many players with no-trade protection start out denying all, then ended up moving anyway.  Roy Halladay immediately comes to mind.

It's all posturing, negotiating tactics, to immediately deny contact and throw up the no-trade screen.  Z's agent is waiting to see how the Cubs react to this story.  If Hendry doesn't immediately and vehemently deny interest, then the agent will go to Z and say "look, they are shopping you after all", and then the dance begins.  The one part of this that seems disingenious is his agent's assertion that Z doesn't want to play in New York. 

Agent, please?  Nobody believes that the Big Man wouldn't love the Big Stage.

What do I think?  It takes effort, unfortunately, to sieve through my feelings and the facts of the situation.  Based on talent alone, there's no way we should even consider getting rid of Carlos Zambrano.  He's immature, still to this day.  He succeeded a few years ago when he was young enough to get by on raw talent alone.  Now that his body has started to rebel, a little, he needs to adjust, to take better care of himself and concentrate more on his craft, and most of all, to get his damn emotions in check.  If and when he ever does that, he'll win 20, easily, so we should never consider getting rid of him, talent-wise, until he becomes completely impossible to live with, like Milton Bradley.

Then, though, you have to consider his gigantic contract.  If we got rid of it, that would theoretically open up a lot of payroll that would be useful to improving the team as a whole.

Thing is, I have always considered the previous paragraph, in the Cubs case, to be completely invalid.  The Cubs are probably neck-and-neck with the Dodgers for third in revenues, behind the Yankees and Red Sox.  Any salary cap the Cubs set is artificial, and I am BITTERLY disappointed in the Ricketts for continuing to impose one.  The Tribune set this point, doubtlessly with reams of business analysis, as the point where profit is maximized.  The Ricketts claimed to be in this to win, not to make the most money.

Perhaps if there was a promise that, once the ballpark was rehabilitated to the point where it itself could generate maximum profits (which is necessary, to a certain point, and don't ever forget that Tom Ricketts, who famously met his wife in the bleachers, is nothing more than a Chad who loves the ivy-clad outdoor saloon as much, or more, than the Cubs themselves) that they would then plow the additional profits directly into the talent base...but that hasn't come up yet.  I understand that money doesn't necessarily mean wins, but in this case, since so much money has been wasted on Z, Soriano, Fukudome and Bradley/Silva, and since we do not have many prospects ready to go, it's going to take money to get over the hump.

Which takes me back to my original stance - until Z becomes impossible to live with, moving his salary is unfair to us, the fans.  We should be able to get a decent center fielder without having to consider whose current salary we would need to eliminate.  For all the money we spend on the Cubs, we should be able to have our cake and eat it, too.

Quick -- name the last pitcher signed to a massive multi-million dollar contract that got through the deal unscathed! 

Chances are you can't.  This is a big reason why rewarding a 20-something starting pitcher with more than a hundred million dollars guaranteed is a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you don't scenario.

And thus, at least a few of us expected Carlos Zambrano to have this kind of year.  The amazing thing is that, despite nagging soreness issues, and despite his workout regime being questionable, he hasn't had to undergo major surgery.  Maybe he won't have to.  Probably it's only a matter of time.  Still, Carlos has become a polarizing figure amongst Cub fans, and this year has not helped his cause at all.

After all -- Carlos Zambrano went on the DL for swinging a bat too hard during batting practice.  Apparently this is something that ace pitchers do not do, although he was hardly the only Cub pitcher to get hurt doing something stupid.  Ryan Dempster -- he of the 17-win 2008 season -- broke his toe jumping a fence.  Where was the outrage?

In fact, the microscope Zambrano has been under might be just a bit unfair.  Is he an ace?  Hell yes.  Has he pitched like one lately?  No.  The Moose only managed 9 wins in 2009, the worst of his career, resulting in threats of early retirement if he ever plays this badly again. 

But think about it.  His ERA was 3.77 -- the lowest it's been since 2006.  He walked too many guys like usual, but he struck out 22 more batters in nearly 20 fewer innings from last year.  His numbers weren't actually all that bad, the only problem is that the wins weren't there.

When you're an ace, the wins have to be there.  When you're an ace, the ERA has to be lower than 3.77.  When you're making 16 million a year, you need to pitch 200 innings.  When you're the guy the team calls on to break a losing streak, you need to reliably dominate the opponents without suffering from brief mental breakdowns. 

Except for one thing ... Zambrano could have had an ERA 1 run lower, he could have avoided missing a single start, he could have been the model of mental health, and with the Cubs offense as it was he would have struggled to win even 12 games in 2009.  An ace is a lot of things, but he's not a miracle man.

