Zambrano signs deal with Cubs

[jjfanec]

SI is reporting the Cubs signed Zambrano to a five year, $91.5 million deal.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/baseball/mlb/08/17/zambrano.cubs/index.html

 

 

(added tags --1992)

[RightFieldCoder]

crud, crud, crud, crud, crud. I was really hoping he'd leave the division. As entertaining as it is to watch him blow up when losing, it's always scary he'll dominate the game. Hopefully he turns Wood/Prior on them.

[Ennder]

Good news, I for one don't think he's going to age well so that contract will haunt the Cubs in a few years. Unfortunately Suppan's deal will be haunting us at the same time.

[jjfanec]

looks like there is now a 6th year option at $19.25 million

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/baseball/mlb/08/17/zambrano.cubs/index.html

 

Says he got $10 million more than he would have at the beginning of the season. I really dont know what to think of this deal. Seems like a ton of money for someone who is an up and down pitcher. I guess it depends on how he ages.

If he gets this much, how much will Johan Santana command?

[Team Canada]

If he gets this much, how much will Johan Santana command?

 

A bajillion dollars, roughly speaking. Seriously, if Zito's "worth" $126M, Santan's worth $200.

 

[JJHardy7]

What about Sheets now? Does this change the landscape a bit? Based on the 5 year deal Z is going to average $18.3 million. I would think Sheets would get less than that per year based on his injuries? I may be wrong, but I think this might help the Brewers. Depends on what others think about the injuries he's had I guess.

[homer]

I would think Sheets would get roughly the same $$ as Zambrano. Just a guess.

[bklynbrewcrew]

I would like to sign Sheets to a 5 yr 70 mil deal if possible. I think that would be fair for both sides.

[jjfanec]

I think sheets would command at least 15 million a yr. So i would say it would be 5 year 75-80 mil. Which would be terrible unless it meant we couldnt lock up some of the other talent on the team.

[GAME05]

it's hard to think of Zambrano being able to handle the huge amount of innings he takes on every single year. unless he's a total freak of nature, you'd have to think he's going to break down soon enough.

 

Boston and New York fight it out and someone pays Santana 5/$150 million.

 

i'd be overjoyed if Sheets would resign for $14-$15 per year, but i have my doubts. it's not arm trouble, so his injury history can be ignored easily enough. and since someone actually gave Zito $17 million a year, it's hard to imagine how much a team would bid for a pitcher who's actually good.

[JohnBriggs12]

Zambrano is 3 years younger than Sheets. That is pretty significant. Like it or not, he has outperformed Ben too, and fair or not, has been much more durable. Sheets injury history could be ignored, but why? It is what it is and that's not real good. What about the dizziness episodes. Those could recur at any time.

 

Yes Zito got $17 million but his performance so far to date will discourage teams, not encourage teams to spend on that level.

 

Look if Ben is determined to test the market, he will and if certain teams get involved, he could price himself out of Milwaukee. But if the Brewers offer him $65-70 million over 5 (my gut tells me they'd offer more like $56 million over 4), maybe he'll take it. Who knows.

[Crewin06]

No offense to Sheets but Zambrano will be 26 when he starts his contract and has pitched 210+ innings each season over the past 5 seasons.

 

Sheets will be 30 when he starts his next contract and hasn't had 160 innings pitched in any of his previous 3 seasons.

 

In terms of contract stature there is no comparison. Zambrano is worth more. If Sheets costs more than 10-12 million a year the Brewers should look at other options.

[Brian the Automator]

Since the Cubs basically can print their own money, I don't see how this is anything but a good deal for them.

[Fatter than Joey]

Sheets injury history could be ignored, but why? It is what it is and that's not real good.

 

I agree -- Like anything, Sheets salary will be determined by the market and what he has done -- and those injuries have impacted his ability to rack up stats.

[Invader3K]

I agree that Zambrano is more valuable than Sheets at this point. That seems like a lot of money, but it's the Cubs. If Zambrano falls off the map, they'll just eat that cash and get someone else.

[1992casey]

The bad news is that the Cubs signed a good pitcher. The good news (as others have mentioned) is that there's a comparable for a potential Sheets signing. It certainly makes sense that Ben's next contract--if signed in the foreseeable future, of course--would fall in somewhere under Zambrano's.

[JJHardy7]

Sheets isn't a free agent until the end of '08. I'd like to trade him this off-season so we get something back for him and don't stick money into an injury prone pitcher (I know it's not arm issues, but he's just not dependable in my opinion), but now that our starting pitching is nowhere I think we might be stuck with forking over the dough for Sheets.

[lumberrule]

I don't know how you can commit $15 million a year to a guy with an injury history like Sheets. Freak injuries or not, the guy hasn't pitched a full season since 2004.

[Invader3K]

I don't know how you can commit $15 million a year to a guy with an injury history like Sheets. Freak injuries or not, the guy hasn't pitched a full season since 2004.

Exactly...that's why I don't get why some on this board are so eager to offer him an extension right now. The same people will probably be lambasting him if he were to go down again in 2009..."We paid $70 million for this???"

 

[rluzinski]

A manager would be a fool to simply ignore Sheets' injury history. A good GM would weigh each injury and the likelihood of any reoccurring. the vestibular neuritis might be the one that might give a GM concern. The larger concern is that any free agent starting pitcher signing a long term contract is likely to miss significant playing time down the road (Zambrano being so young is a bit of an exception). It's a huge risk for a franchise. Of course, right now, 125 IP of Sheets is easily worth $10 mil a year, so it just depends on what he'd sign for. Some team will probably sign him to a contract that assumes 200 IP for 5 consecutive year, though.

[Ennder]

I don't know how you can commit $15 million a year to a guy with an injury history like Sheets. Freak injuries or not, the guy hasn't pitched a full season since 2004.

Exactly...that's why I don't get why some on this board are so eager to offer him an extension right now. The same people will probably be lambasting him if he were to go down again in 2009..."We paid $70 million for this???"

 

 

Makes a lot more sense when you count 2005/2006 as one injury which it really was. He could have missed up to a full year with that injury, tried to come back and wasn't ready. That is one injury. The finger thing is just a pretty normal pitching injury that isn't a huge concern.