Ego74
The Straightshooter
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Beane should deal Zito
Barry Zito's ERA has doubled in three seasons, his struggles continue to be alarming, and some scouts and officials in baseball believe this: Oakland general manager Billy Beane needs to trade the left-hander in the weeks ahead, in order to recoup as much value as he can.
If Beane waits until the offseason, Zito's value could be diminished significantly, because the questions about his regression could multiply by then. Zito won the Cy Young Award three summers ago when he went 23-5 with a 2.75 ERA, at age 24, and after Tuesday night's mess – in which he walked seven batters and allowed three hits and three runs in five innings – he has a 5.53 ERA and a 1-4 record.
There is still luster in Zito's name. He's left-handed and 27 years old, and he's got 73 career victories. Beane asked the Orioles for left-hander Erik Bedard in a deal in the offseason, and that was perfectly reasonable. There is expected to be so little quality pitching available in the trade market this summer that if Zito is put up for auction, the bidding will be aggressive. "You still would think he could help you make the playoffs this year, and then help you next year," said one scout.
The Mets, hovering around .500, might be involved, thinking Zito would benefit from a reunion with pitching coach Rick Peterson. The Dodgers, hemorrhaging runs lately, could be involved. Maybe the Cubs, the Orioles, the Rangers, the Diamondbacks and the Yankees would jump in. Maybe others.
The word is out that Zito's curveball is not the same. Scouts don't think he looks like he's lost his confidence. Still, he's Barry Zito. He's 27. He's left-handed. Maybe 2004 and the first part of 2005 is the aberration. Maybe there's an adjustment to be made.
But if Beane waits until the offseason to deal Zito, and Zito continues to flounder, well, the luster will be off. All the main indicators – his ratio of strikeouts and hits to innings, along with his ERA – are going in the wrong direction. And Zito will be only one season removed from free agency. "You'd be talking about a rental at that point, and you couldn't get as much for him," said one official.
Beane is extremely competitive, and a Zito deal would be like raising a white flag over this season. On the other hand, the Athletics don't look the part of a contender, with the worst offense in the AL and inconsistent young pitchers filling most of the rotation. Beane's philosophy in the offseason was to trade Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder quickly enough to get good return for them.
The window of opportunity to get good value for Barry Zito may soon pass.
Barry Zito's ERA has doubled in three seasons, his struggles continue to be alarming, and some scouts and officials in baseball believe this: Oakland general manager Billy Beane needs to trade the left-hander in the weeks ahead, in order to recoup as much value as he can.
If Beane waits until the offseason, Zito's value could be diminished significantly, because the questions about his regression could multiply by then. Zito won the Cy Young Award three summers ago when he went 23-5 with a 2.75 ERA, at age 24, and after Tuesday night's mess – in which he walked seven batters and allowed three hits and three runs in five innings – he has a 5.53 ERA and a 1-4 record.
There is still luster in Zito's name. He's left-handed and 27 years old, and he's got 73 career victories. Beane asked the Orioles for left-hander Erik Bedard in a deal in the offseason, and that was perfectly reasonable. There is expected to be so little quality pitching available in the trade market this summer that if Zito is put up for auction, the bidding will be aggressive. "You still would think he could help you make the playoffs this year, and then help you next year," said one scout.
The Mets, hovering around .500, might be involved, thinking Zito would benefit from a reunion with pitching coach Rick Peterson. The Dodgers, hemorrhaging runs lately, could be involved. Maybe the Cubs, the Orioles, the Rangers, the Diamondbacks and the Yankees would jump in. Maybe others.
The word is out that Zito's curveball is not the same. Scouts don't think he looks like he's lost his confidence. Still, he's Barry Zito. He's 27. He's left-handed. Maybe 2004 and the first part of 2005 is the aberration. Maybe there's an adjustment to be made.
But if Beane waits until the offseason to deal Zito, and Zito continues to flounder, well, the luster will be off. All the main indicators – his ratio of strikeouts and hits to innings, along with his ERA – are going in the wrong direction. And Zito will be only one season removed from free agency. "You'd be talking about a rental at that point, and you couldn't get as much for him," said one official.
Beane is extremely competitive, and a Zito deal would be like raising a white flag over this season. On the other hand, the Athletics don't look the part of a contender, with the worst offense in the AL and inconsistent young pitchers filling most of the rotation. Beane's philosophy in the offseason was to trade Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder quickly enough to get good return for them.
The window of opportunity to get good value for Barry Zito may soon pass.
