Just back up the Brinks truck to Carlos's house. Sign Zambrano NOW!!! Give him whatever he wants. Money, cars, girls, I don't care. Sign him today.

i agree give him want he wants NOW and keep him happy.

Z for $17-18 million a year?
or
Lily and Marquis for $17-18 million a year combined?

Which would you rather bank your future on?
This is a no-brainer...sign Z now!

If you are just a couple million apart, then realize you wasted a lot of money signing an old version of Theriot in Mark DeRosa. Can we return him and get our money back?

After watching Maddux leave over ten years ago (which I am still pissed off about) I don't think that I can handle watching Z leave. I understand their hesitation because of what they gave Wood but if this happens............... I don't know what I will do.

Anybody else slightly bothered by the "That's what Carlos Zambrano thinks." quote in the interview?

Great pitcher... young and frankly has a higher value than Zito so paying him that kind of money per year is probably worth it (although 7 years is slightly insane)... but anyone that refers to themselves in the third person has an ego that's WAY too big.

That's what Gary thinks.

Z's ego had definitely skyrocketed the last couple years. However, in my opinion, he's one of the top 5 young pitchers and a clear ace of the Cubs. Give him ace money. We overspent on some reaches this off season now lets not be stupid and not lock up the sure thing*.

*Nothing is a sure thing with injuries etc, but Z is as good of bet as any other pitcher in the league to stay healthy and be amazing.

Z just wants what he has earned but this is also a bluff strategy beacause of the huge gap in the arbitration subject. Zambrano is the face of the Cubs and as long as he wins he can wear his "skyhigh" ego.

Jim,

We're thinking on the same page...feel exactly how you do. Z leaving would bring back painful memories. They shouldn't even be hesitating because of Wood. For crying out loud Baylor and Baker rode him really hard, and on top of that, Riggleman did too in '98 that caused his elbow problem. It's their own damn fault. They should've gone 2-3 years, not longer with him, and performance bonuses. That's what the wave of the future seems to be with contracts anyway...consider Floyd's deal, Frank Thomas last year, Gagne this year. If they're that worried, then pony up more in performance bonuses.

Btw---I'm tired of these selfish players that we seem to get...If those comments are true about Zambrano, I wouldn't mind seeing him traded for a bunch of talent at all. IMO, if you have a guy demanding stuff like that, calling himself Big Z, and all that, it brings back bad memories of Sosa, and we all know how that turned out. For crying out loud, if the guy was a great teammate, he wouldn't say he's gone after the season if he isn't signed now. That's a completely selfish thing to say. He also has back issues and it seems like his weight might become an issue. True, he has Cy Young stuff, but right now, I believe you sign him to a contract for $14 million + performance bonuses--ie. Cy Young, and innings pitched. If he rejects that offer, then you sign him to his amount, and trade him at the deadline.

He stated he's gone if not signed long-term, so you have to trade him or hold onto him and let him walk. I'd choose trade, just like we should've with Sosa when he had excessive demands at the time...we could've ended up with Soriano AND Westbrook then. Man, would we ever have been a different team, huh? Oh well.

Hendry better pony up, or trade him at the deadline. It's risky either way, but when a player has demands like that you have to take it seriously

Aaron yes and no. Yes you have to take him seriously but you also haev to look at it as a buisness deal. In buisness sometimes you need ti light a fire under someone's ass to get what you want. What I took from this is that Zambrano wants to stay a Cub and by doing this he will get his way. I really don't think that he wants to leave I think he just wants to get payed along with the rest of the team has. A-Ram, Lee, Soriano, Lilly all got big #'s the past two seasons. Zambrano won 25% of our wins last year. I would want a big raise if I was the reason for a quarter of my companys sales. I think that Zambrano is a little pissed off by the $11 they said they thought he was worth. Yes that is a TON of money but if it was you and in the same situation you would want to get what you earned. I think that Zambrano would take a 5 year $15 mil a year deal with incentives. All he wants is to get payed like everyone else. Hell Prior is getting $3.?? after his dismal season.

Aaron,
Trade him? Thats crazy. He's a lot younger than Sosa. Whether he's with the CUbs or not he's going to earn a lot of money and win a lot of games somewhere. Back problems. Well, I guess the minor injuries that he's had could be the start of major health problems, but I think its a bit of a stretch to say trade him now while he's got some value before he breaks down. I really think that the problem Z has is that he dosen't have a long term deal yet and the Cubs have dished out more money to Lilly and Marquis per year than what he's making now. I don't think anybody wouldn't wonder whats going on. Who knows what went on in the interview room, and what comments were made by the reporter to get Z fired up. Its not a secret that the guy has a temper and loses it every so often, but I don't think that translates into a "Sosa" attitude. Besides, as long as he's not affecting every body else in the clubhouse with a shitty attitude, and there is no evidence that he has, who cares if he has a little ego. As long as he's winning 15-20 games a year pay the guy his money and let him go.

I still think that JH will sign him long term for 4 years at around 14-15 million a year. Why wouldn't you.

Who cares if his ego seems skyhigh?

He's only going after his own, and in this market of inflated contracts, he's only doing what a billion other players are. Simple business decision: get your money while it is still avaialable.

And frankly, he has the skills to back that confidence up. I would be more pissed if it were some egomaniac like Sammy Sosa who still has a crazy ego, even though he has been on the decline.

Zambrano won't sign at 4yr/14-15 mil..that's too low for what he is demanding. He wants Zito money..give him it, cuz there's a steep drop from him to the next pitcher in line..