So, what is in store for Carlos Zambrano in 2010?  More breakdowns of both the physical and mental variety?  Or will he step up and deliver a year like the kind we thought he'd have two or three seasons ago?

I'll only say this: whenever Rob has decried that Zambrano is not an ace because he isn't Maddux in the clubhouse and because he's nutty on the field, I've brought up a single name: Roger Clemens.  From 1993 to 1996, Clemens went 40-41, he failed to reach 200 innings in a season all but once, and he essentially wrote his exit story from Boston.  After that, he buckled down, got into impeccable shape (through chemical means, admittedly), and pitched himself to several Cy Youngs.  In the process, Clemens stopped traveling with his team, he stopped going to work on days he didn't pitch, he threw a baseball bat at Mike Piazza in the World Series, and he was seen across the board as a total, undeniable prick. 

So what's an ace?  Is it Greg Maddux, the impeccable professional?  Or is it Roger Clemens, the asshole with a golden cannon for an arm?  I submit to you that it can be both, and the only thing Carlos Zambrano needs to do is toss 200 innings in 2010 and maintain his mechanics in order for even Rob to re-qualify him as an ace pitcher.  Because if he does those two things -- regardless of whether or not he gets suspended, travels in a padded cell, or breaks through walls with his head -- then he will be a sub-3.00 pitcher with damn near 20 wins. 

But whether or not that's likely to happen is a completely different story.

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I will gloss over the fact that we came back and won a big game last night.  Yes, a big game, because even if/when we don't make the postseason this year, every instance where your team rebounds from adversity and ultimately succeeds is a fine thing.  Your young guys (Soto, Fontenot) get another valuable lesson on how to win ball games.  Your veterans (Lee, Ramirez) get the chance to show the young guys how it is done.  Your ugly guys (Bradley) don't have to deal with the pesky media for an evening.

Good, nearly all the way around.

Uh, not so fast, big Z.

In case you didn't notice, last night's game was a neat little slice of Zambrano's career with us.  Dominant for 4 2/3rds, he gives up a hit to the pitcher, and goes apeshit crazy.  He starts stomping around, muttering, pounding pitches into the dirt, swearing at his (less talented) teammates like Bobby Scales for not attempting an ill-advised throw towards home plate, ala Alfonso Soriano.  Kurt mentioned all this in his recap, but don't you think he kind of, you know, glossed over it?

Uh, guys?  THIS is precisely the problem with the guy!  He was staked with a four run lead, and all he had to do is pour in strikes.  He did just that, and in the case of Yovanni Gallardo, who isn't a bad athlete, he got a base hit.  Big whoopty damn do.  A pitcher on first base with two out.  In the whole wide spectrum of problems to have, Gallardo on first with two outs is way down there.

But not to Big Macho Z...no WAY the opposing pitcher shows HIM up!!  (Never mind he himself takes pride in all the times he hits opposing pitchers)  So sure, Theriot should have made a play on the one ball, and if Scales had an actual throwing arm, he might have had a chance to throw out Fresh Market Prince at home.  But there is NO excuse, zero, none, for the way he reacts to these situations.  Think of all the Quality pitchers you know of, do any of them react the way Zambrano does to adversity?

When all was said and done, not only did he give up the lead, but left the game down 5-4.  It was a happy coincidence that his team sucked it up and came back, but this game in a glance shows you why he has not won 20, nor will he ever, until he can drastically change his ways.

How many times in life have you been with your wife, girlfriend, kids, whatever, and had some rude prick pull one on you?  Take your parking spot, cut in front of you in line, spill his beer on your shoulder, start french kissing his honey right there in church?  Don't you just want to SMACK 'em?  But you don't!  You know why?  It isn't in the best interests of the people around you.

Same thing with Zambrano.  Yes, it is slightly embarrassing to give up a hit to the opposing pitcher.  Yes, it is frustrating for The Riot to trip over his shoelaces on a sharply hit ball to his right.  He wants to scream, yell, jump up and down, spike the ball into the grass.  But what does all that HELP?  What does it accomplish?  Nothing, absolutely nothing - in fact, by getting all torqued up, then you, yourself, can't perform your give task, that of consistently and repeatedly throwing a ball into a small glove from far away, a task that takes skill, concentration, muscle memory and a certain amount of relaxation.  When he tenses up, his concentration and relaxation go away, thus his skills and muscle memories (release point, delivery, grip, pacing) go out the window.

