Not a Giants/A's fan, so not invested in him at all, other than knowing he hasn't been a good pitcher for a few years (2012 playoffs notwithstanding). And a 7yr/$126M contract that you're not living up to can get fans turned against you in a hurry. But I thought this full-page ad in the SF Chronicle was classy.
Zeets, as die-hard Giants fan as I can be (even flying down to SF for work and fun in a few hours), is as classy dude as there is. I assume brass has told him he won't be back, and maybe this is why he's times this as he has. Who knows? His best years weren't his best W-L years, so people forget when he carried the team. And his worst was really bad, so when he was carrying the team, he was really carrying the team. Teams pay big money to deepen their roster to COMPETE to win the championship - we won to with Zeets. Not the best return for the dollar, but dude is classy and played a key role in helping us win two in three years. Without Zeets, we don't win in 2012, and surprisingly, his 2010 wasn't as bad as some stats indicate. He has either on or very off in 2010. So who knows what happens in 2010? So, my hat's off to Zeets. I wish him my best. Classy, classy dude. Shit didn't go as planned for either side, but it ended up beautifully for both, and I appreciate my time with Zeets on the mound (even if 10 of the 15 games I attended the last 3-4 games magically had him starting). Go Giants!!
If you could guarantee me two world series in three years, I'd have the Mariners sign him to a 7/126M today.
Yeah. Exactly. People like to say we could have gotten more for less. Over the course of the contract, yes, maybe we get more performance. But when the heat is on and you need guys to step up, not everyone does that. Zito did in 2012. Giants were on the ropes and Zeets came through and saved the day.
2012 was great redemption, and I'll always think of him fondly for that. Can't think of much else that I'm happy about with him. He seems like a good guy, but aside from 2012 thats on the all-time worst contracts ever rankings.
To me, he was the face of the A's who jumped ship to get the most money he could. I turned my Barry Zito bobblehead to face the wall.
