After sitting out the 2014 season, left-hander Barry Zito is looking to make a comeback in 2015, agent Scott Boras told John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle last month (Twitter link). At this week’s GM Meetings, Boras told reporters, including ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick: “[Zito] called me on the phone in August and said, ‘I’m ready to go. I want to pitch.’ He set up the plan and did all of that.”
Zito, the 2002 American League Cy Young Award winner, signed an infamous seven-year, $126MM contract with the Giants that quickly went south and became one of the game’s larger albatrosses (though that didn’t stop the Giants from winning a pair of World Series Championships during the life of the deal). Zito posted a 4.62 ERA in 1139 1/3 innings for the Giants over that seven-year term — a far cry from the 3.55 mark the lefty notched in his seven seasons with Oakland.
In his career, Zito has pitched to a 4.02 ERA with 6.6 K/9, 3.7 BB/9 and a 37.9 percent ground-ball rate. Though he was never a hard-thrower — the highest single-season average fastball velocity of his career was 87.3 mph in 2005 — Zito’s velocity dipped to dangerously low levels late in his tenure with the Giants and bottomed out at just 83.2 mph in 2013.
Zito, who will turn 37 next May, would almost certainly have to settle for a minor league deal, but his experience and past success could be intriguing to some teams looking for rotation depth.
I’m sure someone will give him a shot, Look at Bartolo Colon. He looked finished a few years ago & he was able to find the fountain of youth & rejuvenate his career.
The only question is where would zito go
Phillies.
Edit: or Red Sox.
Phillies might not sign him they have too many issues to deal with but the red Sox won’t sign him
The Phillies would sign him to a MiLB deal, worth maybe a couple-million if he sticks on the 25-man. If Zito can do as well as Kendrick, for 1/4 the price? Worth it.
Honestly, it might work well from Zito’s standpoint too, since he’s unlikely to see MLB action on most teams unless he has a stellar ST.
Well first of all they would have three lefties in the there rotation
Cole Hamels
Cliff Lee
Barry Zito
Not sure though about Kendrick he’s gone for sure
Yeah, but Hamels and Lee are both lefties who do well against RHB, so that’s not really as big a deal. Unless Lee is terrible post-rehab, in which case it doesn’t matter who he’s facing.
Right now the rotation is Hamels, Lee, Williams, Buchanan, ??? (probably Pettibone if they don’t sign someone else). I’m sure they’d love to move Buchanan back down to LHV for another year as insurance against another injury, and I’m reasonably sure they’d prefer to leave Nola in the minors until at least August (if only to save on his service time).
If Zito can give them a Kendrick-esque line (4.45 ERA, ~180 IP) for under $4MM, then that’s a worthwhile investment on a 1-year deal, given the current state of the team.
Cliff Lee
Cole Hamels
Jerome Williams
Barry Zito
David Buchann
Based on Williams’ historical track record, I think he’ll pretty quickly end up as the #5. Buchanan will probably regress, which would make #4 a reasonable estimation for him (assuming you’re optimistic).
However, I’m sure they’d want to break up the lefties a bit, so I could see them putting Williams or Buchanan before Zito (in that hypothetical situation). However, Zito could quickly play himself into a starting role in Lehigh, so he’s only getting a MiLB deal, which gives them some money to sign a legitimate #3 instead (which would also let them stash Buchanan in Lehigh if Zito has a good ST).
What’s your rotation for this team
Hamels, Lee, (1-3-year-FA/Trade Target), Williams (1-year FA/Buchanan). Pettibone is AAA depth, and preferably Buchanan is as well, since Lee’s got question marks.
Nola serves as depth-of-last-resort, and/or an August/September call-up.
What about zito
If they get him, and he performs well enough to get a roster slot, he probably takes the 1-year FA slot.
What’s your rotation with zito in it now
Well, they really need to sign one more legitimate middle-rotation pitcher, because otherwise they BP is going to break down from all the innings they’ll be throwing. However, assuming some sort of roster freeze, where we have to go with what we have…
Hamels, Lee, Buchanan, Williams/Zito, Zito/Williams. Pettibone is #6, Nola is #7.
Good rotation now would you resign Mike Adams
Ehhh… That’s a non-contending rotation, all told. It’s acceptable given their goals of working through salary and putting a team on the field, but they’re not going to win many games.
Adams gets re-signed if he offers to work for under $1MM (only reason I’d think that is he claims he felt he was stealing money because of his injury). Otherwise, no. Too big an injury risk, not enough upside, and our BP has enough promising guys without him.
