Rangers eye Zito

[Providence A's]

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/baseball/13319454.htm

The Rangers are looking to the trade market to improve their pitching staff, and on Friday, according to a club official, they zeroed in on Oakland Athletics left-hander Barry Zito.

The Rangers source said the team called the A's on Friday about Zito, who has one year left before he is eligible for free agency. Zito, 27, won the Cy Young Award in 2002 and is 86-53 with a 3.50 ERA in his career. He was 14-13 with a 3.86 ERA this year.

A's general manager Billy Beane has a history of trading high-dollar pitchers before they reach free agency, including last winter with Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson. Zito is due $8.5 million in 2006. Some believe Beane would not trade Zito within the AL West, but a Rangers official said this week he thought that was inaccurate.

I don't see it happening...if Zito is traded, I don't think Beane would trade within the division just like Hudson and Mulder (not even within the AL)

[Kingdom]

Hey, that's not funny! =(