Sunday, April 09, 2006
A's to Play Out String With Barry Zito
Athletics GM Billy Beane is resigned to squeezing out every last drop of value from his $7.9 million-a-year ace, Barry Zito, even if it means losing Zito and receiving nothing back. The Athletics can neither afford to re-sign Zito, who is in the last year of his contract, nor trade Zito, because the prized lefty and his deadly curveball is critical for Oakland's pennant run. Once Zito signs elsewhere after '06, Beane will be left with a sold big three in Rich Harden, Dan Haren and Joe Blanton, plus a stable of five other potential starters from which to fill out his rotation: Joe Kennedy, Esteban Loaiza, Brad Halsey, Juan Dominguez and Kirk Saarloos.
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Doctor X -- the 'Baseball Medic' -- is an anonymous U.S. government trauma specialist with a Duke University sports medicine background and more than 20 years experience in emergency medicine. From time to time he considers MLB rumors, events and news reports as they pertain to baseball players' injuries, illnesses and various other disabilities, both on the field and off.
MLB Rumors editor Greg Fieg is a former sports news editor and award-winning writer whose bylines have appeared on the wires of the Associated Press and in numerous publications, including San Antonio Express-News, San Antonio Light, Houston Chronicle and Philadelphia Bulletin. He formerly was posted in various positions on the U.S.-Mexican border with Freedom Newspapers, and was a regular, independent contributor to United Press International.