Zito Finito

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The Rangers offered Barry Zito $80 million. He said, "Thanks, but no thanks." Surprise, surprise, surprise.

T.R. Sullivan, former Rangers beat writer for the Startlegram, is reporting over at MLB.com that Barry Zito, the Oakland Athletics pitcher Texas was wooing, has opted to go elsewhere. Sullivan's been told that Zito will be signing with the San Francisco Giants; so much for that $80-mil offer Tom Hicks was offering over six years. (I've turned down similar offers to stay here, come to think of it.) Sullivan figures it's no stunner: Going to the Giants keeps Zito on the West Coast, and it also means he won't be jumping from one American League West team (one for which he's played his entire career) to another.

It was inevitable that the Rangers would struck out with Zito. Why would any self-respecting pitcher come to Arlington, where balls are known to fly out of the ballpark like Superman on a rescue mission? Besides, the Rangers are gonna get them some Mark Mulder...who's injured...and not likely to return till after the All-Star break...if that. Per-fect. --Robert Wilonsky