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Last Zito post until the next one

By Grant Brisbee

The name Barry Zito just has that zing to it; just listen to every caller on KNBR. Zito is the top name still on the market, and it wouldn't be a stretch to say that the anti-Zitonians are a comparatively tiny minority. The last time I wrote about Barry Zito, it was a portrait of a conflicted pundit. I was falling for that name brand excitement, but then had one of these epiphanies:

Point: Zito's never missed a start, and he's never had an ERA above the league average. I don't care if he's overpaid, he's a good player to have on any team. There comes a time for every franchise to look in the mirror, take a belt of scotch, and say...

Counterpoint: Hey, look at this. Zito's most comparable pitcher is Mike Hampton.

Point: ...and say, "Listen, hippie, if you think the Giants are going to fund your yoga classes and Rusted Root concerts for the next six years, you've got another thing coming."

But now with the Baseball Prospectus rumor that Zito comes at four years, I'm back to being interested. Four years at $16M to $20M isn't the end of the world. It's a drastic overpayment, but it isn't a franchise killer.

Maybe I'm just an idiot who gets suckered in by stray rumors on a slow day. But would a change from six years to four make a difference to the anti-Zitonians?

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