Ex-Cubs Pitcher Carlos Zambrano Eyes Comeback; Hasn't Pitched in MLB Since 2012

Former Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano is eyeing a return to Major League Baseball, seven years after he last played in the big leagues.

According to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times, Zambrano was at Marlins Park on Monday for a game between the Cubs and Miami Marlins. With regard to an MLB return, Zambrano said, "Why not? Bartolo [Colon] pitched until he was 45. I'm 37."

To prove he's serious, Zambrano showed reporters an email from the Chicago Dogs of the independent American Association, welcoming him to play for the team in 2019.

Zambrano, who is planning to make his comeback as a reliever, said he was inspired to return to baseball after he attended a Christian youth conference in Venezuela a few years ago: "I went to that conference, and something happened to me and changed my life. I had an encounter with God. I used to believe in God. And now I'm committed."

The veteran righty, who will turn 38 on June 1, is scheduled to undergo a physical in Chicago on May 2. If all goes well, Zambrano will be a member of the Chicago Dogs.

"Now I want to play," Zambrano said. "Now I want to see what happens."

Zambrano played in the big leagues from 2001 to 2012, spending 11 seasons with the Cubs and one with the Marlins.

He owns a 132-91 record with a 3.66 ERA and 1.33 WHIP. Zambrano is a three-time All-Star who finished fifth in the National League Cy Young Award voting three times (2004, 2006 and 2007). He is also a three-time Silver Slugger winner who boasts a career batting average of .238 with 24 home runs and 71 RBI.

While Zambrano was largely an effective player, he was also a controversial figure.

During his career, he got into a fistfight with catcher and teammate Michael Barrett and got suspended after he argued with an umpire and attacked a Gatorade cooler. Also, in 2011, Zambrano left the stadium in the middle of a poor outing against the Atlanta Braves and said he was retiring.

Zambrano did pitch for one more season with the Marlins and then signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2013, although he didn't make it back to the majors despite pitching well in Triple-A.

He also pitched for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic in 2013. After the 2013 season, Zambrano did not pitch again professionally until 2018 when he made seven starts for Leones de Yucatan in the Mexican League.

That comeback attempt did not end well, as he was released after just one month, but Zambrano is set to give it another go in the city that brought him his greatest success as a baseball player.