Zito will start the A's Cactus League game on Thursday, reports Jane Lee of MLB.com. Zito is attempting a comeback after taking 2014 off from baseball. The A's have a couple of rotation spots open and Zito has been mentioned as one of several candidates for one of them, but would likely have to show the team a lot in spring to win one of the spots. Zito pitched for the Giants in 2013, posting a 5.74 ERA over 133.1 innings.

Zito will sign a minor league deal with the A's and come to spring training, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.Zito last pitched in 2013 with the Giants, posting an ugly 5.74 ERA over 133.1 innings. He took a year off of baseball and while he is likely a long shot to make the A's major league roster, A's fans will certainly enjoy getting to see him in Mesa this spring donning the green and gold again.

CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reports that Barry Zito plans to take some time off but is not retiring. It appears that Zito, 35, doesn't plan to pitch this season, but he has no plans right now to hang up his cleats. Zito finished out his Giants' career with a whimper last season, posting a 5.74 ERA across 133 1/3 innings. That said, he'll still be young enough next winter that some team will give him a shot if he wants to continue his career.

Barry Zito's $18 million option was declined by the Giants. It was a foregone conclusion, as Zito took out an ad in a San Francisco newspaper after the season thanking fans for his years with the team. The Giants will instead pay a $7 million buyout. Zito was 5-11 with a 5.74 ERA in 133 1/3 innings this season. The 35-year-old hasn't been an effective pitcher for a while, so it will be interesting to see what kind of interest he generates on the open market.

Barry Zito yielded two runs -- one earned -- on four hits over five innings in Wednesday's win against the Dodgers. Zito struck out only one and didn't walk a batter. The southpaw was shuffled in and out of the rotation this season; he finished 5-11 with a 5.75 ERA and 1.71 WHIP. San Francisco is just days away from shedding Zito's much-maligned 7-year, $126 million contract. Zito will be pitching elsewhere next season. Giants fans won't lament his change of address.

Barry Zito will make another start this season. It will likely come over the weekend against the Padres. Zito has been shuffled in and out of the rotation this season, posting a 5.91 ERA and 1.74 WHIP over 128 innings. He should be avoided for streaming purposes.

Barry Zito has been moved back to the bullpen. Zito yielded 15 earned runs in 11 2/3 innings during his three-start return to the rotation. The left-hander has a brutal 5.91 ERA in 128 total frames this season.

Barry Zito was tagged for five runs in four innings by the Rockies on Monday. Zito latest failure might get him pulled from the rotation once and for all. He's typically been pretty good in Coors Field in his career, but he gave up two homers tonight, one apiece to Todd Helton and Charlie Blackmon.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy said Thursday that Barry Zito will make his next scheduled start. Zito was pounded for six runs in 3 2/3 innings Wednesday in his return to the rotation. He'll get another shot but will need to show improvement in Colorado Monday to avoid being demoted to the bullpen again. Obviously, fantasy owners should stay far away.

Making his return to the rotation, Barry Zito was tagged for six runs in 3 2/3 innings by the Red Sox in a loss Wednesday. Zito didn't get much help from his defense today, but the bigger problem was that he just wasn't any good. The Giants said the plan was for him to stay in the rotation for the rest of the season. They may change their minds if he doesn't pitch better next time out.