Will the Phillies ever rebuild
They’re doing that right now. The longest contract they’ve signed since the 2012 season is the 2+1 deal that Byrd has. That’s a sign that they’re not scrambling to sign top FAs.
They also haven’t traded significant prospects for any player since Revere, and Trevor May was looking like he was going to flop then (he proceeded to do well in AAA this year, but atrociously in 9 starts with the Twins this year – he’s young, so he could improve, but I think those have to be considered unlikely).
Most teams can’t rebuild simply by shipping off all their stars for blue-chip prospects. Even the Marlins didn’t manage that after their WS wins, and their guys weren’t all that expensive.
Can’t they get rickie weeks in free agency as a backup second baseman for Utley
Doubtful (since he’d probably want more playing time), but why would you want to? He’s 32, so he’ll be 34-35 by the time the team’s ready to compete again. His fielding is worse than Utley. His bat is possibly better, but definitely hasn’t been over the past three years (his 2014 was better, but not by nearly as much as his 2013 and 2012 were worse). He’s also pretty much limited to two positions (2B, 1B), both of which are blocked by bigger contracts.
He’s also hitting FA during a year without many legitimate 2B options on the market, and so he’s likely to command a 2-to-3-year deal worth at least $8-10MM/year. They’ve got plenty of utility infielders (RAJ loves ’em), and they’ve got a couple of potential back-up options (Galvis and Cesar Hernandez) already who’re making nothing.
I mean it’s not like the brew crew can resign him he has to go somewhere and phillie would be a good fit in my opinion
The Brewers could certainly re-sign him, but even if not there aren’t many good 2B options in FA this year. There are a number of teams interested in getting a 2B, and I’m sure Weeks would want to play more than 50 games/year anyway.
He’s also liable to be too expensive to be a backup on a team like the current Phillies, and want a multi-year commitment. Considering they just signed Chase to a deal that could last through 2018 (with each year predicated on PAs from the previous year), they’re probably not looking to sign a high-priced player to serve as a backup. Utley’s AAV is $15MM for the life of his new contract. No need to devote $20-23 to a 2B when you’re not contending.
Would the Phillies sign rickie weeks as a backup to chase Utley if the bre cre can’t resign him
Not at $5-8MM/year on a multi-year deal.
Could you give him a one year contract
Incentive of +$5MM if he can have a fastball average over 85mph and start 20 games. Safe bet there.
The guy isn’t Tim Wakefield or Greg Maddux. 83mph fastball isn’t going to cut it from a “normal” style pitcher, even in high school. Tracy McGrady was better than Barry Zito within the past five years…
Mike Mussina thrived on low speed pitches and won 20 games his last season. The oldest person to do so. But Philly desperately needs starting pitching depth and Boston has been known to take on reclamation projects like Brad Penny and John Smoltz for example plus as cheap as the Sox have been this might be right up their alley.
Brad Penny wasn’t 37 when he was a project, and Smoltz is a HOF player. Zito wasn’t good since 2002.
The Braves –where he would get a invite to ST and has a good chance of winning a spot.
Lefty w/ one of the more gorgeous curveballs, someone will bite. I don’t see him as a starter, but maybe he can transition into the bullpen.
only as a RP
2015 Scouting Report: 73 mph fastball and 50 mph curveball
Jamie Moyer tells him to speed up.
Cubs should sign Zito then trade him midseason for prospects. Seems to be a working philosophy for them.
Its a working philosophy if he’s actually worth something and the Cubs probably wouldn’t sign him since they’re actually looking to compete for once.
A Barry Zito comeback would be sweet!
By sweet I mean like sugar, and by sugar I mean he’ll probably end up on the Sugarland Skeeters.
What is his Velosity at now?
I dunno how badly teams are going to go for him, considering he won’t have value any differently than Moyer did in his last year.
I can see a minor league deal if he still has good command and decent break. But his lack of Velosity could be an issue
He could be a LOOGY. That’s probably all.
Sounds like a Jed/Theo pickup to me.
Angels will take him on a minor league deal. The Angels have to adopt the New Colossus approach to pitching depth:
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
Give me your old, your slow, your cheap, because we are poor.
minor league deal with the Yankees? maybe he fills a spot as a 6th inning lefty?
go to the Cardinals need a LH help in the bullpen rather get him instead of one asking for more money
If the Cardinals get Zito, they’ll still need LH help in the bullpen.
if he changes his game the right way and stays healthy he could be a Jamie Moyer type pitcher.