Anyone else think that Carlos Zambrano might be worth a flyer? I read that the Cubs will take most his contract just to offload him. I know he's a headcase, but the guy has a lot of talent and will cost a ton less than some of these other options.

In that same vein, why is no one discussing Liriano?

Yes, he would be worth a flier if it didn't cost any top prospects.

I think the reason that you don't hear much about either of those two is that those "take-a-flier" type guys do not fit real well on a legitimate pennant contender. As a pennant contender, you make genuine improvements where you can (Cliff Lee, Carlos Beltran, solid bullpen arm, etc.) or you simply stick with what you have and/or fill in minor holes (bat off the bench, etc.).

Why bother with mental patients and injury-prone guys who are no longer or never were true difference makers?

I am not even sure Zambrano or Liriano could crack the Rangers 4-man rotation for a playoff run. I know I would definitely go with CJ, Lewis, Ogando and Harrison over Z - Liriano might replace Harrison, but so what? A 4th starter in the playoffs will not be the difference in the series.

Taking fliers on guys is what crappy GM's who put together crappy over-priced non-contending teams do. For example - the Chicago White Sox (Peavy, Rios).

Wow, I guess we just see these pitchers differently. Their stuff is better than any pitcher on the Rangers staff. Liriano is volatile, but did throw a NO NO once this year, and almost did it to the Rangers as well.

Zambrano is a headcase, but he's got the stuff of Ubaldo at 1/5th the cost. Fundamentally, we just see these pitchers very differently.

"Zambrano has the stuff of Ubaldo"? You're joking, right?

Fastball:
Zambrano: 90.0mph - Ubaldo: 93.4

K/9IP:
Zambrano: 6.05 - Ubaldo: 8.56

K:BB
Zambrano: 1.78 - Ubaldo: 2.47

GB:FB
Zambrano: 1.14 - Ubaldo: 1.45

OBA
Zambrano: .263 - Ubaldo: .247

ERA-
Zambrano: 115 - Ubaldo: 102

FIP
Zambrano: 102 - Ubaldo: 84

WAR
Zambrano: 1.6 - Ubaldo: 2.5

I guess we do see these pitchers very differently (FanGraphs):

Zambrano 2011: 4.23 xFIP & 1.6 WAR
Liriano 2011: 4.35 xFIP & 0.9 WAR

CJ 2011: 3.38 xFIP & 3.8 WAR
Lewis 2011: 4.06 xFIP & 0.8 WAR
Ogando 2011: 3.75 xFIP & 2.6 WAR
Harrison 2011: 3.88 xFIP & 1.9 WAR

Jimenez 2011: 3.49 xFIP & 2.5 WAR

I guess I fail to see how either Liriano or Zambrano would represent much of an improvement over the current crew based strictly on performance, much less after taking into account contracts (Liriano's is ok - but arb eligible - Zambrano's is atrocious), injury history (Liriano) and the safety of the rest of the team (Zambrano could literally go postal at any given time).

I also fail to see why we would want to take the Cubs up on an offer of Z for a bucket of balls and a piece of used equipment to be named later, with the Cubbies subsidizing the majority (80%+) of his salary over the next 2 years. If they want rid of him that badly, is he really a good value?

If the Rangers were getting the 2005 Zambrano and the 2006 Liriano (pre-injury), than I would whole-heartedly agree with you on trading for these guys - or, if the Rangers were more of a fringe contender I might agree with the take-a-flier approach – but they aren’t.

And Liriano's no-hitter was not exactly awe-inspiring as he struck out 2 and walked 6...

As far as the Ubaldo comparison - Zambrano's FB velocity is down a full MPH over the past two seasons to an average of 90.2 MPH this year (according to Pitch FX). While Ubaldo's FB velocity is down this year as well - to an average of 93.9 MPH (according to Pitch FX).

Oh and way to type faster than me Kristen...