Then he's walking off the mound, having given up the lead and five runs to a bunch of clowns.  He left with us behind, and thank God we came back last night, but this IS the problem with him.  Yes, he has great talent, and great passion for the game.  We love him for both.  But the YMCA's are full of guys with ability who could not control their emotions.  He rarely loses games because his physical stuff just isn't there. Most games he loses, it's because he loses his mental edge, and whether Kurt thinks I hate the guy or not, I don't, but because he loses his self-control, he will never be our go-to guy.

It's like the guy who was tested with the genius IQ who is now 45 years old and has been stuck at the same job level the past 15 years, because he wears his heart on his sleeve, and his higher-ups have passed him over time after time for promotions because his occassional emotional outbursts do not exactly engender confidence.  They won't put him in charge of anything, because he's a "loose cannon" who might say or do the wrong thing.

At the same time, you don't fire him, because what he does do for you, between phone arguments with his ex-wife and the entire weeks staring at his computer screen because his heart is pounding, is often quality work.  Plus, you know you'll never find anyone better who will work for the same money.  Um, I think I'll stop this particular analogy, now.

But that is why I wouldn't just unconditionally give up on Zambrano, as the local media is lining up to do.  He has value, both as a player and as an entertainer.  I would just never, ever depend on him to be my Staff Ace.   

I have to admit I'm getting more than a little tired of the Chicago media and their stir tactics.  Honest to God, if they hadn't written their "will Milton Bradley be a douche in 2009" series back in March, chances are decent that he wouldn't have been.  And now Carlos is under the scope, fueling the fire that Rob has already lit here on GROTA.

With apologies to Rob -- but none to the Tribune writers -- Carlos is not a problem and does not need to be traded.  But don't take my word for it -- Bruce Miles wrote this epic that very effectively points out why we're a bunch of douche-bags for criticizing Zambrano but giving passes to the other dopes who act like he does.

As for the game last night, the Cubs had the most unusual bout of offensive supremacy I've seen all year.  They scored 13 runs, and 6 came from Things Other than Hits -- a sac fly by Carlos in the 4th, a bases loaded Hit by Pitch in the 6th, a fielding error in the 6th, a bases loaded walk in the 7th, a bases loaded Hit by Pitch in the 7th, and then a bases loaded walk in the 8th.  Weird.

In total, the Cubs had double digits in hits -- 11 -- but, more impressively, they actually had more walks, with 12 for the day.  Every Cub got on base at least once, yes Madisoncubaholic, even Milton Bradley, and 8 total Cubs had RBI. 

In the meantime, Carlos had a pretty good game, but an incredibly ugly 5th inning.  He let the Brewers do all their damage on 2 outs, but he would have left with having allowed 3 earned runs -- and in line for the win -- had Ryan Theriot not botched a play that would've ended the inning. 

So, because Carlos had a bad inning, does that add fuel to the Trade Zambrano fire?  I say no.  I understand Rob's frustration about the situation, even as I question his concept of what an ace pitcher does -- and with Clemens at the top of the list, I could rattle off a long list of "aces" who do not, nor did they ever, fit his description.  I understand that we all hoped, nay, expected greater things from the Big Moose in 2009, and after an on-and-off year in '08 we've now forgotten how well he pitched from '03-'07, as if he'll never be a 15 game winner again.

Anyway, with the Cubs win last night they now find themselves 5.5 games behind the Rockies in the Wild Card, and 4 games out in the loss column.  Just thought I'd point that out, too.

^{Yovani Gallardo (12-11, 3.59 ERA) vs. Carlos Zambrano (8-6, 3.77 ERA)}
Story Lines

The Cubs almost had a perfect night last night. They found a way to win without much offense, the Giants lost, but the Cardinals out-slugged the Marlins (which wasn't all bad, since the Cubs trail the Marlins in the Wild Card).

The Cubs are 6.5 games back in the Wild Card with 20 games left. That's a lot of games to make up, of course it is worse because the Giants, Braves and Marlins are still ahead of the Cubs. The Cubs are actually tied in the loss column with the Braves and Marlins now, so there is some hope.

Tonight's game is the worse match-up for the Cubs with Gallardo on the mound, but the Cubs are ready to break loose, I can feel it. Still, the playoff chances are really tiny right now. Lets just say the Rockies the finish 9-8 in their last 17 games. That would mean the Cubs would need to go 17-3, just to tie. I just don't see that happening. Now, if the Rockies fall apart and go 5-12, that is another story, but that would be a tough assignment as well.

