Free agent-to-be Zito drops Tellem, signs with Boras

By Jon Heyman, SI.com

Oakland A's star lefthander Barry Zito, who's expected to be the top young starting pitcher on the free-agent market this winter, has hired high-powered agent Scott Boras to represent him, SI.com has learned.

"We're excited to be associated with Barry Zito at a point in his career much like Greg Maddux was in the early '90s. Zito and Maddux are a lot alike,'' Boras said, referring to his Hall-of-Fame bound client currently with the Cubs. "He's a dominant location and control pitcher. We think his future will be as one of the premier pitchers in the game for the next decade.''

Zito should expect to view the $60 million, five-year deal signed last winter by Kevin Millwood, another Boras client, as the baseline for his negotiations. There should be a decent crop of free-agent starters this winter, with Jason Schmidt, Mike Mussina, Greg Maddux and perhaps Roger Clemens expected to be among them. However, Zito, an All-Star this year, is distinguished by his youth, as he turned 28 in May.

Considering the expected price tag, the dollar-conscious A's are not expected to re-sign Zito, who's making a below-market $7.9 million in the last year of a five-year deal. Zito will make a little more than $18 million, counting escalator clauses, in the deal that was negotiated by his former agent Arn Tellem.

The Red Sox, Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, Cardinals, Cubs and Giants could be among the suitors this winter for Zito, who's 94-59 over his career and 8-6 with a 3.29 ERA this season. Zito has expressed an interest in coming to a few different teams, including both New York teams, in interviews this year.

While Zito's name has come up in trade discussions, the general wisdom is that with Oakland in first place it will be difficult for the A's to trade him without hindering their title hopes. Zito's best year came in 2002 when he went 23-5 with a 2.75 ERA. Although he hasn't come close to matching that victory total in recent years, he's a workhorse who's thrown at least 213 innings in each of the past five seasons.

"Zito is one of the few pitchers in baseball who's exhibited excellence in performance and also remarkable durability every year of his career,'' Boras said. 'Zito's durability will command great attention.''

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