Ryan R., while I completely agree with your sentiments, the only reason that JH will not sign him to your proposed deal is because he want 6 or 7 years at $18 million, that is a huge discrepancy from $60 million. And Z knows someone will give him that contract.

I don't see the Cubs giving him 7 years guaranteed. 5 at $75-90. Although they gave Soriano that.

I can't believe this guy! Why can't he just take a good amount of money and play baseball for the love of the game? I say we just give him a four year deal (with an option for a fifth) at 18.5 million/yr. I think thats a safe bet. The biggest misatke was not locking him up a long time ago, well before Zito signed...but everyone knows that...I still can't believe he said that, but hey, pay the man!!

One more day!!!

I thought from day 1 that it was stupid to committ 7 million dollars a year to Marquis. Now it sounds like we could lose Zambrano. Doesn't that 7 million a year seem really important right now? I was really hesitant to get excited about all the money JH was spending because Zambrano was going to be a free agent in 2008.... I hope I'm overreacting, but I have a bad feeling about the Zambrano situation.

This whole thing totally freaks me out. However, I think we all have to put a lot of faith in JH at this point assuming he knew this would happen all along and he has saved the necesary resources to sign him. He's not stupid.

I think this is by far JH's biggest test and if he blows it, he is stupid and a lot more than that...

Go Neil...you know where the switch is and everybody at the CCO is fired up with Big Z!
GIVE HIM THE DAMN 18-20 MILLION FOR 7 years and throw in 4-5 ROWS of front row seats for his friend and family @ Wrigley for as long as he is alive.

ZAMBRANO is not a could've been or can he be...He is IT. Prooven, period. Believe that a couple of teams are having Big Z wet dreams allready. [sorry]

His back problems? Unlike other cubs, this guy knows players have to pitch em' out. He is never on the DL so what is the concern?
I say ask Marquis, DeRosa, Aramis and Soriano for some cash back to give Z his down payment LOL!

Austin, baseball is a big business right now and the players are only doing what is logical. Anyone here who had the opportunity to stretch his own self-worth to that point would do it. Z is only doing what he needs to do to take advantage of the market. Its easy for you to say "go out and just play for the love of the game" because you do not have the opportunity to play baseball for a living.

I'm sorry but, Zambrano deserves Zito money(if you think a starting pitcher should get 15-16 million a year). You can't blame him for wanting to get paid now while the market is up. He doesn't want to wait till next year when the market could be not as good and/or he gets hurt.

Is he getting an ego, maybe a little, but you can't blame him for wanting 15 million when we paid 11 for Lilly who is nowhere as good of a pitcher.

Stop trying to get him to give a Hometown discount and pay him.

P.S or this will be the black cloud over this season that we don't need

If Zito is worth $18 Million, then Big Z is worth $20 Mill. BUT SEVEN YEARS????? NO WAY!!! I wouldn't have given Zito more than 5 years and he is nothing like a power pitcher.

I'd give Carlos $80 Mill. for 4 years. But not 7 years. If "Big Z" demands 7 years, I'd trade him now. How 'bout Zambrano and Moore for A-Rod and Phillips...or to anyone for 2-3 top young starting prospects. Or keep him for this year's run and just get the two draft picks when he leaves next year.

8 years for Soriano was bad enough, but position players have a lot less long term risk than starting pitchers, especially POWER pitchers. Especially Cub power pitchers.

Well he's asking for 15+million in arbitration for this year, so I would expect that he would take 15 million for 4-5 years. BY the way, is there any direct quote out there directly for Z or his agent about wanting Zito Money or is it more of the "experts"?

Ryan, I linked the report from the Tribune and the quotes from Zambrano mentions Zito and his contract.

You bring up a good point about the "experts" but I think there is some truth to this one.

I'm thinking 6 years at 90mm with the option years
to follow for additional $$$$. If Z becomes unsignable then he becomes trade bait on July 31,
if the Cubs are out of it. I do expect them to be in it on July 31, so his contract gets revisited after the season is over.

Zambrano is young, proven in the field -- look at his stuffs and stats, an ace for sure. I don' t see why he shouldn't deserve 15M/yr. The problem is exactly his advantage, too: he's relatively younger than others, let's say Barry Zito. Aside from the different nature of their pitching, it's easy to compare the two, because they both stayed at the same team since the beginning of their career for full 6-7 years.

Zito is turning 30, and Big Z ages 26, with only one year of service more than Zambrano in the Majors, Zito had been really consistent for the past 6 years, since 2001:

34-35 games started, more than 213 innings pitched, less than 28 homeruns, an average strikeout-walk ratio (K/BB) of roughly 2.0, and though his lesser performance towards the end of last season got him a higher WHIP of 1.4, his ERA is still to par as the rest of his career average.

Zambrano is a power pitcher and also a who strikes out a lot, while Zito is a flyball pitcher, so Big Z of course leads in homeruns and WHIP, and of course, being from different leagues and type of ballparks, we add in the translation problem. But the younger Z still wavers at K/BB ratio, but with good command on his breaking balls, there's less on the list of not keeping him.

Now, leaving his personal performance aside, what can we expect from the Cubs without Zambrano? Let's say Tribune Company decides to let Zambrano go becasue he's not redeemed as worth that money (15 M/yr), then, we ask ourselves, which starter can replace him next year?

You have the answer for 2008 --- that's if 2007 doesn't bring us the expected Fall Classic to Wrigleyville!!!