Who's Hot
Derrek Lee - Lee's like a broken record, but in a good way. He hit another home run last night to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead, which turned out to be enough. He's hitting .304 overall now, and has 33 HR's. If the Cubs do make the playoffs somehow, it will be because of D-Lee.

Aramis Ramirez - Two more hits and he's hitting .324 now, which would be the highest average of his career. Too bad, he missed all that time this year.

Who's Not
Jeff Baker - Maybe it's time to give Fontenot a start. Baker's 1 for his last 18, which now opens the question of second base in 2010.

Everybody else - Only Jake Fox and Mike Fontenot picked up hits last night after our two best players.

Conclusions
The Cubs have to stockpile some wins to have a chance, and I would love to see the Giants sweep the Rockies, while the Cubs sweep the Brewers. If that happened, the Cubs would be 4 games back heading into the weekend.

Since both major Chicago papers and ESPN Chicago have essentially the same story in it this morning, let's mention it here - Carlos Zambrano is officially on the shopping block.

Oh, really?

Those of us who remember the end of 2004, recall how all the local outlets, led by the Tribune, seemed to do a 180 on Sammy Sosa, with seemingly new revelations about how poor of a teammate he was, how insubordinate he was, and how badly he wanted to play elsewhwere.

So go out there today.  The Big Toro we all know and love supposedly does not want to play here anymore, and will waive his no-trade clause.  Big Z is lazy, childish, underachieving, complains about being yanked from games, and is fed up with the Chicago media because they begrudged him a little quality daddy-daughter softball time.  In effect, he is being painted as one of the key Fall Guys for 2009.  He deserves a bit of this treatment - all of this is based on some degree on fact - but to think he is one of the top 3 Cubs problems of 2009 is wrong.  He is no more liable for all this than, say. Alfonso Soriano.

Essentially, it boils down to this: the Cubs want to get rid of Z, and their PR machine is hard at work, greasing the skids by alienating Cub Nation against him by listing all his sins in the media.  By the time this abortion of a season is over, Cub Fandom will turn against him, the way they turned against Sosa, with the nudge provided by the papers and talk shows.

What do we think of all this here at GROTA?  We think it's bunk!

Yes, he makes Staff Ace money, the most of any Cub, and he isn't a Staff Ace.  That's not HIS fault.  Once again, there is no evidence that Carlos held a Grach to Hendry's temple and forced him to write down the terms of his swollen pact.  What's more, his contract, when factored into any trade scenario, means that we will not get dollar-for-dollar value in any exchange.  We will eat the difference, either in player value or monetarily.

Honestly, there is no need to trade the man, given the uneven exchange rate of such a transaction.  He is and would be a great innings-eating #2 or #3 starter, provided we ourselves could then attract a true Staff Ace, one that provides leadership and takes much of the focus and attention AWAY from Z.

The path to ultimate victory does not include trading Zambrano away for a fraction of his worth.

Unsurprisingly, the Cubs were shut down by another crappy fringe starter today. Also, Carlos Zambrano got rocked. All in all, a great day for Cubs fans!

It's not usually easy to get double digit strikeouts in a game as a starting pitcher, but somehow Nelson Figueroa managed to do it today. He must have been pitching against a really bad offense. Honestly, how did this guy make it to the eighth inning?!

Milton Bradley is creeping even closer to the .270 mark; he went 1-for-2 in today's game. And Derrek Lee somehow managed to leave three men on base despite going 2-for-4. That kind of year, I guess.

As for the pitching, it sounds like Carlos is not quite right yet. When you give up 11 hits in less than four innings, there's something you're not doing correctly. From the stuff I read after the fact, it sounded like it was a mechanical issue, with Carlos opening up his shoulder for too long, or maybe too soon, or something. Anyway, I wouldn't really worry about it as a long term thing, but it'd be nice if he could remember proper pitching mechanics sometime soon.

The Cubs ended up winning the series this weekend, which is nice--but it seemed like they were trying their best to lose it. Pat Misch and Nelson Figueroa combined to allow just two runs in 14 innings, for Christ's sakes.

And now the Cubs are ten back. Rest easy, Kurt--things really are that bad!

