It's time to let Barry Zito and his remaining $50 million-plus walk out the door.

Zito started yesterday in what would hopefully be his final appearance ever as a Giant. I’ve seen Zito from the beginning of his career in Oakland through this season in San Francisco, and while I love Zito as a personality and person, as a player he is done.

His start on Sunday underscored the fact that an 84 mph fastball is not good enough for the major leagues. Against the Reds, Zito allowed five runs in five innings en route to a 9-0 Reds win.

This is merely another failure in a long line of Zito failures and it is finally time to put an end to it.

Zito pitched well in his first three starts off the disabled list but has been equally as horrible in the three since. I don’t see that trend changing. Zito is—and I’m sorry to say it—over the hill. He won the Cy Young in 2002 and pitched well through his years in Oakland. However, once he joined the Giants in 2007 he hasn’t been the same. I don’t think he’s not trying, but I believe he just can’t pitch like he used to.

Zito gets ragged on because of his contract. I don’t think that is fair. The massive contract is a set cost and now the only thing to judge is his performance. Any pitcher who wasn’t on a $123 million contract would be released by now, and the Giants will only hurt themselves by not doing that. Zito, as a veteran can refuse any minor league assignment, which leaves the Giants with three altogether poor options.

They can put Zito in the bullpen, which will likely cause Guillermo Mota to be demoted or released. The Giants can keep Zito in the rotation, probably giving the opposing team a very good chance to win every time Zito is on the hill. Or they can bite the bullet and release Zito.

He’ll get a chance on another team to resurrect his career but won’t be butt of every joke when it comes to bloated contracts. The Mets went through a similar situation with Oliver Perez; they paid him $36 million for three years. He was terrible, as many expected, and was demoted to the bullpen before his eventual release.

The Giants are in a similar situation—keeping Zito only eats roster space that could be put to much better use by another player. I know it doesn't sound like the financially right option, but Zito isn't going to get any better

The Giants will only hurt themselves by keeping Zito.

It is time to cut him loose and set the Giants and their fans free.