Catching And Releasing Z’s

I’ll admit it, last season, I would have wanted Carlos Zambrano traded to the Mets. I thought his energy, however negative, would give the team what it needed while strengthening the rotation. I still think it’s a good move, as long as the calendar still reads 2009.

But as we’ve established, last season is over. And now that Z will probably be available for a bag of peanuts after his latest buffoonery, I actually like the positive energy that the bag of peanuts brings to the room. Now I know that Zambrano would be tempting to bring in because he’d be much, much cheaper than say, Cliff Lee. But imagine how you’d feel if Carlos ran up and down the first base dugout telling the Mets that “if you’re not going to play for me, then I’m not going to play for you.” You would be sitting on your couch thinking “gee, I’d rather see Victor Zambrano run to the dugout holding his arm than this maniac.”

And too bad he’s a complete maniac, because the Mets could have used him last season. This season? Having broken free of similar dark clouds on their own roster, It would be an unnecessary risk to bring in Zambrano, his temper, and his unfortunate last name. I’ll choose to ignore the small sticker price and move to the next model. And Omar, you should too.

But I wonder if they’d take Oliver Perez …