After some very clear indications that the Chicago Cubs were not really listening to offers on Carlos Zambrano, Si’s Jon Heyman threw a wrench into things with this tweet:
before getting javy, #yanks definitely talked to #cubs about zambrano, who appears eminently available.
Hmm.
That’s not just a little available. That’s eminently available. As in, the Chicago Cubs would very much like to trade Zambrano. There has been some back and forth in the comments about whether this is true, and if so, whether it is wise, but I still find this hard to believe. If Zambrano were “eminently” available, he’d be a Yankee.
Sure, Carlos Zambrano is probably available in the same way that any very large contract, probably overpaid player, is available. If some team wants to blow the Cubs away and take all of Zambrano’s contract, sure, the Cubs will listen – as they should. But are the Cubs actively shopping Zambrano? That simply doesn’t make sense. With a rotation that already features a dearth of certainty, moving Zambrano would leave the Cubs to open the season with Ryan Dempster and Randy Wells – each of whom is far from certain, in their own right – and then three question marks.
That all said, if the Cubs can manage to land a young, cheap, but established starting pitcher in a Zambrano deal, it should be considered. But what team out there has the kind of money necessary to take on Zambrano’s girthy contract, and simultaneously has solid, ML-quality, young starting pitchers to throw around?