Carlos Zambrano.

There are very few names that will launch most any baseball writer into a tirade quicker than that one. Zambrano is the type of player that is seldom loved in our end of the spectrum that is baseball but when he is, that writers will quickly come to his defense. More often than not, writers are quick to point out all of the wonderful flaws that surround the pitcher known simply as “Z”.

As a writer myself and a lover of baseball, I dislike the term “off-season”. There truly is no off-season in baseball, it simply becomes a time of year when Major League Baseball is not operating games with the thirty clubs that we all follow so closely. It is this time of year, the administrative time of year, that games shift to winter ball and our focus turns to our team’s adjustments being made for the following season.

Today we have learned, thanks to an interview with Mark Carman at 610 Sports, that Dayton Moore has identified a possible fit in Kansas City for the game’s most interesting character, Carlos Zambrano. From that interview:

We would have to be interested. We would have to explore it because that’s what you should do. You should explore every opportunity. Carlos Zambrano is a heckuva competitor. Carlos Zambrano has had a lot of success in the major leagues. Carlos Zambrano is actually a very pleasant, easy going, classy person off the field. Sometimes, as with all of us the competitiveness takes over and brings out qualities in us that we are not proud of. Obviously the Cubs grew tired of some of his outbursts but I believe in our coaching staff and we’ll always take a chance and a risk on certain players. We’ll see how that particular situation unfolds.

Let me try to break the mold of the two types of writers I just described and let’s take a look at the two sides of Carlos Zambrano. First, we will drop by our friends at Baseball-Reference for some pure statistical analysis:

If you took a look at that chart and did not know who it belonged to, you would be in full support of Dayton Moore pursuing this opportunity. He is a top of the rotation type starter that can dominate when he is on his game.

The true test, however, is Zambrano off the field. Face it, the Royals are a very young franchise right now. Guys like Jeff Francoeur not only add production, but leadership to the clubhouse. Frenchy is the type of guy you want around the young players, showing them the ropes and teaching them life outside of, and around, the game.

Like him or not, Zambrano has had some meltdowns. He walked out on his team last season. He gets visibly upset on the field and has been known to fight with his teammates, even in the dugout during a game.

The player that takes the mound would be a game changer for the Royals.

The player that has had so many public problems would be a distraction to a young team.

Those two points are hard to put on a scale and weigh out. Dayton Moore has that choice before him right now. Is the risk of the possible chemistry problem worth the reward of what the player can provide on the field?

What works in the Royals favor is the situation in Chicago itself. The Cubs are going to cut bait with Zambrano, so if they can find a trade partner to send them a bag of balls and pick up $1 million of the horrible contract he is under, they will take it. It puts Moore in a good position to move a low level prospect and barely pick up any salary in order to acquire a potential front of the line starter. Again, the Royals General Manager had this to say:

He has a no-trade clause for 29 other teams so he is going to have to be comfortable wherever he goes and there is a lot of money attached to his deal. There is a vesting option that is a part of that worth $18 or 19 million going forward. We certainly wouldn’t want to put ourselves in a position where we have to honor a contract of that nature.

I don’t envy GMDM on this one. It is not as clear cut as you would like it to be.

The quotes utilized in this article were provided by MLBTradeRumors.com and have been credited to CSNChicago.com’s Dave Kaplan.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball as well as the Assignment Editor for BaseballDigest.com.
He is the host of I-70 Radio, hosted every week on BlogTalkRadio.com.
Follow him on Twitter here.

There are two teams… the Royals and Cardinals.

Barely separated by a stretch of interstate 70.

Roughly two hundred and fifty miles apart, one team falls to the American League, the other to the National. Contrast is a better descriptor than comparison, but simply by relative location, a rivalry is created.

The Cardinals, or the Saint Louis Brown Stockings, were formed in 1882. One of America’s initial baseball franchises, history is the enamel of this ball club- a story to tell in every corner, every decade, and in every one of their ten championships. Despite the casual ups and downs, the organization through its lifetime, still remains above water (A total franchise record of 10130-9437).

The Royals, established in 1969, became a more modern version of Midwest baseball. The Athletics came beforehand, but the Royals created a name for themselves quickly. As time stumbles off the clock and season upon season concludes, the Royals, for the most part, have declined (A total franchise record (3230-3477).

Between the two teams it is the Cardinals who claim the series lead at 34 to 26. In respect to the Royals, this is a series they typically perform better in than others, which places more importance on the rivalry. We all remember 1985.

There are more appealing rivalries in sports, let alone baseball. This is just one that most baseball fans in the Midwest learn to appreciate. There has been animosity and a deep competitiveness that is bred into this match up. Although most of us would like to see more of it, the hard fact that it only comes once or twice a year raises the level of anticipation. For the Royals and Cardinals both, it is a series they mark on their calendars long before the start of each season. Historically, it is a revenue generating series for both teams. Any vacant seats can honestly be blamed on the lack of success in Kansas City.

If in some aspect, we found both of these teams leading their divisions by the point in time they face-off, it could easily garner national attention and spark further interest year by year. But there is always something that keeps the excitement close to home. For three to six games each season, the Cubs become a second hand rivalry to the Cardinals. The Royals become the enemy.

Even though the Royals are easy kids to pick on, they still grabbed the ring in 1985 from the Cardinals. If you are a Cardinal, you are informed about that series. Never to be forgotten, it was the day the Royals were Missouri (and the worlds) best team.

The Cardinals don’t take that matter lightly.

When Kansas City and Saint Louis extend the rivalry on Friday, much of the story will be the same. A steady, trust worthy veteran in Chris Carpenter will take the mound and he will face the former National League fill in, Jeff Francis.

