Jim Hendry is a man, and you do not mess with men. Otherwise you may find yourself missing a good chunk of your salary.
The Cubs placed Carlos Zambrano on the disqualified list this afternoon effective immediately. It’s a move that was a long time coming, one that was precipitated by his bizarre actions in Atlanta last night.
Let’s recap, shall we? Zambrano was in the midst of a terrible outing when he threw at Chipper Jones not once but twice, getting ejected in the process. CBSSports.com is reporting that after he made his way into the clubhouse, Alfonso Soriano reportedly berated him.
“After Carlos Zambrano was ejected from Friday’s game, Cubs left fielder Alfonso Soriano went into the team’s clubhouse and “went off” on Zambrano, a source told CBSSports.com.
Zambrano was very quiet and didn’t really say much after being ejected. Then, as soon as Soriano stopped yelling at him in Spanish, Zambrano packed his bag, took the nameplate from his locker and left, the source said.”
Soriano’s not known for being a vocal guy, so it’s safe to assume that if he’s going off, he’s not the only one who is sick of dealing with Zambrano’s antics. We outlined many of them earlier today — everything from beating up a Gatorade machine to calling out his teammates in the media, the kinds of things that an alleged ace pitcher earning $18 million per year shouldn’t be doing.
So what does it mean when a player is put on the disqualified list? Per a release on Cubs.com:
“The disqualified list includes a period of 30 days without pay and no activity with the ball club. During this time, Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association will discuss recent statements attributed to Zambrano regarding his baseball future.”
Basically the Cubs have told Zambrano to go away until September 13, at which point the season will more or less have concluded anyways. The Cubs aren’t in contention so if anything, this disqualification gives them an opportunity to give some of their young pitchers a look as they prepare for yet another rebuilding effort. Getting him out of that clubhouse can only do good things for a team that wasn’t really going anywhere to begin with.
It’s important to note that this release notes nothing about Zambrano retiring. On his way out of the clubhouse last night, Zambrano reportedly cleaned out his locker and told team personnel that he was retiring. Were he to retire, he’d be forfeiting the remainder of this year’s salary as well as all of next year’s $18 million salary as well. Neither Cubs GM Jim Hendry nor Carlos Zambrano’s agent Barry Praver have commented on these reports and Zambrano has reportedly not yet filed retirement paperwork with the league.
When the New York Mets did the same thing to Francisco Rodriguez last season, MLB.com reported it allowed the team to void Rodriguez’s contract for the remainder of the season. Given the amount of money currently owed to Zambrano (Roughly $20 million between this season and next) you’ve gotta think this is a scenario that has the Cubs thrilled. Jim Hendry can get a lot more bang for his buck with the $18 million that losing Zambrano would free up, ridding the clubhouse of unnecessary distractions in the process.
It’s also refreshing to see the Cubs take such an ironclad stand with such a mercurial player like Zambrano. In putting Zambrano on the disqualified list, Hendry is putting his foot down, saying in essence that he’s not willing to deal with these stunts anymore. He and the entire Cubs organization have given Zambrano more than his fair share of second chances. Were he a middle reliever or something other than an $18 million starting pitcher, chances are he would have been jettisoned from the organization a long time ago.
One way or another, it’s become apparent that Carlos Zambrano has worn out his welcome in Chicago, and not a moment too soon.
