His price is going to be over inflated in the FA market. I know a team will pay him, but his starts have been inconsistent - to say the least - throughout the year. Do you still consider him a #1 starter and would you want him on your team?
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Re: Zito: Big Time Free Agent?
He's a lefty with a Cy Young under the age of 30. I say he deserves 1 or 2 starter cash, even if he's only a 2 or 3 now. -
Re: Zito: Big Time Free Agent?
Seeing as he'll command so much with so little on the market and the fact that Boras is his agent, I'd rather the Cubs steer clear of him. IMO the money could be better spent in other ways.Comment
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Re: Zito: Big Time Free Agent?
I think the main problem with Zito is his mentality. He just has that laid back "meh" southern California attitude, and that keeps him from getting back to his 2002 form.
It'll be interesting to see where he ends up. I could see him being a 100% total bust if the Yankees sign him.Comment
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Re: Zito: Big Time Free Agent?
I think Zito stays in the west. Possibly the Dodgers, maybe the Angels and don't rule out Texas or Arizona.
I do not see him going to New York as either a Yankee or a Met. As Psyblast pointed out Zito is to laid back to pitch in that kind of market with that kind of pressure and i agree he would be a bust for either team.
Zito will get a pretty lofty contract as he is probably the best pitcher available on the free agent market. A.J. Burnett landed over $50 million as a sub .500 pitcher with a history of injury's, Zito comes into the offseason a 16 game winner (tied for 4th in the AL) and 39 games over .500 for his career and being a lefty will increase his price tag that much more.Comment
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Re: Zito: Big Time Free Agent?
I wouldn't give him the big bucks he commands. It seems every A's starter that is let go ends up having injury problems or is never all that effective again. Won't owners and GMs realize that Billy Beane is smarter then all of us?!
Member of the Official OS Bills Backers Club
"Baseball is the most important thing that doesn't matter at all" - Robert B. ParkerComment
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Re: Zito: Big Time Free Agent?
I don't know how Zito would fit in with either the Mets or the Yankees. I think he'd be a much better fit with the Mets because they're more laid back. Do I think he'll want to come to NY? Probably Not. If the Angels want him I think he'll stay on the West Coast.
I don't think the Yanks should sign him because Mulder and Hudson haven't worked out on their respective teams so far. But if we're thinking Billy Beane is the smartest GM then think about this, out of all the big three Zito is the guy he had to keep. He saw something in him that he needed, and he knew he could live without the other two. So far he's been exactly right.NBA: New York Knicks
NCAA: Duke
MLB: New York Yankees
NFL: New York JetsComment
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Re: Zito: Big Time Free Agent?
I think what he saw was a crafty lefthanded pitcher with great off-speed pitches.
Beane can find a Hudson and Mulder almost anywhere. There are righties galore with their talent/potential. They may or may not pan out, but you can try. You can't do that with a lefthander.
But, I think Beane stays away from keeping Zito because he's realized that power pitching is more effective in the playoffs. Zito's style works in a long season - which the A's have nearly mastered. But, he needs more arms like Harden in the rotation to win in the playoffs.
That being said, having a pitcher like Zito isn't a bad thing. I don't think he's worth the 12 million he'll get, but if you have him sitting in the middle of a power rotation you can go far."It may well be that we spectators, who are not divinely gifted as athletes, are the only ones able to truly see, articulate and animate the experience of the gift we are denied. And that those who receive and act out the gift of athletic genius must, perforce, be blind and dumb about it -- and not because blindness and dumbness are the price of the gift, but because they are its essence." - David Foster Wallace
"You'll not find more penny-wise/pound-foolish behavior than in Major League Baseball." - Rob NeyerComment
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Re: Zito: Big Time Free Agent?
I basically agree. If he stuggled pitching in Oakland I wouldnt expect it to get better pitching in Wrigley where an out in the Coliseum will be a HR in Wrigley. Wrigley being a HR park is a little overstated since the wind blows than it blows out but its still a lot easier than Oakland, which is a great park for pitchers all the way around (the ball does not carry and it has a lot of foul territory). I actually want to see how it plays out with Chicagos young pitchers. Im hoping at least one puts it together next year.Comment
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Re: Zito: Big Time Free Agent?
I don't think anyone sees Zito has an ace. Still though, hes a solid 2 or 3.Yankees
Cowboys
Knicks
RangersComment
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Re: Zito: Big Time Free Agent?
Consider the source before you attack me because, well he was known to stare off into space as well.....
Bill "Spaceman" Lee was on the radio here today and he was talking about Zito. He basically thinks there's something wrong with Zito's mental makeup. Zito can lose his composure very easily and basically be off in another world rather then being focused when the chips are down.
Is this the guy you really want to see in a major market where the expectations are through the roof?
I think not.Member of the Official OS Bills Backers Club
"Baseball is the most important thing that doesn't matter at all" - Robert B. ParkerComment
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Re: Zito: Big Time Free Agent?
Mark my words, Zito will get at least a 5yr/70 million dollar contract. He's the most appealing FA pitcher. He's a proven quality pitcher, young for a FA, and has a flawless health record.
I would love to see the Jays go after him.Comment
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