Zito: I want the Yankees

With Barry Zito now the only big name Free Agent pitcher on the market, the question is firstly who will land the laid back lefty and secondly how much money they'll have to dish out for his services over the past part of the next decade.

If it was up to the player himself, it'd be the New York Yankees.

A person with knowledge of the situation told 3,079 Miles... on the condition of anonymity that the Bronx was without a doubt the former Cy Young's preferred destination .

With a career 102-63 record with a 3.55 ERA, Zito is expected to command a deal around the $100m mark over six years. With the market being inflated this year with the likes of Gil Meche going for 5/$55m, there is little doubt that the player will receive a bumper salary.

It was thought that the Rangers and the Mets were the only likely destinations, but now it seems as though Zito may even take less money to join the Bronx Bombers a la Carlos Beltran, who was ready to leave $20m on the table in order to man CF in The House That Ruth Built.

The Yankees have no obvious spot for Zito, with a rotation of Wang, Pettitte, Mussina and Randy Johnson all but inked in with Carl Pavano or Kei Igawa set to battle in out for the #5 spot. However should they be able to snap up Zito at a reasonable price, it would enable them to trade Pavano and not pull the trigger on signing Igawa, the Japanese lefty whom they have exclusive negotiating rights with up until December 28.

Zito and the Yankees don't seem like an obvious fit, certainly now Andy Pettitte is on board but it looks like they could actually be serious players in the Barry Zito sweepstakes should they want to.