FullCountPitch - Is There A Market For Carlos Zambrano?

The season is barely over a month old, but it’s never too early to speculate on who will be moved during the 2011 trade deadline.

The first name that comes to mind is the hot-headed, hard throwing, anger management candidate (did I mention hot-headed?), Carlos Zambrano of the Chicago Cubs. Before I go any further, let me point out the obvious sticking point with Zambrano – and I don’t mean the hot-headed thing – his contract. The Big Z makes $17.875MM this season and $18MM in 2012 (there’s also a vesting option for 2013 worth $19.25MM).

First off, what in God’s name were the Cubs thinking in giving Zambrano the contract? But now back to basics. The Big Z is publicly trying to rehabilitate his image, at least on the mound. After he averaged better than 200 innings, made three All-Star appearances, and finished in the top five in the NL Cy Young voting three times during the period from 2003-2008, things went south for Zambrano. (Not that there weren’t issues during that time- the dugout scuffle with Michael Barrett comes to mind.)

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