Fallout from the Z-Bomb

While Carlos Zambrano has been incommunicado since he detonated on Friday, here is the fallout from his latest episode:

First off, there is still some uncertainty as to how long Zambrano's suspension will last, but the Cubs expect a ruling from the league soon with one major league executive speculating that Zambrano could be back this week.

However, before he returns, both Jim Hendry and Lou Piniella expect him to apologize to his teammates.

In the wake of this latest Zambrano episode, Gordon Wittenmyer suggested what everyone is thinking, that Zambrano needs to be traded, while Rick Morrissey went so far as to suggest that the Cubs should just release Zambrano and eat the $45 million remaining on his contract.  However, it would be difficult to find a trade partner for Zambrano, due to his volatility, hefty contract and no trade clause and I don't think that Hendry will just release Zambrano.  MLBtraderumors.com runs through a list of bad contracts on other teams that could be offered up for Zambrano, however they all seem unlikely.

The Cubs aren't quite ready to pull the plug on Zambrano and plan to put him on the restricted list on Tuesday so he can get treatment.  He will not return until after the All-Star break.  When he does return, he will likely be headed back to the bullpen.

Zambrano does his best Milton Bradley impression

Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse for the Cubs, Carlos Zambrano went mental today--blowing up after giving up 4 runs in the first--and was sent home by Lou Piniella.  It was later announced that Zambrano has been suspended indefinitley.

After shipping off one clubhouse cancer during the offseason, the Cubs have found a worthy replacement in Zambrano.  This is nothing new for Zambrano, but his act is growing old and its obvious that management will no longer tolerate it.

Phil Rogers of the Tribune suggests that the Cubs should make Zambrano go away, hopefully permanently.  However, with over 2 years and roughly $44 million remaining on his contract, he will be even harder to move than Milton Bradley.  I would say the Cubs would have to eat around $35-40 million and take a bad contract in return, but it just might be worth it.

One thing is for sure, at least the Cubs have solved their rotation dilemma, as Tom Gorzelanny will be returning to the rotation at least for the foreseeable future.

Catching up on Cubs top prospects

With the Cubs continuing to flounder, I thought it would be a good time to check in on how the Cubs top 10 prospects (as rated by Baseball America) are doing.

1. Starlin Castro - Castro made a big splash in his debut, with a record-breaking 6 rbi's in his first game.  However, he has tailed off considerably since then and is hitting only .180/.268/.230 in June.  Before everyone starts to panic though, remember that Castro has only had 57 games above A ball in the minors and some growing pains are to be expected.  Still, he is a keeper and should be a key piece of the Cubs infield for years to come.


2. Brett Jackson - Jackson is thriving at high A Daytona, hitting .305/.407/.498 so far with 6 HR's and 12 SB's.  The Cubs center fielder of the future could earn a mid-season promotion to AA and could be in the majors by the end of next year.


3. Josh Vitters - Vitters played 28 games at high A Daytona before earning a promotion to AA Tenessee.  He hit .291/.350/.445 at A+, but has struggled at AA with a .226/.284/.315 line.  He's still probably a couple years away.


4. Andrew Cashner - After dominating in 9 starts between AA and AAA (2.13 ERA and 56 K's in 55 IP), Cashner was quickly converted to a reliever and called up to try to shore up the Cubs bullpen.  So far he's done well in relief, posting an 0.87 ERA in 8 appearances.  However, he belongs in the rotation and if the Cubs do decide to throw in the towel this year, they should send Cashner back down to AAA to work as a starter.


5. Jay Jackson - Jackson started the year at AAA Iowa and has done a decent job as a starter (4.29 ERA).  He was converted to a reliever briefly (7 games 1.17 ERA in 15.1 IP), before the Cubs decided to use Cashner as a reliever instead.  He could still be a factor for the Cubs this year.


6. Hak-Ju Lee - Lee started off slowly (.250 in April and .255 in May) before turning things up a notch in June (.323).  Overall he has hit .271 with 17 SB's at low A Peoria.  He will probably play the whole year at Peoria an be promoted to high A in 2011.


7. Logan Watkins - Lee's double play partner at Peoria, Watkins is only hitting .263/.340/.333 so far this year.  In 159 career games (587 AB's), he has yet to record a HR, but he does have 27 SB's to show for it.


