The Cubs’ trade of Carlos Zambrano on Wednesday left many throughout the fanbase with mixed feelings.
Some were happy to see him go. A guy who put up solid numbers, but could never really put his had on straight had to be shown the door or he would never learn.
Others questioned the move, feeling that Zambrano really deserved that final chance that Theo Epstein had offered up. Especially since the Cubs ate all but just under $3 million of his remaining $18 million on his contract.
Regardless, the deed is done once the physicals are completed and Zambrano will take his talents to South Beach and Chris Volstad will be the newest member of the Chicago Cubs.
Which of course raises the question as to who the next Cub to find his way out of Chicago could be. That’s assuming that there are more players on the current roster that will be traded between now and Opening Day, which is more of a certainty than anything.
The three obvious choices are Alfonso Soriano, Marlon Byrd, and possibly Matt Garza.
Soriano is the most likely candidate to be traded. Apparently a few teams have called on Soriano, and I’d assume they were American League clubs. One club that has been linked to Soriano quite often this offseason has been the Baltimore Orioles.
With Soriano, the situation would be similar to the Zambrano deal. The Cubs likely wouldn’t get a great return for him, and would have to eat a chunk of his salary. Theo is obviously willing to do it, and there’s definitely an AL team out there that will take a shot at Soriano, depending on how much of his salary the Cubs are willing to eat.
His power is still there, but his batting average has been very poor and he posted an on-base percentage of just .289 last season. Always the free swinger, Soriano walked just 27 times in 475 at-bats in 2011, compared to 113 strikeouts.
Staying with the outfielder theme, Marlon Byrd is also a guy that could fetch interest from a few teams, for different reasons. Since he’s arrived, Byrd has been a great presence in the clubhouse and has brought his best effort to the field every day.
His offensive numbers weren’t as strong in 2011, but he’s a steady hitter who gives just a bit of power and is an above average fielder. With his status as a quality veteran player, both on and off the field, several teams are likely to call on Byrd. The team most rapidly linked to him have been the Washington Nationals. After missing out on Coco Crisp, I’d think the Nats would up their efforts a bit to get Byrd, even though they say they are content with Jayson Werth in center field.
The biggest question this offseason continues to be whether or not the Cubs will deal Matt Garza. He’s their biggest commodity and there have been several teams that the Cubs have reportedly talked to. But whether or not the Cubs will seek to deal their best pitcher remains to be seen.
With the trade of Zambrano to the Marlins, that essentially rules out one potential landing spot. The Yankees are all but out on Garza, and it’s very possible the Red Sox could be too. The Blue Jays aren’t willing to deal prospects and the Tigers have said that they aren’t trying to acquire starting pitching, as well as the fact that they are unwilling to deal top prospect Jacob Turner.
All things considered, I still have a hard time seeing the Cubs dealing Garza, as I have all winter. An extension seems more likely/logical. Then again, I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see if any of those clubs might get back in and up their offer for the right hander.
Overall, it would appear that one of Byrd or Soriano might be the next guy to find his way off the North Side. If Garza is going to be dealt, it’s going to be a large scale deal with a ton of pieces. Dealing one of the other two, however, would be a much simpler deal with less involved.
If I had to put money on it, I’d have to imagine Soriano is the next guy out of Chicago. He doesn’t fit in with the new philosophy in the Cubs organization and it should only be a matter of time before an American League club takes him off of their hands.
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They ate 15 of the 18$
Yep, typo on my part. Or wishful thinking. One of the two.