It was known that the Marlins were trying to add another pitcher, and they made that a reality tonight. Earlier this week it was thought that the Marlins would do this either by signing for Saunders or by going after Garza. In reality, they acquired Zambrano in a trade.
If the trade goes through, still depending on Carlos waiving his no trade clause, the Cubs will get Chris Volstad and will also pay 15 million of his owed 18 million.
In terms of long term development, the Marlins getting Zambrano instead of Matt Garza is much better for every other team in the division, as the last thing the Mets, Phillies, Nationals, and Braves want is the Marlins to get a developing pitcher. I do wonder if the Marlins didn’t have the pieces to acquire Garza. The Marlins used to have a lot of talent in the minors, but the high tier prospects have now become their untradeable young core, and there have been some whispers that the Marlins farm system isn’t too appealing to opposing GM”s.
Volstad was a pitcher who struggled and Zambrano is a pitcher who is struggling, who could go through a revival under manager Ozzie Guillien. Zambrano makes the Marlins rotation stronger since he is the 5th pitcher in that rotation, and who would complain about that? It’s worth a shot and the Marlins will need some surprises to upset the Phillies.
For the Mets, on the short term side, it is harder to have hope for this team. We still have one of the more surprising offenses in the division but now our rotation is even weaker in comparison to the other teams. That paired with our generally weak pen at the moment could make for a long season in a division that is now talent heavy.
