I’m just going to take it on faith that most of you realize Carlos Silva(notes) is not a significant asset, despite the three useful starts against three struggling lineups. (He’s faced the Reds, Astros and Mets, in that order). Silva is certainly not a pitcher whose innings need to be maxed-out.
Furthermore, I’m going to assume that you don’t need to be convinced that Carlos Zambrano(notes) is a durable, productive starter — certainly one of the three best arms in the Cubs’ rotation, despite the occasional, um … episode. Zambrano’s April performance has no doubt disappointed many of you, yet he’s still delivered a pair of nine-strikeout games. He’s only 28 years old, his career ERA is 3.56, his K/9 is 7.74, and his lifetime winning percentage is .602. This is a guy who should get as many innings as he can possibly handle.
Oh, and he’ll earn roughly $17.9 million this year. But for an unspecified period of time, Zambrano will be a member of the Cubs’ bullpen. Here’s manager Lou Piniella via MLB.com:
"We’ll have a Carlos setup guy and a Carlos closer," Piniella said.
So adorable!
Lou continued…
"I talked to Carlos [Zambrano] today and told him we really needed him in the bullpen, and that we felt he could do a nice job for us," Piniella said. "He said he’d do what’s best for the team. I’m very appreciative. He talked about maturing [this year]. This proves it to me."
To me, this decision proves only that the Chicago Cubs are institutionally broken. It’s a baffling, panicky reaction to 15 games worth of data. Zambrano’s reassignment to the ‘pen is reportedly temporary, but Piniella seems to be holding him hostage until general manager Jim Hendry can acquire a proper set-up man:
"We’re trying to stabilize things and win some baseball games," Piniella said. "This will give Jim and the front office more opportunities to do something."
How does Zambrano himself feel about the situation?
"I don’t like to be a reliever," he said. "I don’t want to be a reliever. This team needs somebody to step up and help the bullpen."
I’ve already expressed my disgust; additional complaining clearly won’t fix the Cubs. Lou has never struck me as a dude who spends much time reading fantasy blogs, so this is hardly the best way to appeal to him.
The fantasy spin here is simple: Zambrano is almost valueless in standard mixed leagues, since he won’t be closing or starting. He’s just another high-K reliever. (Brad told you to drop him). If you have a deep bench in a more competitive format, he’s perhaps worth a lowball trade offer, depending on your circumstances. In a league that uses Holds as a category, he’s great. The SP-eligibility is a big plus.
Do whatever must be done, gamer. Before we downshift to the usual Closing Time bullets — and there’s actionable stuff tonight, so don’t miss it — feel free to review what others are saying about Big Z and the Cubs:
Ed Price, Fanhouse: "[Zambrano] makes $17.875 million this year — about nine times the average of the other 29 eight-inning pitchers. That’s more than $14 million more than Rafael Betancourt(notes), the second-highest paid set-up man."
Matthew Pouliot, Hardball Talk: "Zambrano has a history of tensing up in big situations, making him a possible timebomb in a late-inning role. Maybe he’ll be great. Maybe he’ll be the terrific seventh- and eighth-inning guy the Cubs need. But Zambrano was pretty much a lock to be an above average starter this year."
Rob Neyer, SweetSpot: "It’s hard to sit a guy with a 0.69 ERA (Silva), or even a guy with a 1.93 ERA (Gorzelanny). Those numbers will change, though, and probably quite soon. When they get where they’re supposed to, Zambrano will take his rightful place in the rotation. You just have to wonder if his heart will come along for the ride."
Jack Moore, Fangraphs: "The Cubs’ chances at the division were low coming into the season. If Piniella’s rash and irrational decision stays in place, they become virtually nil."
Kurt, Goat Riders of the Apocalypse: "Q: What team had the highest-paid relief pitcher in history? A: GAAAAAAH!"
So see, it’s not just me. If you’re a Cubs fan who’s still trying to process an unimaginable move, I recommend this thread over at North Side Baseball. It’s a glorious, heroic attempt to put a hopeful spin on a hopeless situation.
And now we bullet…
• Chad Qualls(notes) was unusually bad, even by his recent standards. He allowed three hits and three runs to the Cardinals in just one-third of an inning. (And the out he recorded was a sacrifice, so he shouldn’t get full credit). Qualls was pitching for a third straight night, it should be noted, and the first two weren’t complete disasters.
