Chicago Cubs: Mike Maddux Will Revitalize Carlos Zambrano's Career

When the Chicago Cubs make their final decision for who will take over their managerial position, they will be picking the person who they believe will be able to work with their current roster and whatever shape or form it takes for years to come.

One candidate, Mike Maddux, has the history that could reform the embattled career of starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano and allow the Cubs to save themselves from looking to replace him. President Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer are going to have to make a lot of moves over the years in order to get this team in shape, but this is perhaps one player they won't have to look to move as much as one would believe.

It is no secret as to what kind of skills Zambrano possesses. When he is on the top of his game, he is the best pitcher in the Cubs' rotation and potentially one of the most dangerous pitchers in the National League. His career stands at 125-81 with a 3.60 ERA and 1,542 strikeouts in 11 seasons.

Unfortunately, many factors have disrupted Zambrano and his talent. This is mostly due to his short fuse which has resulted in teammate fights, locker room walkouts and dismantling a Gatorade machine.

While 2011 was a down year, one which found Zambrano suspended from the team, he actually had a relatively good 2010 once he returned after a brief medical leave for the month of July. That year, Zambrano had a record of 11-6 with a 3.33 ERA. Eight of those wins came from his last ten starts of the season. Pretty impressive. During that stretch, Zambrano pitched incredibly well, and many expected it finally to be his return to form.

Not going to lie, 2011 started out OK. It was once again when Zambrano imploded and caused problems that Cub fans and the organization had enough. Zambrano's behaviors, most notably walking out and claiming his retirement in early August, were not only an embarrassment to himself but to the entire Cubs' organization, which is why it was a must to suspend him for the rest of the 2011 season.

While the Cubs have tried to find a way to move Zambrano, there have been no takers due to his temper and his salary. He also possesses a no-trade clause, so that makes it even more difficult to trade him. Instead of the Cubs looking to trade him, they may end up keeping him if they sign the right guy for the challenge in Maddux.

They may be best to suit up for this challenge because Zambrano is likely going nowhere. The Kansas City Royals have shown interest in the big right handed pitcher, but with Zambrano's no-trade clause and the fact that the Royals want the Cubs to eat up a lot of the remaining money, they be best to keep him and see how they can fix the situation.

There is no doubt that keeping Zambrano would be a huge risk to this teams' potential new image, but before Zambrano unleashed his temper on the North Side, he was one of the more favored players within the organization. Perhaps he can return to that form with the guidance of Maddux.

Maddux has never had to deal with anything close to a train wreck as Zambrano, but if there is one guy who could fix the situation, it is him. Maddux is known to be one of the best pitching coaches in the league, as he built an impressive rotation in Milwaukee and once again in Texas where the Rangers went to the World Series back-to-back.

Due to Maddux, players like C.J. Wilson and Yovani Gallardo have become dominant pitchers in their respective leagues. He has also done great things with the rest of those pitching squads, so there is no doubt he has the credit to prove that he could fix the Cubs rotation and perfect the Cubs' existing line up. Zambrano may be the biggest challenge outside of Alfonso Soriano, but it definitely is a fixable situation.

If Maddux were to take over the Cubs' manager position, he might want to keep Zambrano around. When Maddux was with the division rival Brewers, he thought of Zambrano as "the best thing since sliced bread." That is quite a compliment for a pitcher most recently known as the worst thing in Chicago since Steve Bartman. It is that faith in Zambrano that he needs to jump start his career back into the right direction, and Maddux is the guy who can do it.

If Zambrano can return to form, and he is paired with pitchers Matt Garza and Ryan Dempster, the Cubs can have a dangerous rotation in 2012. There is no doubt that Maddux will be most important in improving the pitching, and he will improve the other pitchers as well.

If the Cubs do decide Maddux is their guy, they will get a manager who will be able to fix the Cubs' image for the future.

Jeff Chase is from Chicago and is an undergrad at Arizona State University. He currently is interning with B/R and is in process of becoming a Featured Columnist for Arizona State football.

More Cubs Articles by Jeff Chase:

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Managers Should Want the North Side Over Beantown

Epstein and Francona are Talking, Could it Happen?

Could the Maddux Brothers Work in Chi-Town?

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