Friends say aspiring actor Zito prefers SoCal, N.Y.

	Barry Zito would like the glare of another spotlight in addition to a big contract. Brad Mangin/SI
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Three friends of Barry Zito told SI.com they believed that the free-agent-to-be pitcher would like to play in either New York or for one of the three Southern California teams. "He's real serious about his acting career,'' explained one of Zito's friends.

That skill might serve Zito well because it sometimes requires a little acting to maximize his worth. In that regard, Zito is off to a fantastic start, having hired go-for-the-max agent Scott Boras, who insisted Wednesday night that they haven't discussed Zito's preference of teams "at any real length and won't until the end of the season.''

It's no surprise, though, that they've given Zito's value some thought, and it's predictably high. When I brought up the recent five-year, $73-million contract extension Roy Oswalt signed with the Astros, Boras said: "The Oswalt contract is certainly relevant to what a premium player is worth when he's a year away from free agency. It's not a free agent value.''

Boras didn't name a figure for Zito, but the inference is that if two players are comparable, the one who's a free agent should get much more because he could have as many as 30 teams bidding for him as opposed to just one. With that in mind, it shouldn't be a shock if Zito's asking price is $90 million or more. Boras didn't say how relevant he thought the $105 million deal he negotiated for Kevin Brown was, but he did just happen to mention that, in leading a successful young rotation, Zito's walk year "reminds me of Kevin Brown's in 1998.''

Though Boras doesn't wish to narrow the field, the Dodgers do look like a possibility, and it can't hurt that Zito's parents now reside within minutes of Dodger Stadium. The Padres (Zito grew up in San Diego) are expected to come into some money. And Boras still isn't giving up on the Yankees and Mets even after the New York Post's Joel Sherman cited unnamed club officials in a recent column suggesting the Yankees and Mets have no plans to pursue Zito.

Regarding the two New York teams, Boras countered, "I've yet to hear an owner or general manger make a comment about free agency largely because they can't, and largely because they're trying to win the 2006 championship. Andy Pettitte and Tom Glavine are examples of pitchers in the '90s consistently on championship teams. Teams with lefthanders with great control and durability that Barry Zito has usually end up in the playoffs. Most teams, particularly northeast teams, expect to be in the playoffs ... And last October, didn't I read that the Yankees weren't going to sign Johnny Damon?''

Two of Zito's friends said they believe the Yankees could be his first choice, which wouldn't be a surprise in that it fits Zito's perceived big-city preference and allows him to remain in the American League. "Lefthanders dominate the American League. [Johan] Santana, C.C. Sabathia, Zito,'' Boras said. "These guys are the most consistent performers in the league.''

But Boras isn't giving up on the Mets either. While they did seem more interested in Oswalt or Jason Schmidt at the trading deadline, at least partly because they are harder throwers and might have complemented Pedro Martinez and Tom Glavine better, Boras' take is that Zito simply was not as available since his A's were in first place. At the least, the asking price of Lastings Milledge and Aaron Heilman was higher for that reason.

The recent Post story quoted an unnamed Mets official as saying Zito "is no Oswalt.'' And it's true Oswalt won 20 games in 2004 and '05 and Zito hasn't done it since 2002. But unlike Oswalt, Zito has a Cy Young award, has never been on the disabled list and has thrown 200 innings six straight years. He's currently 16-9 with a 3.91 ERA. "One had a big arm, and the other is a dominant control pitcher,'' Boras said. "I guess it's like a Nolan Ryan vs. Greg Maddux debate.''

Zito's wise to be maximizing his baseball income because his acting career appears to be in its infancy stages, no mater how serious he is about it. There are seven TV appearances listed on a Web site I found. In six of them, he plays himself, while in the seventh, an episode of JAG, he plays a Navy pitcher. Apparently, he's a victim of typecasting.