From Cubs.com:

The Cubs’ roller-coaster ride with Zambrano came to an end Thursday, when the team dealt the volatile right-hander to the Marlins for fellow righty Chris Volstad.

Zambrano, 30, waived both his no-trade clause and the $19.25 million option for 2013 to join good friend and Venezuelan countryman Ozzie Guillen, the new Marlins manager, who will try to keep the pitcher’s emotions in check.

Emphasis mine because I want you to notice that the Marlins are calling on one Ozzie Guillen to keep Zambrano’s emotions in check. Guillen. Zambrano. In check.

Awesome.

Today, the Cincinnati Reds confirmed what the rest of the baseball world knew days ago: they’d traded for reliever Sean Marshall from the Chicago Cubs.

CINCINNATI – Cincinnati Reds President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Walt Jocketty today announced the acquisition of LHP Sean Marshall from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for LHP Travis Wood, OF Dave Sappelt and minor league IF Ronald Torreyes.

Marshall, 29, last season for the Cubs posted a 2.26 ERA and 5 saves in 78 relief appearances, tied for fifth-most in the Major Leagues. He established a single-season franchise record with 34 holds while holding opponents scoreless in 65 of his 78 games.

“Sean has been one of the best and most durable relievers in baseball the last couple of seasons,” Jocketty said. “He will be a solid addition to what we think already is a strong bullpen.”

Also in 2011, Marshall allowed just 1 home run in 75.2 innings, the fourth-best ratio among all Major League relievers. His 0.89 ERA in his final 33 appearances of the season was the second-best in the majors over that span to Jose Valverde’s 0.88 ERA. Marshall’s 4.65 strikeouts-per-walks ratio led all relievers who threw at least 75.0 innings.

Over the last 2 seasons, Marshall ranks second among all Major League pitchers with 158 appearances. Among among all big league relievers the last 2 years, he ranks second with a 2.45 ERA and fifth with 150.1 innings pitched and 169 strikeouts. Marshall has posted a sterling 2.67 ERA in 233 career relief appearances.

Last season Wood went 6-6 with a 4.84 ERA in 18 starts and 4 relief appearances for the Reds and 2-3 with a 5.33 ERA in 10 starts for Class AAA Louisville. Sappelt spent most of the season with the Bats but hit .243 in 38 appearances for the Reds. Torreyes hit .356 in 67 games for Class A Dayton.

So the Reds now have a seriously useful piece in their 2012 bullpen. The price was steep, but there can be no doubt that the team is serious about contending next year.

Yardbarker is reporting a rumor that the Reds are in discussions with the Cubs to trade LHP Travis Wood for LHP Sean Marshall.

Marshall, 29, has been one of the game’s top left-handed relievers the past two seasons. He will earn $3.1 million in 2012, then become eligible for free agency.

Wood, 24, endured two minor league demotions last season, finishing 6-6 with a 4.84 ERA in 22 games, including 18 starts, with the Reds. He is expendable in part because of the Reds’ recent acquisition of Mat Latos from the Padres.

It’s not exciting news on the level of the last trade, but it’s nice just hear Cincinnati mentioned in the conversations for a change.

At the end of last week, the Chicago Cubs hired their new manager.

Instead of the obvious choice of fan-favorite Ryne Sandberg, or the probably correct choice of Pete Mackanin, the Cubs instead selected the Milwaukee Brewers’ hitting coach Dale Sveum. (I’ve heard it’s pronounced Swame, but I’m pretty sure Dale’s wrong about that. So I’ll keep pronouncing the “V.”)

Sveum was one of the more desired candidates, as the Boston Red Sox were also interested in him. Perhaps damaging the Red Sox–the former team of Cubs General Manager Theo Epstein–took precedence over hiring the better candidate? Sure, I’m biased, but I liked what I saw from Pete Mackanin when he was with the Cincinnati Reds. And I look forward to him getting a real chance to manager. Of course, it’s probably best for him that he wasn’t picked by the Cubs. No one can win with them.

Yesterday, the Chicago Cubs fired manager Mike Quade.

