Gary Peterson explains why the Athletics are not likely to change course and sign Zito.

Look, you don't fix what isn't broken. As we speak, the A's are less broken than they've been since the first George Bush was president. Beane's methodology works better than it ever has.

Likewise, there was a reason the A's were so attractive to Wolff and Fisher in the first place. It was that reason that led them to hand Beane a sliver of sweat equity in the franchise, asking for nothing in return aside from more of the same.

If you understand this, you understand that nothing the team did this season is likely to change the way the franchise does business. In fact, it's likely to have just the opposite effect, since successful ends tend to justify the means.

Zito, then, is a goner, given that the money it would take to keep him would account for a disproportionate amount of the payroll ownership will choose to commit to next season's product. And also because Beane, as always, has a fall-back plan -- in this case a post-Zito rotation of Rich Harden, Esteban Loaiza, Dan Haren, Joe Blanton and Kirk Saarloos (as this is written).

It's not a sure thing, given Harden's iffy medical history. But it's a rotation most other teams would prefer to have with them than against them. And it is supported by setup man Justin Duchscherer and closer Huston Street.

Beane is good at letting players become other people's problems. The Yankees dealt with Giambi's drug problem. The Orioles deal with Tejada's personality. The Cardinals deal with Mulder's injuries, and the Braves deal with Hudson's decline. Sure, some good ones like Dye and Damon got away. But for the most part, Beane's let other people spend the money (or players) on headaches.