Carlos Zambrano: With Trade Official, Marlins Are Powderkeg Ready to Explode

Carlos Zambrano has officially been traded from the Chicago Cubs to the Miami Marlins, according to USA Today. The news was first reported on Wednesday and the two teams were able to finalize the deal on Thursday afternoon. The Cubs will also be paying $15.5 million of Zambrano's $18 million salary. 

This is an interesting deal for the Marlins to pull the trigger on as we move closer to the start of the 2012 season.

On the one hand, Zambrano does fill a need that they have in the rotation. They are not paying him that much money, and he is not that far removed from being a productive player. So the financial risk is minimal. 

However, adding Zambrano to a locker room that also includes Ozzie Guillen and Hanley Ramirez has the potential to be a disaster. 

Guillen has never been one to hold back with anything. He is going to speak his mind on any subject, regardless of whether he is asked about it or not. 

Zambrano's temper is what got him in trouble with the Cubs in the first place. He is prone to having meltdowns on the mound, which bleeds over into the dugout and clubhouse. He was involved in a dugout altercation with Derrek Lee, who has a great reputation around the league, two years ago after Big Z's temper flared up.

Ramirez is not as outspoken as Guillen or Zambrano, but he does not have a good reputation around the league. He has a perception as someone who is lazy and does not take his job seriously. 

When you put all of these personalities together in one clubhouse, you have a volatile situation that is likely to explode before the team makes it out of spring training. 

It is possible that Zambrano will be a changed man now that he is out of Chicago, but given past history, would you really bet money on that?

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