Is There a Market for Carlos Zambrano?

Carlos Zambrano back in the MLB?

Photo Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Carlos Zambrano’s last day with a MLB team was July 25, 2013 when he was released by the Philadelphia Phillies.

Since then he has been pitching in Venezuela where he is most recognized for being involved in a huge brawl during the winter. One of the major deterrents that is keeping teams from signing Big Z is his history of outbursts on teammates and Gatorade machines. There is no doubt that the brawl he was involved in doesn’t help his case, but he is not in Venezuela to throw punches, he is down there to throw fastballs.

In 42 innings for Venezuela’s Navigantes del Magallanes, Zambrano has a record of 1-2 with an ERA of 4.93. In the playoffs he is 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA. Despite the high ERA Zambrano is very optimistic about his performance and says that all of his pitches are working and looking good. If his stuff is anywhere close to what it was when he was in his prime with the Chicago Cubs, we might see some teams offer some minor league deals.

If we could see Carlos Zambrano get with a club that can at least limit the results of his short temper, he could still be a good signing for a team with holes in their starting rotation. It would be a stretch to say that he will get consideration before we see guys like Bronson Arroyo or Ubaldo Jimenez find teams, but he could be a last resort for spring training.