8. Chris Carpenter - Carpenter is 5-2 with a 3.26 ERA at AA Tenessee.  He could move up to AAA in the next month or so.


9. Ryan Flaherty - Flaherty skipped a level and started at AA Tenessee to begin the season.  However, a paltry .183/.286/.254 earned him a demotion to low A, where he has performed much better (.325/.385/.878)


10. D.J. LeMahieu - LeMahieu has bee solid, but not spectatular at high A Daytona so far (.284/.314/.351).  He has 9 SB's on the year but no HR's.  Like Logan Watkins (above), LeMahieu has no power (zero HR's so far in his minor league career (109 games).

The Cubs are a bunch of Lollygagers!

Rick Morrissey of the Sun Times wrote an interesting article today basically saying you cannot blame the Cubs struggles on Lou Piniella, as he has tried everything to turn this team around and nothing has worked.

Really?  Has he tried EVERYTHING?  I don't think so.

As proof, here are my 5 favorite motivational ploys and slump busting tricks from some of the best baseball movies.  Perhaps one of these will work.

1. Lightning Bolt Patches - If its good enough for "The Natural" its good enough for me.


2. Sacrifice a live chicken - hopefully that will take the hex off the Cubs' gloves.


3. There's no crying in baseball - Sure its not exactly a motivational speech, but the words still ring true to this day.


4. Lifesize stripper/owner cardboard standup - Piniella can peel off a section of clothing after every Cubs win.  However, I'm not sure if Tom Ricketts is as good of motivation as Rachel Phelps.


5. Lollygagers - One of my favorite scenes from one of my favorite movies.  Just remember: "This is a simple game.  You throw the ball.  You hit the ball.  You catch the ball.  You got it!"

Honorable mention - although "Bang the Drum Slowly" is one of my favorite movies, I would never wish that on anybody.  Besides, the Cubs had a clubhouse cancer last year and look where that got them.

Are Cubs going to be sellers?

As we get closer and closer to the trade deadline and the Cubs get farther and farther away from .500, it is looking more and more likely that the Cubs could become sellers.

Gordon Wittenmyer of the Sun Times suggests that the Cubs could benefit from shedding some dead weight and even though its hard to imagine the fans supporting a rebuilding project, here are some players who could be traded before the deadline:

Kosuke Fukudome - Ken Rosenthal and John Paul Morosi have reported that the Cubs have put Fukudome on the market.  The Cubs want to give Tyler Colvin more playing time but shedding Fukudome and his hefty contract won't be easy.  The Red Sox, Yankees, Padres and Nationals have been rumored as possible suitors, but the Cubs will likely have to eat a good chunk of his salary to move him.

Xavier Nady - If the Cubs cannot trade Fukudome, they may try to trade Nady instead to clear up some outfield space.  The Angels were rumored to be a possible suitor, but that was quickly dismissed.  However, Nady has hit well as Derrek Lee's backup at first and could possibly supplant Lee if Lee is traded (or continues to scuffle with the bat).

Ted Lilly - Lilly is in the final year of his contract and would be the second best lefthander on the market, behind Seattle's Cliff Lee, if made available.  He has a partial no-trade clause, but would probably be willing to waive it to move to a contender (and get some wins).

Derrek Lee - Lee was the other player that the Angels were reportedly interested in, but that was later denied as well.  Lee has a full no-trade clause and wants to stay with the Cubs.  It is unlikely that he will be moved.

Ryan Theriot - John Paul Morosi suggested that the Cubs should consider moving Theriot.  His reasoning is that the Theriot provides very little upside over a Mike Fontenot/Jeff Baker platoon, there are a handfull of teams out there who could use an upgrade at short and he is relatively cheap (which would increase interest in him).  A pretty good idea by John Paul, as the Cubs have plenty of infield depth in their minor league system and Theriot does not appear to be the long-term answer at second.

So, with the trade deadline looming, the Cubs are going to have to decide if they've got what it takes to make a run or is it time to blow things up and start over.  Personally, I think this team needs an infusion of youth and fast.  If they can find takers for some of their bloated contracts, they should jump at the chance.

