Cubs must manage to keep Big Z

No, don't trade Carlos Zambrano.

Rumors circulated this week that the Cubs will explore dealing Big Z during the winter despite the no-trade clause in his contract.

Sorry, but that's the weak way to go.

Zambrano pitched against the Brewers on Tuesday night, and his performance was as erratic as his emotions normally are: 0 runs in the first four innings and 5 runs after two were out in the fifth.

Anyway, talking to those at Wrigley Field who would know, the Cubs appear to have no intention of trading Zambrano.

So, what should they do instead to fix and focus the guy? Manage him, that's what, instead of letting him drift his own way.

Lou Piniella should field manage him. Jim Hendry should generally manage him. Tom Ricketts should executively manage him.

Most of all, the wellness staff - from trainers to doctors to nutritionists to psychologists - should manage Big Z.

That's a lot of focus on one player, but high-maintenance talent is worth salvaging.

Of course, the question is how to manage an athlete as turbulent as Zambrano is.

First, move the location of his clubhouse locker to bring him back into the group.

Big Z currently is in the front left as you walk in with none of the other starting pitchers anywhere near him. Rich Harden is nine lockers away, Ryan Dempster is 15 away and Ted Lilly is way across in the back right corner.

Where Zambrano is, it's easy to be a loner not accountable to anyone but himself.

Put Big Z between Lilly and Dempster and make him look into their eyes the next day when he comes to work after perpetrating goofiness the previous day.

The move will get Zambrano's attention, but the bulldog in Lilly will permeate him and Dempster's stability might influence him. If the move hurts his fragile feelings, the Cubs can worry about it later.

That alone might not be enough, however, so how about a more drastic change that might benefit all the Cubs' starting pitchers as well?

A recent column in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch detailed one of Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan's methods.

When one of the Cards' starters throws a bullpen session between starts, the other starters go down to observe.

"At first I thought it was weird," Joel Pineiro was quoted as saying. "But now I love it. Those side sessions are great because the other guys - detect the slightest thing that you are doing (wrong)."

More important, the policy would force Zambrano to be closer and more interactive with teammates and, hopefully, make him less likely to place individual goofiness over team camaraderie.

At least that's a strategy worth trying with Big Z.

Piniella said before Tuesday night's game that he goes to spring training every year thinking that Zambrano will win 20 games.

Many others also believe the 28-year-old Big Z will one year fulfill their expectations and maybe even do it two or three straight seasons.

After the game Zambrano first said he would "have to move on" if the Cubs don't want him. Then he somewhat angrily ended the discussion with, "That's enough."

Yes, folks, that is enough of the talk about trading him.

mimrem@dailyherald.com