Carlos Silva

Listed below are points and counterpoints debating whether the Cubs demoting Carlos Zambrano is a good idea.

This is not some knee-jerk reaction to what happened in yesterday's 15-3 blowout loss to the Sox. Sure, the right-hander gave up seven hits and six runs in two innings of work, including a pair of home runs. 

But Carlos Silva has got to go.

Now this should not be a surprise to anyone who knows anything about baseball. The fact that Silva is a lousy pitcher is one of the biggest "Duh!'s" in history. It is an understatement similar to saying that Tiger Woods likes the ladies.

When it comes to the Mariners and Cubs, I’m fairly split in terms of my opinions. I’m a fan of each team, and it’s hard for me to distinguish my fandom. The two teams have played only six games against each other outside of spring training, so there hasn’t been a lot of reason to root for one over the other.

Actually, the Cubs and Seattle hold some history together, as Lou Piniella managed the Mariners for several years, and Ryne Sandberg, the Cubs' Hall-of-Fame second baseman grew up in Spokane, WA.

How do you think that conversation went?

Cubs GM: "I'll give you a career .277 hitter with average power and average fielding ability."

Mariners GM: "Alright. We could use an outfielder to fill a hole in our team. Never hurts to have a decent bat."

Cubs GM: "What could we get in return?"

It’s no secret that Carlos Silva has been absolutely terrible since signing with the Mariners last year. He had a good first month, back in April of 2008, but since then he’s been worth somewhere around -1 wins.

I’d even go so far as to say that there’s a petty good chance the Carlos Silva signing will go down as one of the worst in Mariners history.

The Mariners have way too many starters. It includes young guys (Felix Hernandez, Brandon Morrow, Ryan Rowland-Smith, Garrett Olson) and veterans (Jarrod Washburn, Carlos Silva, Erik Bedard). Also, non-roster invitees like Chris Jakubauskas are also in the contension. But there are only five spots on the rotation. Who will make it?