Latest rumor: Cubs interested in Zito?
Submitted by nextseason on Tue, 2006-01-10 16:13.
FoxSports cited a Daily Southtown article that mentions that the Cubs are interested in trading for Barry Zito :
http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/...
From what I recall from December, the A's would entertain the idea of trading Zito for a top prospect and a Major League ready starting pitcher. Jerome Williams or Glendon Rusch could fulfill the latter requirement. I wonder what prospects the Cubs would consider trading? Thoughts?
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Re: Zito
Interesting. The Trib had a mention of this a week ago. It said the Cubs and A's haven't spoken since early Dec. on Zito, and the A's would need to be blown away to consider making the trade. Also, Zito is a free agent at the end of this season, which would give the trade another stumbling block. Still, I'd like him as a No. 3 pitcher. If Prior is part of the deal, forget it.
Zito
If the Cubs were to find a way to acquire Zito they would immediately be the concensus favorite in the NLCS. I think it will take more than Williams and a Hill or Guzman or Marshall or Marmol but also an Aardsma or Wellemeyer.
Yet in reality Zito would do two things, allow Wood to more fully be ready and insure that the Cubs would have three pitchers going deep through each rotation cycle.
This then pushes Maddux down where the bullpen will be strong to take on 5-6 inning starts and when Wood returns it will allow Rusch to move to the swing role (probably manned by the left over of Hill or Guzman).
The cost is that the Cubs would not have a marginal young arm around (Williams) and a prospect in Hill or Guzman to take over for Zito and Maddux in '07. Yet I believe that Guzman (or Hill) will be groomed and the Cubs will find another or find a way to sign Zito after a WS trip.