LA Dodgers Roster News: Scott Kazmir Agrees to Three-Year Deal
When Zack Greinke left, the Los Angeles Dodgers' roster lost a crucial piece of their starting rotation. While it is pretty difficult to find someone who could instantly emulate Greinke and offset his role in the team, at least the team found someone who has a lot of potential in the name of Scott Kazmir.
The team announced that the 31-year-old left-hander has agreed to a three-year deal worth $48 million, with the prospect of filling the void left by Greinke. The deal also stipulates that he can opt out of his contract after next season.
With the new development, the Dodgers will now have a season to look forward to, with a rotation comprising left-handed pitchers, including Clayton Kershaw, Alex Wood, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Brett Anderson, and Kazmir.
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As a free agent, Kazmir finally landed a place to start building a niche. He was 7-11 with a 3.10 ERA, while starting in 31 games for the Oakland Athletics and then the Houston Astros last season. He also had 155 strikeouts in 183 innings.
Kazmir was once thought to have found a home in Houston after they got him via trade with the Athletics, in exchange for catcher Jacob Nottingham and pitcher Daniel Mengden. He was 2-6 with a 4.17 ERA in 13 starts, producing 54 strikeouts in the process.
And since he was traded in the middle of the season, he couldn't be eligible to obtain a qualifying offer from the Astros. With that in mind, his new team, the Dodgers, no longer need to forfeit a 2016 draft pick to get him.
Kazmir started his professional baseball career with the Mets minor league system, but quickly got the attention of scouts. He also is a journeyman who played independent ball, but easily got himself back to major league competition. He is 98-90 with 3.96 ERA in 272 games in his career, having played for the Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Angels, the Indians, Athletics, and the Astros.