Juan Gutierrez(notes) remains the handcuff here. He lowered his ERA to 6.43 with two clean innings on Tuesday. You shouldn’t be surprised if the D-backs make a move, maybe stashing Qualls on the DL. Arizona’s manager was not in the mood to deliver another vote of confidence following the loss. This via the AP game recap:
“It’s getting pretty ridiculous to be honest, and it’s no fun to lose
these
games,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “It’s hard to find new ways to describe
late
inning failures, where they scratch not one, not two, but multiple runs
on top
of us to take us out of games.”
Colby Rasmus(notes) homered twice for St. Louis, so there’s almost no chance Del Don will trade him to me now.
• Brian Fuentes(notes) came off the disabled list and promptly blew a save, giving up two hits, two walks and two runs to the Tigers. The first batter he faced in his return was Miguel Cabrera(notes), who homered. We already discussed this situation in Closing Thoughts on Tuesday; there’s clearly a good chance that Fernando Rodney(notes) will take over the ninth inning for the Angels. But Mike Scioscia certainly didn’t ease Fuentes back into the mix. Of course Rodney has been pitching pretty much every day, so there wasn’t really a choice. Anyway: Rodney should be owned, everywhere.
• Phil Hughes(notes) carried a no-hitter into the eighth against the A’s, but Eric Chavez(notes) broke it up with a solid grounder up the middle that actually struck the pitcher. Hughes was fantastic (obviously), striking out 10. Video here. He’s still available in 35 percent of Yahoo! leagues. Why that is, I can’t say.
• Cleveland catching prospect Carlos Santana(notes) is considered day-to-day after fouling a pitch off his right knee on Wednesday. He’s hit four homers over his 13 games at Triple-A, posting an OPS of 1.178. Santana will be an impact fantasy add when he finally gets the call. In deeper leagues, he’s been owned for weeks. Hopefully this injury is merely a bruise.
• Jose Guillen(notes) continued his binge for the Royals (2-for-4, HR, 3 RBIs), and Jason Kendall(notes) maintained the one-hit-per-night magic. Shaun Marcum(notes) took another no-decision for the Jays, despite pitching well enough to win (again).
• Placido Polanco(notes) was drilled by a pitch on the left elbow, but X-rays were reportedly negative. Roy Halladay(notes) threw his usual shutout, with an assist to Shane Victorino(notes). (Homer-saving catch. Highlight here).
• Ryan Zimmerman(notes) left the Nats win due to right hamstring soreness, but he said the issue was "more like a cramp than anything." This isn’t his first hamstring issue of the season, but he claims this "doesn’t feel anywhere close to as bad as the other one." So it appears his owners have avoided catastrophe.
• In other Washington news, Stephen Strasburg(notes) was brilliant over five innings in his third start for Double-A Harrisburg. He allowed just one hit and one walk while striking out six. The effort required just 68 pitches. If the Nationals plan to continue this whole development ruse, they’ll need to find tougher minor league competition.
• Jimmy Rollins(notes) will be eligible to come off the disabled list next Wednesday, but that ain’t happenin’: "I’ll need more time than that. A couple years ago I had an ankle injury and I pushed it. Agility and speed are a big part of my game, so we can’t rush this. … I should be back sometime in the first two weeks of May."
• Ronald Belisario(notes) pitched a clean frame in his return from the restricted list. No other pitcher involved in the Dodgers’ 14-6 win over the Harangs can say the same. Those of us who started Hiroki Kuroda(notes) caught a break, because three of the six runs he allowed were unearned.
• Houston’s Bud Norris(notes) delivered another acceptable line against Florida (5 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K), though it wasn’t as useful as last week’s nine-K effort. Matt Lindstrom(notes) did the saving.
• Mark Ellis(notes) missed seven games for Oakland with a left hamstring strain, then returned on Tuesday, then decided he needed to hit the DL. That’s not really the ideal way to handle such situations. "I kind of wasted seven days," Ellis noted. Spring sensation Adam Rosales(notes) handled second base duties for the A’s on Wednesday.
• What were the odds that JD Drew(notes) and Julio Borbon(notes) would have solid fantasy lines on the same day? Not good, I suppose. But Drew hit a grand slam early in Boston’s extra-inning win, and Borbon went 3-for-5 with a pair of steals. All we had to do was light a fire.
• Sean Rodriguez(notes) finally broke out, a week after you dropped him. He went 3-for-5 with two runs scored, four RBIs and a home run in the Rays’ 12-0 battering of Mark Buehrle(notes) and the White Sox. Wade Davis(notes) got the win, allowing just two hits in six innings while striking out six.
—
Photos via AP Images