'Z' clears up contract issue
Ace clarifies stance, says parties working on five-year pact
MESA, Ariz. -- Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano said Thursday that his televised comments this week were misinterpreted by some in the media and that he has no intention of excluding the Cubs from future negotiations if a contract extension isn't worked out by Opening Day.
In fact, the ace of the team's pitching staff said the Cubs would get the first shot at signing him at the end of the season even if he files for free agency.
Speaking publicly for the first time since a broadcast comment Monday was reported as an ultimatum, Zambrano also spoke optimistically about the possibility of reaching agreement on a five-year extension by the opener.
The sides began discussions this week on general parameters of a possible five-year deal, the team confirmed Thursday. But general manager Jim Hendry said no formal proposals and no specific dollar figures have been exchanged.
Zambrano has referred to Barry Zito's record seven-year, $126 million free-agent deal with the San Francisco Giants this winter as a measuring stick for his value. The Cubs appear to consider him more comparable to the Houston Astros' Roy Oswalt, another final-year arbitration pitcher who signed a five-year, $73 million extension last summer.
''I want to sign for five years and they're offering five years, so we're on the same page with negotiations,'' Zambrano said Thursday.
Whether the average value is closer to Oswalt or Zito, it makes a multiyear extension worth $15 million to $18 million a year, which would put Zambrano among the highest-paid pitchers in the game.
''I think right now that things are looking better,'' Zambrano said after the first spring workout for pitchers and catchers at Fitch Park.
Before Zambrano talked about the negotiations, he spent much of the media session refuting the interpretation of his comment from early in the week.
''I didn't say that if they don't sign me before the end of spring training, I will not sign with the Cubs,'' he said. ''I just said that they have till the beginning of the season. If not, then I don't want to talk about contract [issues] during the season.''
As for his remark that he ''must go'' if a deal isn't struck by the opener, he said he meant he must go to free agency and added the Cubs would have the first shot at signing him at that point.
''I must go because I will go, if they don't sign me, to free agency after the season -- yes or no?'' he said. ''I will become a free agent, and then things are different because I will sign with the Cubs as a free agent.
''They have the first look after the season if I don't sign before the season starts.''
Zambrano, who signed with the Cubs as a 16-year-old free agent from Venezuela in 1997 and broke into the majors in 2001, reiterated comments he has made for months regarding his desire to remain with the only organization he has known.
''This is the team that gave me the opportunity to play baseball since I was 16,'' he said. ''I want to stay here. If they don't want to sign me or if they don't want to spend the money or have enough money to sign me, that's OK with me. But I want to sign with the Cubs. I just don't want to talk about contracts during the season.''
Manager Lou Piniella said he doesn't anticipate any distraction issues with Zambrano, but he has a stake in the outcome.
''I want the best talent, and Carlos is part of that equation,'' Piniella said. ''A big part of it. Let's hope that they can work something out.''
The immediate order of business for Zambrano and the Cubs is avoiding an arbitration hearing scheduled for Tuesday in Arizona. The team has focused on getting a one-year agreement in place before continuing multiyear talks.
The sticking point in that negotiation is Zambrano's high asking price of $15.5 million. The club has offered $11.025 million and doesn't consider this a traditional arbitration case in which the midpoint is a reasonable settlement point.
Owners are 4-0 in arbitration hearings this winter after winning four of six last year.
Zambrano said that even if he's forced to go to arbitration and listen to team representatives criticize his performance to make their case, he doesn't anticipate that creating hard feelings or becoming a distraction.
''This is normal, and I'm not the first one to go to arbitration,'' he said, adding that he hopes he can avoid it. ''But I don't have a problem going to arbitration.''