Carlos Zambrano had developed into one of the faces of the Chicago Cubs franchise in the mid-2000s, a homegrown talent whose fiery temper and attitude always seemed to get in the way of stardom.
Ted Lilly, meanwhile, arrived in Chicago as a journeyman starter who never once looked like he would be a star, though he did make an All-Star team as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2004.
The duo also had completely different styles. Zambrano was a power pitcher who relied on his two-seam fastball and a hard-biting splitter.