It is more certain that Saint Louis has the advantage in this game. They have been playing better overall and they are bumping into the Royals at precisely the right time. Sure the crowds will be a little heavier than average games, but the Royals are currently lost in the cobwebs. Their identity has screeched off road into uncharted territory and they are looking to get back into the rhythm. Until then, I expect the Cardinals to go about business with the same game plan they have all season long. At the start of the season, Carpenter was the one pitcher you would undoubtedly put your money on. A proven track record of consistent success, he was the obvious substance of reliability. Shockingly enough, Carp has been overshadowed by all-star performances from other stems in the rotation courtesy of Garcia, Lohse, and McClellan. As a group, the 2011 Cardinals pitching staff is easily the best in baseball.

This is the last thing the Royals need, but are the Cardinals going to argue? NO.

The more the Royals decline, the staler this rivalry becomes. The Cardinals give their fair share of contribution to making this series exciting, but Kansas City needs to find anyway to win- anyway to get the stadium loud, on their feet, and passionate again. The past few years have seen a drop in attendance totals, especially on the west end at Kauffman. Hopefully with an influx of thrilling youth in KC and the combination of stable pitching and competitiveness in STL, we will soon see a rise in the series once more.

Although the Royals have found that usual losing trend, they still teeter on the pendulum of even baseball. If they can find a way to scrape off an I-70 series win, that could be all they need to jump start the season all over again. Ned Yost is familiar with a lot of players on the Cardinals roster due his time spent in Milwaukee. If he can somehow build a game plan around his past knowledge, and the offense can start scoring runs again, Kansas City can easily make this a weekend worthwhile.

The Cardinals have an ability to bounce back from tough loses a little better that the Royals so I have little concern if they happen to lose. The Royals need to win at least two of three. The Cardinals are trying to keep up with a Reds team that is clicking. There is plenty of reason why each team needs to perform. I think the Cardinals are the better squad this year, but in this series (as in any major rivalry), anything could happen.

I must admit I’m thoroughly surprised. Not at the early struggles in Saint Louis, but more so the early struggles of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Their lack of production and will to succeed has led to a winning start in Kansas City and gave the Royals their short-lived time in the sun. Don’t get too over your heads Royals faithful, this success will not last.

I was in attendance during Saturday’s game at Kauffman Stadium and let me tell you, the Royals are still a poor team. They still have no clue what actual role they play. They don’t know what they are capable of. They must be shocked that they are 3-1. But I understand their early success. They should thank the Angels for their lack of competitiveness. Talk about a ball club that has all the talent in the world to whip the Royals, but simply doesn’t have heart to produce a solidified win. Yes, they have aged in the past couple of years, but they had the advantage over the Royals in each of the first four games. Better pitchers, better hitters, and better coaching- all of that combined with way more experience. It was simply a team that wanted it against a team that didn’t. The Angels are better than the Royals. But the Royals wanted it more and the Angels just wanted to go home. The Angels bullpen is showing signs they might be the weakest in the league. If Chris Getz and a no name back up catcher are single handedly winning ball games against you, something is missing. I think it’s a lack of heart. Was it the fan base that gave the Royals the much-needed boost? No.

On opening day Kauffman Stadium was filled to the brim. The Royals lost. In game two the stadium was half full. The Royals won. On Saturday, one-third full- mark another win in the books. On Sunday, barely anyone, Royals win!

There are bright spots from any win in Major League Baseball. For the Royals, it’s easy to figure. The Royals are getting production from every player they DIDN’T expect to get production from. Getz especially, but with Treanor coming through in clutch situations and solid relief pitching, we can say that the Royals are thus far playing on a more “complete” level than we anticipated.

Kyle Davies looked inconsistent at times, but his first appearance was appealing. He gave up a fair amount of hits, but got himself out of some sticky situations. Aaron Crow is on fire and reminds me of McDougal in 2003, loaded with tons of confidence and firepower. Whether those attributes remain steady is all a matter of time.

I love how Yost is giving Kila Ka’aihue the nod at first base. I think it’s a great move for the ball cub to let Billy Butler solely focus on driving in every run he possibly can. It nice to see the Royals do something that I actually agree with.

The Royals are squeaking their way to victory so far and it’s encouraging to see the underdog finish in the win column three straight games. Two of them in walk off fashion. The Angels shouldn’t be too stunned. I think this series gave them just what the doctor ordered and provided them with the perfect indication that they are facing serious problems. With the Orioles controlling the AL East, the Royals clutching up in the first series, and the Rangers dominating the West, the American League (so far) is looking unpredictable in the fullest degree.

I know we are only one series down, but teams like Baltimore, Kansas City, and Texas who are off to a fast start, all have tremendous futures by rumor. It’s nice to see Boston shell out a monsoon of dollar signs, only to find themselves in a 0-3 hole to start 2011. But unfortunately we aren’t talking about a 16 game NFL schedule here. This is baseball and there are 159 games left to play out. Such a decent start in Kansas City is already ticking away, as most expect the team to run out of breath sooner or later. Boston will be fine, New York will be fine, and those Angels (aside from a horrendous bullpen performance) will most likely be fine too. It’s baseball. Money talks. You spend it and you usually reap some type of long-term reward. You don’t spend it, you usually got what you paid for.

Who wouldn’t love to see the Royals take this small run all the way into October? It’s what any good man would want. Witnessing a battered and beaten franchise, command a league while at the same time being the underdog in nearly every game they play. It’s the American Cinderella fairy tale. I just don’t believe the Royals have all the pieces in the right place to make it happen during the course of an entire season. The Angels have problems. The Royals took advantage of those problems. The Royals have problems of their own and most teams they play won’t be as dreary and dumbfounded as the Angels were. The Royals won’t win many series with the way they played this weekend. Better performance is needed to come out on top.

Best of luck, but I can’t see it.