Royals Rumors: Five Pitchers To Target In Free Agency

Houston Astros starting pitcher Scott Kazmir (26) – Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

The starting pitcher that I would most like to see the Kansas City Royals acquire is Scott Kazmir. Kazmir has been in the majors for 11 years and while his career started off shaky, he’s found his groove over the last two or three seasons.

The Royals squared off against Kazmir several times in 2015, both when he was a member of the Oakland A’s and of the Houston Astros. The A’s traded Kazmir to Houston at the deadline, and Kazmir ended up starting Game 2 of the ALDS and went 5.1 innings, allowing three hits, three runs and one home run in the Royals’ first win of the playoffs.

Kazmir had a great 2015 campaign though, especially when he was with Oakland. He had a 3.10 ERA for the season, but it was a 2.38 with the A’s. Kazmir struggled to pitch as well in Houston’s tiny Minute Maid Park, and his ERA ballooned to a 4.17.

I imagine Scott Kazmir would be more than okay with pitching in the very spacious Kauffman Stadium for several years, but he has quite a few suitors during the early stages of the winter meetings. Right now, the ones being linked with Kazmir are the Royals, Pirates, and the Athletics are interested in bringing him back to the bay area.

He won’t come cheap, but Kazmir could easily be a top of the rotation guy in Kansas City. Let’s hope he finds his way to the K in a Royals uniform next season.

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