Read the opposing arguments from Loyal Homer and Bleacher Fan.
My oh my how the mighty have fallen.
Once a proud and emotional leader of the Chicago Cubs, the team’s supposed ace is now relegated to bullpen duty, making Carlos Zambrano the highest paid setup man in the history of baseball.
As a starter, Zambrano’s early season ERA was over eight, and manager Lou Piniella had quite enough. Who can blame him? Not only was Zambrano’s ERA out of control, his signature emotion was gone. In short, Sweet Lou did not believe that Zambrano CARED about his struggles. Of the long list of things that make Sweet Lou’s face twitch, apathy is near the top. While seemingly deserved, the most surprising move in April is Zambrano’s sudden move to the pen.
Zambrano has stunk this season, even after a couple of improved performances out of the pen. His ERA is still a ridiculous 6.85. After giving up ten home runs all of last season in 169.1 innings, Zambrano has already served up four dingers in just 22 innings. Yikes.
Aside from the rough start from the right hander, it is generally hard to blame Lou for the move. Zambrano has always had “the stuff” of an ace, but never the psyche. He is prone to intense emotional outbursts and to extreme pitching efficiency when he is on, using few pitches to set down the side in order. Since the Cubs have blown some leads early in the season, primarily because a young bullpen was unable to hold leads late in the game, the gaping hole in the late innings was obvious. Zambrano has the best pitches and mentality for the bullpen of any other player in the starting rotation.
Zambrano fits because the alternatives are not good. Carlos Silva and Tom Gorzelanny, surprising Cubs starters for the 2010 campaign, are actually pitching well in the rotation right now. Randy Wells is probably the staff’s best pitcher, and Ryan Dempster its most consistent. The odd man out is clear, and Zambrano belongs in the pen.
The problem is that pesky – and enormous – contract. He is due $17.875M in 2010, $18M in 2011, and $19.25M. Obviously this is the salary of an ace, not a setup guy. But, he also has a full no trade clause. The Cubs are stuck with Zambrano, and they must get SOME value out of him. As a result, along with Zambrano’s lip service to “doing whatever is needed to help the ballclub,” the best way to make Zambrano valuable is to use him out of the pen.
The move is not just surprising for its clarity and swiftness, but also for its mismanagement. Of course it’s the right decision; of course something needed to be done quickly. But Zambrano somehow still maintains that this is a temporary move. For this to be effective either as a psychological ploy, or to strengthen a weak bullpen, Zambrano must be convinced of its seriousness. Failure to do so neuters the effectiveness of this move.
Cubs’ fans should hope that the move sticks, regardless of the weird contract situation. Zambrano makes more sense as a bullpen pitcher than a starter, even with a no hitter under his belt. The less time Zambrano has on the mound, the less time he has to get mad at his defense and frustrated with the catcher recommended pitches. It is good for his blood pressure – and for the fans’ blood pressure.
Winning has a way of making surprising moves look brilliant. Losing makes them look knee-jerk and desperate. I am curious to find out which type of move this is. My Sports Geek hunch tells me it’s brilliant.
Posted by Sports Geek 