Current Record: 65-63
Position in the NL Central: 2nd place, 10 whole games out
Best Possible Record: 99-63 (hahahaha)
Worst Possible Record: 65-97
Record needed to win 90: 25-9 (hahahahahaha)
On Pace For: suck

Carlos Zambrano started off as just one of an entire battalion of young signees from Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, and elsewhere in Latin America, acquired during Jim Hendry's stint as the Director of Player Development.  Then he was one of an entire squadron of young interchangeable arms brought up to shore the miserable Cubs pitching staffs of the early part of the decade.  Z was first brought to our attention by then-pitching coach Oscar Acosta.  Acosta, of course, in the end has been judged to be batshit crazy, due to the fights he would pick with his players and fellow coaches.  I guess Oscar, in his own special way was stamping Z with his seal of approval, because I suppose if he didn't see something in Z, he wouldn't have cared.  However, he showed his love for Z by accusing him of being fat, immature, and lazy.

Carlos, for his part, and not for the last time in his career, told his coach to stick his opinion up his ass.

So okay, Zambrano was on the map, what was up with this kid?  The next thing we all noticed about him was that he battled.  In his first couple of years, he had to battle very hard, particularly from the high number of walks he gave up.  Z has always had "stuff", a great sinker to go along with his strong, heavy fastball.  But he has always been someone who has pitched much more with his heart, than with his head.  That means, many times, he has had to work hard, not smart, during his career.  Working hard means lots of pitches, thrown under duress, and you know us Cub fans and our recent history with pitchers.  During a time when Mark Prior and Kerry Wood was always hurt, and with Dusty (Pitcher Abuse) Baker at the helm, many of us held our breath, waiting for Z to fall apart, too.  Yet, his right arm remained attached to his socket.

So, after his gutty late-season performances in 2003, and his spectacular 2004 where he posted a 2.75 ERA while winning 16 games, coupled with the fragility of Wood and Prior, nearly everyone in Cub World, from the fans to management, annoited big Z as the Staff Ace.

On this website, I have defined the concept of true Staff Ace several times, but the 25 words or less summarization is thus: the Staff Ace must excel in all aspects of the pitching craft: physical, mental, emotional, by posting superlative results, by leading his teammates, and by showing durability.  In many aspects, Zambrano has what it takes.  He does have superior stuff.  He has learned much of the craft of pitching - when he focuses himself, he is practically untouchable, as was evidenced last September in Milwaukee, against the Astros (and we all know the history of that sentence, more later).  Furthermore, he has endeared many in Cub World with his heart - he cares about winning, that much is clear.  He wears his heart on his sleeve.  He even enhances his status by doubling as the best hitting pitcher in the game today, and one of the better right-handed hitters you will ever see, anywhere. 

The fact that he is, as a pitcher, a practicing switch-hitter (I hope Jason isn't listening!) speaks to the utterly flaky nature of his personality, and unfortunately, it is the flakiness that has, so far in his career, led to his not reaching his full potential or his fully earning his monstrous $90+ million contract he signed prior to the 2007 season.  For all of his physical talents and mental toughness, Zambrano frequently breaks nearly all the unwritten rules of how to play baseball and be a good teammate.

It certainly isn't HIS fault that Hendry handed him that contract.  To the best of my knowledge, nobody put guns to Jim's head or left severed horse heads in Hendry's bed.  But we as sports fans have certain expectations for those fortunate souls who become the highest paid members of our teams.  Like remaining in top physical condition 365 days a year.  Like cheerfully adhering to all training regimens put forth by the medical staff, and by willingly complying to all requested adjustments suggested by management, coaches, and staff.  Like not calling out his teammates for their failings, real and imagined.  Like not purposely antagonizing umpires.  Like not making inflammatory statements in the media. Like not beating up your catcher for calling a bad game (although, it turns out Mike Barrett was dumber than a bucket of mud, so in the long list of 'Z Occurrences', this is way down the list.)

But Zambrano is El Toro, he is The Lawnmower, he is Big Z, and he pretty much does and says whatever pops into his mind at the time.  Now, for all of his faults, he remains a favorite player of mine, even though much of what he does runs counter to the ultimate goal of a Cubs World Series.  How can you NOT love a great big boy, who rails against injustices, who looks like he can put away a very hearty meal, and several cervezas in one sitting?  Z's appeal is that he is like many of us, with visible, mildly destructive faults.  Most of us can relate, and in fact deep in our hearts admit that we would react the Very Same Way to things that he does.