The move wasn’t exactly a surprise, considering the Cubs had just brought in Theo Epstein to be the new general manager. New GMs often want to clear house and start fresh, but since Epstein hadn’t done that when he started his job with the Boston Red Sox, I wondered if he’d hang on to the existing manager for one season. I guess not.

Quade managed the Cubs for just one full season–2011–and part of 2010. His overall record was 95-104. The Cubs finished 5th both years he was manager.

With him removed, the Cubs, just like the St. Louis Cardinals, will be conducting a managerial search. All Cubs fans’ thoughts immediately turned to Ryne Sandberg. But Epstein squashed that idea quickly.

The managerial search process begins immediately. We are looking for someone with whom and around whom we can build a foundation for sustained success. The next manager must have leadership and communication skills; he must place an emphasis on preparation and accountability; he must establish high standards and a winning culture; he must have integrity and an open mind; and he must have managerial or coaching experience at the major league level.

Yeah, that “major league level” experience bit? That rules out Sandberg. But one person it doesn’t leave out is former interim Cincinnati Reds manager Pete Mackanin. Mackanin will be interviewing with Chicago on Friday.

And if he gets the job, given how the Reds lied to him before sneakily hiring Dusty Baker, there might be some karmic payback coming. I wish Mackanin the best. I think he’s an interesting guy and wouldn’t have minded seeing more of him with the Reds.

The Cubs have hired Theo Epstein in their latest effort to break the century-long shame spiral. I don’t know whether it will work, but it’s got a helluva lot better chance than signing Soriano did.

CHICAGO- The Chicago Cubs today named Theo Epstein as the club’s President of Baseball Operations, reporting to Chairman Tom Ricketts. Epstein and the Cubs have agreed to terms on a five-year contract. Further terms of the deal were not disclosed. Epstein will oversee all aspects of the club’s baseball operation. Crane Kenney, President of Business Operations, will continue to oversee all aspects of the club’s business operation and report to Ricketts.

“When we began our search a few months ago, I identified three traits our baseball leadership must possess,” said Ricketts. “I talked about finding an individual with a commitment to player development, someone with a strong analytical background and someone who has been in a winning culture with a track record of success.

“With two World Championships, six playoff appearances and nine winning seasons in nine years as Boston’s general manager, Theo Epstein has an established track record of winning thanks to a solid balance of analytical thinking and traditional scouting methods. And with a nucleus of homegrown players contributing to that annual success at the major league level, Theo has shown a strong commitment to player development.

“My family and I are extremely proud to welcome Theo and his family to the Chicago Cubs. We are eager to begin the next chapter in the storied history of this franchise and have every confidence that Theo will lead us to the championship our great fans so richly deserve.”

“It is truly an honor and a privilege to join such a special organization,” said Epstein. “I would like to thank Tom Ricketts and the entire Ricketts family for putting their faith in me and for giving me this incredible opportunity. I wouldn’t be here without their commitment to the fans and their long term vision for the organization.

“Building a foundation for sustained success starts with a commitment to scouting and player development and requires a team of people working passionately to support a common vision of what the Cubs can become. Together, we will work to define and implement a new vision for the Cubs, and I can’t wait to help lead the way.”

Epstein, 37, joins the Cubs after 10 seasons with the Boston Red Sox, the last nine as the club’s general manager. He built World Champion ballclubs in 2004 and 2007, including the organization’s first World Series title in 86 years, and saw four teams advance to the American League Championship Series (2003, 2004, 2007, 2008). Epstein, the youngest general manager in major league history to win a World Series, is one of only two individuals since World War II to win two World Championships in his first five years as a general manager, joining New York’s Brian Cashman, who won the World Series in each of his first three years from 1998-2000.

Overall, Epstein’s clubs combined to go 839-619 in the regular season, a .575 winning percentage that included a run that featured six seasons with 95 or more victories during his nine-year tenure as general manager. He became the youngest general manager in major league history when named to the post on November 25, 2002.

Epstein’s commitment to scouting and player development has been the centerpiece of Boston’s sustained success at the big league level during his time with the Red Sox. Boston’s first pick (second round) in the 2004 Draft, Dustin Pedroia, was named the 2007 A.L. Rookie of the Year and the 2008 A.L. MVP, and is part of a core of homegrown, developed talent such as Jon Lester, Jonathan Papelbon, Kevin Youkilis, Jacoby Ellsbury, Daniel Bard, Clay Buchholz and others who have helped the Red Sox to their run of success.

