Questions: releasing a player, guaranteed contracts, Pena contract

No need to post a comment correcting yourself

This year’s actions will be protested, and as you note, Z will most likely win.

Perhaps they could keep him on the team and have him be the last reliever. There is some ugliness that they could impose if they wanted to.

I don’t think that Z’s career is necessarily over. If he were to go to another organization and make a full mea culpa, I could see someone giving him a shot to regain his form. I think it comes down to whether Z wants to still be an MLB starting pitcher and how far the Cubs want to go to make a point.

but I strongly suspect he will appeal and some compromise will be reached.

Thanks for your comments. However, with respect to your comments for #4, I respectfully disagree.

I do not think the example trades are not good reference points. While I realize teams have gotten stingier in terms of trading prospects, you also have to realize that Pena is a better player than any of the players who were traded. Also, none of the traded prospects were considered to be all that “important” to the long term health of the ballclub trading them. Sometimes, you just get lucky and catch lightning in a bottle and a prospect that you may have not felt was all that good turns into a star.

For goodness sake, we traded Kosuke Fukudome for prospects! The Pirates traded for Ryan Ludwick. I am certain that the Indians would rather have received Pena and moved Matt LaPorta into left field to accomodate their lack of outfield depth (since Grady Sizemore and Shin-Soo Choo are out with injuries). I am certain that the Pirates would rather have made this type of move as well.

If we did not have Pena under contract next year, and given that the GM even publicly said that the team was pretty much dead this year, then we should have at least received SOMETHING for Pena.

The puzzling part of all this is that Hendry has not done something this senseless before. He was wise enough to trade Ted Lilly, Derrick Lee, and even Greg Maddux when these players were in their last year of their respective contracts and these players arguably meant a lot more to the Cubs for their contributions than Carlos Pena. I simply do not understand the rationale for keeping a player who is in the last year of a contract when you are not a contender, and whom other teams are going to covet.

I guess the question is: what is so special about Carlos Pena? You noted " I’m guessing that Hendry just didn’t feel the return offers were worth it." The issue is the “worth it” part. wouldn’t you want to get something, anything for your organization if you could?

Thanks again for your insight.

I don’t expect a settlement for the remainder of the contract. I can’t think of a single occurrence of something like that. The Cubs owe the money and unless Zambrano retires, the Cubs will be paying it.

But couldn’t we just trade Pena and then sign him next year again?

Austin Kearns was part of the 2010 Indians (who struggled). He was traded to the Yankees for Zach McAllister, a prospect who was not felt to be all that important to the Yankees (similar to how Chris Archer was not felt to be all that important to the Indians when he was traded for Mark DeRosa). Carlos Pena is a good bit better than Austin Kearns, by the way.

Kearns was then re-signed by the Indians this year, and we now have McAllister who has been tearing it up in the minors, and who looks like he will at the very least be a Marquis-like 4-5 starter, a useful piece in the future.

Why wouldn’t Hendry do this with Pena, even if he did want him back next year? As noted above, he did know to trade players in the last years of their contracts in the Ted Lilly, Derrek Lee and Greg Maddux trades. Why would the Pena situation be any different?

You can argue that the contract was too large (though at the time everyone was thrilled to keep Z) but all MLB contracts have “guaranteed pay” so that really is not something the Cubs did wrong.

With all due respect the actions by Z would not rise to the level a commissioner to terminate a contract and they also have arbitration procedures. Z did not kill anyone, bring guns into a clubhouse or club, get caught with drugs etc. I get why everyone is angry and see this as a “last” straw but leaving a game in a huff , cleaning out your locker and saying you are retiring is not going to be a justification for terminating a 22 million dollar contract.