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After taking a year off from baseball, Barry Zito will return where it all started. According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Oakland Athletics and Barry Zito agreed to a minor-league deal on Monday and it includes an invite to Spring Training.
Blast from the past: Barry Zito is going to sign a minor-league deal with the #Athletics and come to spring camp.
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) February 17, 2015
Barry Zito will earn $1 million with an additional $175,000 in possible incentives if he makes the major league roster.
Zito, now 36, made his major league debut in 2000 with the Oakland Athletics. In 2001, Barry Zito pitched to a 23-5 record, leading the league in wins and winning the Cy Young award. Over his seven years with the A's, Barry Zito was a three-time All-Star and pitched to a 102-63 career record. He would become a free agent and move across the Bay Area, joining the San Francisco Giants on a seven-year, $126 million deal.
With the Giants, Zito did not find the success he found in Oakland. He would pitch to a career record of 63-80 and an ERA over a full run higher (4.62) than in his time with his first team (3.55). His last season with the Giants in 2013, was not how he would have liked to finish a seven-year contract, going 5-11 with a 5.74 ERA that included appearances out of the bullpen after losing his spot in the starting rotation.
It is highly unlikely that the A's will see the soft-tossing Zito turn back the clock. In 2013, the fastball of Barry Zito reached a career-low average of 83.2 MPH. The A's appear to have seen enough to believe he can compete for a spot in Spring Training.