Additionally, the Red Sox were honored by Baseball America as the Best Drafting organization of the decade encompassing the 2000s.

Epstein, who last season marked 20 years working in the major leagues, began his baseball career as a summer intern for the Baltimore Orioles from 1992-94. He worked for the San Diego Padres for seven seasons from 1995-2001, advancing to the position of director of baseball operations, before joining the Red Sox in March of 2002 as the club’s assistant general manager. A native of Brookline, Mass., Epstein would be named general manager of his hometown team just eight months later.

A graduate of Yale University and the University of San Diego Law School, Epstein was named the 2008 Baseball America Executive of the Year. In 2009, Epstein was recognized by Sports Illustrated as baseball’s General Manager of the Decade, and he was also named Executive of the Decade by The Sporting News for the same period of time.

Today the Chicago Cubs did what they should have done about 4 years ago: they fired general manager Jim Hendry.

Cubs owner Tom Ricketts had this to say about the decision.

“We just didn’t win enough games,” Ricketts said. “Nothing should diminish Jim’s tenure here. We won three division titles while he was here. … Jim is truly a first-class individual and we’ll all miss seeing him here in the office.”

Hendry did oversee the Cubs winning first place 3 times, but in recent years, he’d lavished large contracts onto players who underperformed and became untradeable, including Alfonso Soriano and Aramis Ramirez.

The search for a new GM begins immediately.

FOX Sports Ohio Picks Up June 8th Reds Game

ESPN has selected the June 12th Cincinnati Reds game for their Sunday night exclusive game, which means FOX Sports Ohio can no longer air the game.

As replacement, FOX Sports Ohio will televise in HD:
REDS VS. CUBS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8

The game will begin at 12:30pm and will be preceded by Reds Live Pregame Show at 12 noon.

Geez, the Reds will be playing the Cubs again so soon? I’ll miss them if there aren’t any more Cubs games left after the All-Star break.

Last Game
The Cincinnati Reds completed their sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals yesterday. The series was entertaining every night and especially enjoyable for Reds fans, thanks to the great performances by players the Cardinals have come to hate: Johnny Cueto and Brandon Phillips. Cueto dominated in the second game of the series, going longer than any Reds starter this year in his win. And Phillips was on fire, going 5-10 with a home run and 6 RBI. The sweep would not have happened without those two.

Next Game
The Reds face another division opponent when the Chicago Cubs come to town tonight. Homer Bailey will start for Cincinnati while Matt Garza has the honors for Chicago. Game-time is 7:10pm EDT, and the game is televised on Fox Sports Ohio.

Gomes’ Mohawk Missing in Action
This weekend saw the end of struggling Jonny Gomes’ trademark mohawk.

Gomes had little to say about the new look.

“I just got a haircut,” he said.

Just a coincidence? Or just time for a haircut?

“You could argue that,” Gomes said.

Gomes started off the season well, but has been wretched lately. He’s had just 5 hits this month and hasn’t had a home run since April 17. We’ll see if his reverse-Samson works.

What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
The Reds’ sweep of the Cardinals in Cincinnati was the first time such a thing had been done since September 11-13, 2007.

Yesterday’s titanic struggle against the Chicago Cubs was game 34 of the 2011 season for the Reds, and the team’s 18th win. It was also the first game of the season in which Joey Votto started but did not get on base during the whole game. The on-base streak had been the matter of some discussion, as Votto was coming up on the Consecutive Games of Getting On Base to Start the Season, set at 34 by Dave Collins in 1981.

In fact, Votto didn’t have a particularly good series in Chicago at all this time around. He was 1-for-9 with 3 walks in the series, which is a far cry from the .333 he’s averaging and the .464 he’s on-basing so far this season. It seems a little too Griffey-ish to blame the down series on worry over the streak. More likely the Wrigley batter’s eye is painted just the wrong shade of black or something like that. But if there was any pressure from the streak having an effect on his performance, then I’m super-excited to see what he’s going to do now that it’s broken.