Royals Rumors: Scott Kazmir In Talks With Kansas City
By Alec Tilson
The Royals Rumors continue to gain momentum, and this time they’re tied to left-handed starter Kazmir.
The Kansas City Royals starting rotation should look different in 2016, and the latest from the Royals’ rumor mill is that they’re in talks with former Astros starting pitcher Scott Kazmir, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney.
Kazmir was traded by the Oakland Athletics to the Houston Astros midseason, and he matched up with Kansas City in Game 2 of the 2015 ALDS.
The Royals need to replace the 200-plus innings that Jeremy Guthrie and Johnny Cueto gave them a year ago, and Kazmir could be a great fit for the World Series champions.
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He throws a low-90’s fastball to go with a slider and a changeup. Kazmir has also added a cutter, according to FanGraphs.com. The story with Kazmir has always been: he’s great if he’s healthy. In his career, he’s held left-handed batters to a .239 batting average and a right-handers to just .247.
The 32-year-old posted a 3.10 ERA last season in 183 innings, and somehow managed just seven wins in 31 tough-luck starts. In 2014 for the Athletics, Kazmir was an All Star selection in perhaps his strongest full season as a professional.
He was a highly-touted prospect out of high school and was initially drafted by the New York Mets in the 2002 amateur draft. He made his Major League debut in 2004 and, since then, he’s played for five teams.
What’s Kazmir going to cost?
Projects Colby Rasmus to get $50M/4 years, Scott Kazmir to get $39M/3 years https://t.co/LP8ipfqGTb
— Mike Meltser (@MikeMeltser) November 9, 2015
It seems like reasonable value for a guy who could give you 180 innings. The Royals have some question marks in the starting rotation between losing Cueto, counting on Danny Duffy and Jason Vargas, and not knowing exactly what Yordano Ventura is going to give you.
Kazmir was a promising young strikeout artist early in his career. In his first five seasons (2004-2008) in the MLB, he was a 9.7 K/9 pitchers with an unsightly 4.1 BB/9 rate. In his last three seasons, he’s striking out 8.1 batters per nine innings, and he’s lowered his walk-rate to 2.6 BB/9.
The veteran lefty has cleaned up his control, and he’s a three-time All Star in his 11-year MLB career. Kazmir would provide the Royals a nice left-handed complement to righties Ventura, Edinson Volquez and Kris Medlen. While the Royals will have to beat out several other interested parties, it might be a worthwhile investment.
The Royals are looking to repeat. That’s the bottom line. Kazmir is your best option to add to the starting rotation, find a way to meet his demands and get him on the field for the Royals next season. The starting pitcher market is always crowded, so the Royals must make a power play if they’re going to make an impact signing for the 2016 roster.
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The Royals could certainly use a seasoned left-handed veteran who can give them 30 starts next season. How do you feel about Scott Kazmir being that guy for Kansas City?