The problem is, though, that none of us occupy the same shoes he wears.  He has monumental responsbilities to his management, his teammates, and to us, due to the role he has chosen, for himself, by taking on his astronomical contract.  Perhaps it isn't fair.  It may be that our society as a whole has their priorities out of whack, that a physically gifted man can command this kind of money when our teachers, firefighters, policemen, blah blah.  But baseball teams, like nearly all earthly entities, have a finite pool of resources to draw from.  And it is true that more people pay to see Carlos Zambrano pitch than, say, an Aaron Heilman.  But the money that Z makes prevents us from, say, signing three average major-league ballplayers that might help us plug holes in the roster otherwise.  So Zambrano does bear an outsized portion of the responsbility for the success of this ballclub.

And how does he respond?  By having his forearms cramp up because of excessive computer usage at night.  By having his whole body cramp up because of excessive consumption of energy drinks.  By berating his teammates who do not cut off base hits into the gaps.  By going on the DL doing very non-pitcheresque things, like swinging for homers in batting practice.  By alienating certain segments of the MLB umpiring pool for all eternity by symbolically "throwing them out" of ball games.  By publicly flirting with Ozzie Guillen and the White Sox, and, most recently, by demanding trades because things aren't going well with the Cubs, which has attracted the media scrutiny that goes along with playing for the franchise that has gone the longest without a title in all of professional sports.

I am fully aware of his many accomplishements: the first Cubs no-hitter since 1972, on that surreal night in Milwaukee; his three All-Star nods; his 103 wins and his 3.50 career ERA.  In today's Offensive era, he has NEVER had an ERA above 4.  But he has led the league in walks twice, and when he is determined to pitch his "own" game (as opposed to the game plan agreed to by the rest of the team), he racks up tons of pitches, thus necessitating his early removal and subsequent bullpen use.  At some point in his career, he needs to put the needs of the Cubs BEFORE his own needs.  That is simply the nature of team sports.  It might make the game less fun, I suppose. 

Carlos Zambrano.  Man's man, guy's guy.  Mas macho.  A human bulldozer.  Entertaining as all get out.  But NOT a Staff Ace, and unless he can Grow Up in a hurry, will ultimately contribute more to the continuation of the Drought than its elimination.

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^{J.D. Martin (2-3, 4.76 ERA) vs. Randy Wells (9-6, 2.84 ERA)}

Story Lines

Today, instead of rehashing the same old GameCast, we will start a series of looks at different players that are signed for next year, and some of the free agents. I will take a quick look at their preformance and some overall contract numbers. Feel free to debate the mertis of the players in the comment section.

Starting Pitcher - No. 1 Starter (Carlos Zambrano)

Contract 2009: 17.8 Million

Contract 2010:17.9 Million

Stats 2009: 7-5, 3.80 ERA in 128 innings. 105/60 K/BB Ratio with a 1.38 WHIP

Carlos Zambrano is paid like his is the ace of the staff. While he is a prefectly fine pitcher, it doesn't seem like he is going to win too many Cy Youngs in the future. 2009 will be the second year in a row where Big Z. does not pitch 200 innings, and his strikeouts have fallen once again. At least his opposing OPS has not really taken off, so people are not hitting him hard, but he has a tough time getting the K when he really needs it.

His contract is pretty big and the good thing is that it does not really jump any higher over the last three years. The problem is that he is getting almost 18 million. Ted Lilly has pitched better and thrown more innings, but makes six million less than Carlos. That being said, Carlos has the ability to turn things around and become one of the best pitchers in the NL if he starts to train a little bit more. Hopefully, he is serious about losing weight in the offseason and that will make him a better pitcher. 

If you look at Carlos, he is really a great snapshot of the Cubs' season. He's been up and down, and the Cubs certainly been up and down. Carlos has three years left on his deal, and baring a trade he will finish up his deal at Age 31, so there is still time for him to turn in a few more solid years. Tomorrow will look at Ted Lilly and what is probaly Jim Hendry's best FA signing ever.

Running Totals:
Payroll for 2010: 17.9 Million

Who's Hot
Milton Bradley - Can you believe it? When the games become basically meaningless, Bradley heats up and drives in three runs.

Koyie Hill - Don't look now, but Koyie's average is up to .242 after a three-hit night last night. It doesn't hurt that he is playing the Nationals, but hey I don't see Geovany Soto hitting.

Who's Not

Carlos Marmol - The Cubs got a nice seven-run lead, before Marmol walked the bases loaded. I still say the Cubs might want to look for some relievers in the offseason.

Aaron Miles  -  I know he laid down a sac bunt in the 7th, but he still sucks and he didn't get a hit.

Conclusions

The Cubs finally won last night, but didn't gain ground since Roy Oswalt decided to give up three runs in an inning. A win today would be nice, because winning is better to deal with.