It takes a near-no hitter, but Lilly finally wins second game.

After going 8 starts without a win, mainly due to a lack of offensive support, Ted Lilly must have been thinking "geez, do I have to pitch a no-hitter to win a game".  Well, last night he almost did.

Lilly carried a no-hitter into the 9th inning before giving up a leadoff single to former Cub Juan Pierre.  Carlos Marmol was then called upon to close the game and made things interesting, walking Adruw Jones before comitting a balk to move the runners to 2nd and 3rd with no outs.  After Lilly suffered a mild heart attack, Marmol struck out Alexi Ramirez and then intentionally walked Alex Rios to load the bases.  Paul Konerko then hit into a force out at home and Carlos Quentin flied out to end the game (after which, the Cubs revived Lilly).

After being revived, Lilly asked "how much did we lose by"?  When told that the Cubs won and that he was credited wih his first win since April 24th, Lilly had another heart attack.

During the 8 starts in between wins, Lilly posted a 3.64 ERA.  However, the Cubs were only able to score 18 runs (2.25 RGP) during that stretch, in which Lilly lost 5 straight decisions (the longest losing streak of his career).

The Cubs offense, continuing their efforts to make Lilly not want to return to Chicago after this, his contract year, were almost no-hit by Sox starter Gavin Floyd.  Alfonso Soriano broke up Floyd's no-hitter with a double in the 7th and scored on Chad Tracy's single on the very next pitch.

The win put the Cubs at 28-35 on the season, 7.5 games behind the surprising Reds.  With the trade deadline looming, its possible that Lilly may find himself on another team by the end of July.  A change, that he might welcome.

Q&A with White Sox correspondent Howard Bender

With the Crosstown Classic set to begin tomorrow, Howard Bender of Southsideswingers.com was gracious enough to answer some questions on the Sox and give his predictions for the series.  (You can check out my replies to his questions HERE).

1.  With interleague play in its 14th year, do you think that the Crosstown Classic has lost some of its luster over the years?

 

     I definitely think all of the "rivalry" interleague series have lost some of their luster.  It's one thing when you see a team in interleague every four years, but the White Sox playing the Cubs every year now puts it right in line with playing the Mariners or the Orioles.  Yes, the fans have a great time as I'm sure there are plenty of friendly rivalries amongst family members, and what not, but I don't see the series as something that gets our juices flowing as much now as it did 14 years ago when it all first began.

 

2.  Expectations were kinda high for the White Sox this year.  With the Sox sitting at 25-33 and 3rd place in the AL Central, what do you think has been the reason for the Sox's lack of success so far?

 

    There are a number of contributing factors.  The starting pitching has not been there.  Both Gavin Floyd and Jake Peavy have been major disappointments and Mark Buehrle can't seem to rekindle any of the magic we saw in years past leading up to last year's perfect game.  Our bullpen has been shakey at best as no one has really stepped up their game.  And then there's the lack of hitting....Gordon Beckham has been a big disappointment, Carlos Quentin has not found his stroke just yet either, and Andruw Jones seems to have lost what he brought to the table back in April.  Our plate discipline has been suspect and we just can't seem to get all of our hitters on the same page at the same time.

3.  Who has been the biggest dissapointment so far this year?  Who has been the biggest surprise?

 

Diasppointments, like I said are Beckham, Quentin, Peavy, Floyd, and Jenks along with Mark Teahen, A.J. Pierzynski, Matt Thornton and Scott Linebrink.  Biggest surprise is definitely Alex Rios.  Kenny Williams took a big gamble picking up Rios contract last year and he was terrible in his short time with us in 2009.  He has come in this year and suddenly become the Rios that everyone was talking about and expecting back when he first came into the league with Toronto.

 

4.  Do you think the Sox will be buyers or sellers come the trade deadline?

 

Barring some sort of explosive resurgence, I'd say sellers.  I don't see the addition of a player or two fixing our problems given the amount of issues we seem to have. The Sox are going to probably go through several personnel changes from the coaching to the players, from getting value for Paul Konerko before his contract is up to dealing some relief help like J.J. Putz to replenish a depleted farm system.

