New York Yankees: Are the Bombers and Cubs a Perfect Offseason Match?
August 16, 2011 · Rick Weiner · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
Give me an A!
No. Not “hey”. A.
Give me a J!
No. Not that kind of J.
What’s that spell?
It’s a Maalox Moment!
Never before have two letters—A and J—elicited such a wide variety of emotion from fans of the New York Yankees.
Some become angry. Others become nervous. Many, like myself, become nauseous.
It is no secret that AJ Burnett‘s performance over the past two seasons has been mediocre at best and his relationship with the fans a tenuous one.
Burnett has been involved in some oddities around the Yankees—from his unexplained black eye last season, one that he said was not a result of anything related to baseball to his “boy-band-esque” bleached blond haircut.
Just about 700 miles west of the Bronx, the Chicago Cubs are dealing with their own overpaid headcase.
Carlos Zambrano has had his fair share of odd behavior himself—from his fight with teammate Derrek Lee in the dugout last year to his actions from last week, where he was ejected from the game and summarily cleaned out his locker, took down his nameplate, told the training staff he was retiring and went home.
Today, Zambrano, while speaking publicly for the first time since the incident, reasserted his position that he “wants to be a Cubbie forever.”
I’ve got news for you Carlos—you can’t always get what you want.
There is simply no possible way that the Cubs organization, players and especially manager Mike Quade will welcome him back in the clubhouse after this latest episode.
Could it be that both pitchers could benefit from a change of scenery?
Burnett, 34, has two-years and $33 million remaining on his contract.
Zambrano, 31, is owed $18.5 million next season. He has a $19.25 million vesting option for 2013, but it only kicks in if he finishes 2012 healthy and is in either the top two for the 2011 Cy Young award or top four for the 2012 Cy Young.
Obviously he won’t be receiving any votes for the 2011 Cy Young award, and it’s unlikely that he would garner much in the way of support in 2012.
To make the deal work, the Yankees would probably have to pick up the difference on the contracts, roughly $15 million.
Why, when I have been so steadfastly against bringing NL pitchers to the AL—specifically to the AL East, would I become a proponent of adding a malcontent like Zambrano to the mix?
Sure, Zambrano could continue to act irrationally and become a distraction.
But…isn’t there always a but?
But what if being in a clubhouse with guys like Sabathia, Jeter, A-Rod and the like helps to keep him on the “straight-and-narrow”?
Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild has never hidden his love for Zambrano and the duo has had success working together in the past.
Carlos Zambrano is younger and arguably has more raw talent than AJ Burnett.
If Zambrano falters, he is simply another overpaid pitcher that the Yankees would need to deal with.
But if Zambrano succeeds, he could be the difference maker that the Yankees thought they were getting when they signed Burnett.
Now ask yourself what you would rather deal with—two more years of AJ Burnett, or one year of Carlos Zambrano?
Carlos Zambrano is a risk worth taking.
Read more New York Yankees news on BleacherReport.com
Yankee Tickets
Shop Yankee
