Barry Zito sat out the entire 2014 season as he took a year off from baseball. A former Cy Young Award winner, a now 36-year-old Zito is looking to make a comeback.
Scott Boras, the agent for Zito, told reporters at baseball’s winter meetings that Zito was hoping to return as a starter for the 2015 season.
“He called me on the phone in August and said, ‘I’m ready to go. I want to pitch,”’ Boras said, via ESPN. “He set up the plan and did all of that.”
A first round pick of the Athletics in 1999 the left handed Zito compiled a 165-143 record with a 4.02 ERA over 14 seasons with the Athletics and San Francisco Giants.
After leaving the Athletics he signed a massive seven-year deal with the Giants in the winter of 2006 but never really lived up to the contract in the regular season. Zito however was a key member of the Giants during the post season helping the team win two World Series.
“You hear honest and valued owners say, ‘You know, Barry Zito’s contract was wonderful, because we won two world championships. We hired a hen to sit on our eggs of (Matt) Cain, (Tim) Lincecum and (Jonathan) Sanchez, and look where our system is because we had a guy who could take on the No. 1 role for a couple of years and put us in that position” Boras said.
Regardless of what your opinion of Zito is, he will almost surely have to settle for a minor league contract should he be serious about a return.