5.  Predictions for the Series:  How many games will each team win and who will be the "MVP".

 

Well, my fan base would string me up if I gave even just one game to the Cubs, so I'll play it safe and say that the Sox are going to sweep your North Siders and both Rios and Konerko will share the MVP honors with an honorable mention to A.J. Pierzynski.  If he can take a punch from Michael Barrett then he can certainly take on Geovany Soto.

Cubs draft Hayden Simpson 16th overall

The Cubs selected LHP Hayden Simpson out of Southern Arkansas with the 16th overall pick in today's minor league draft.

According the the scouting report by Baseball America, Simpson has a low-to-mid 90's fastball, a slider, curve and changeup, all of which he commands well.

He may have been a bit of a stretch as a first round pick, as Baseball America had him pegged for the 4th or 5th round.  However, a lefthander with good velocity and good control is hard to find.

Carlos Silva keeps on rolling

Who'd a thunk it?

Back when Milton Bradley was traded for Carlos Silva, many people didn't expect much, if anything out of Silva, but were just glad to be rid of Bradley.  Now they're probably thinking that the baseball gods are finally paying them back for trading Brock for Broglio.

Silva continued his hot start to the season, improving to 8-0 on the year in leading the Cubs to a 6-1 victory over the nemesis the Pirates.  Silva went 7 innings allowing only 1 run on 4 hits and a walk while striking out 5.  He lowered his ERA to 2.93 on the year.

Ryan Theriot provided the offensive spark, going 2 for 3 with 2 walks, 2 SB's and 4 runs scored (perhaps a sign that he is finally coming out of his slump).

However, the story today was Silva, who has now proven to me, without a shadow of doubt, that he belongs in the rotation.

Carlos Zambrano's return to the rotation

Carlos Zambrano returned to the rotation yesterday and it was not a triumphant return.  Zambrano wasn't bad, but he wasn't all that great either, giving up 3 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks in 4.1 IP.

It might have been a little better had Tom Gorzelanny (perhaps still a little miffed about being taken out of the rotation) not given up a double to Lance Berkman, upon replacing Zambrano in the 5th, which allowed the inherited runner to score.

Zambrano fell to 1-4 on the season and holds an unimpressive 6.14 ERA.  He will get to face the Brewers next on June 9th.

Cubs looking to trade Derrek Lee?

According to Chicago Tribune sources, the Cubs are talking with the Los Angeles Angels about a Derrek Lee trade.  The Angels recently lost their star firstbaseman, Kendry Morales, to a broken leg.

Not sure who the Cubs would get in return (a setup reliever, perhaps?), but if Lee is traded Xavier Nady would likely take over at first. 

Lee is hitting only .232/.339/.366 on the year and may be falling out of favor with Lou Piniella, who is desperate to get the Cubs offense going.  In his most recent start on Tuesday, Nady went 4 for 4 with a HR and was just a triple short of the cycle.

Lee is in the last year of his contract and it is looking like, one way or another, he will not be back with the Cubs next year.

Cubs should follow Detroit's lead

Yesterday, the Detroit Tigers were surprisingly able to find a taker for Dontrelle Willis and actually got a servicable player in return.

Willis, in case you don't know, is the former Cubs farmhand who exploded on the scene for the Marlins back in the early 2000's (including a 22-10 record with a 2.63 ERA in 2005) before physical and psychological problems derailed his career. 

The fact that the Tigers were able to trade him AND get something of value in return should show you the state of pitching today, when one of the worst pitchers in recent history still has value on the open market.

This should give the Cubs hope that, should Carlos Zambrano pitch well and re-establish some of his value, maybe the Cubs can trade him and shed at least half of his burdensome contract.  If they are able to get some servicable players in return, all the better.

The truth is that Zambrano and his bloated contract are one of the problems with the Cubs this year.  If he was pitching anywhere near the value of his contract, the Cubs would not be sitting in 3rd place, 5 games under .500.  We also wouldn't have had the drama of him shifting back and forth from the bullpen to starting. 

However, whether its from Dusty Baker abuse, lack of conditioning or whatever, Zambrano is a shell of his former self.  The Cubs have to hope that they can dump him on some unsuspecting fool before his skills disappear altogether.