Dodgers Team News

Dodgers News: Team Signs Scott Kazmir

So, about never getting any news…

Wednesday afternoon, the Dodgers announced they officially signed Scott Kazmir, which is somewhat fitting that they’d sign a left-handed pitcher on Sandy Koufax’s 80th birthday.




ICYMI: Sandy Koufax: A True Dodgers Icon


Let’s get it directly from the Dodgers’ Twitter account.

The immediate reaction is to wonder about an all-left-handed rotation in a division featuring Paul Golschmidt and Buster Posey, but it’s hard to imagine this is where the Dodgers will stop this offseason for that very reason.

The news also gets at how little the Dodgers leak information up until the very last moment.

Kazmir has been tied to the organization, but only in a “hey, the market is dwindling and the Dodgers still need starting pitcher” kind of manner.

Here’s Jon Heyman with more details:

The contract gives flexibility to both entities. Kazmir, who would hope to make more on the open market has the opportunity to prove himself once again next year and opt out if need be.

The Dodgers get Kazmir at a very reasonable price with little long-term commitment compared to other contracts handed out this offseason.

The deal also doesn’t preclude them from pursuing Kenta Maeda further, given the reasonable rate (roughly $16 million per year) they attained Kazmir at.

Continue reading for the full press release.

The Los Angeles Dodgers today announced the signing of left-handed pitcher Scott Kazmir to a three-year contract.

Kazmir, 31, has a 98-90 career record with a 3.96 ERA in 272 games (271 starts) in 11 big league seasons, all in the American League, with the Rays (2004-09), Angels (2009-11), Indians (2013), Athletics (2014-15) and Astros (2015). The three-time All-Star (2006, ’08, ’14) has posted double-digit victories in seven of his 11 MLB seasons and has averaged nearly a strikeout per inning during the course of his career with 1,474 Ks in 1,553.1 innings, including a career high and AL-best 239 strikeouts in 2007 with Tampa Bay.

In 2015 with Oakland and Houston, Kazmir combined to post a 7-11 record with a 3.10 ERA in 31 starts, ranking among the AL’s best in ERA (4th), opponents’ batting average (.237, 15th) and WHIP (1.21, 15th). He produced a 43.4 groundball percentage and forced an average of 0.84 double plays per 9.0 innings, the eighth-highest mark in the AL.

Kazmir was originally selected by the Mets in the first round (15th overall) in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft out of Cypress Falls High School in Houston. He was subsequently acquired by the Rays on July 30, 2004 and made his big league debut on Aug. 23, 2004. 

To create room on the 40-man roster, Los Angeles designated outfielder Daniel Fields for assignment.

NEXT: Examining Koufax’s Off-Field Impact

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9 Comments

  1. According to MLB Trade Rumors, much of Kazmir’s money is deferred, so there should be some money left for Maeda. Going with five lefties would be strange, indeed, in the NL West. I’m hoping they may be including Wood in a trade for a younger right hander. 

    Best case for the Dodgers would be for Kazmir to have a good year and opt out. Given his propensity to decline as the season progresses, he’s not likely to be much good in years two and three.

    Assuming Kazmir pitches to form, this is only a marginal improvement in the team. He’s obviously no replacement for Greink (no one is), but he gives them depth and perhaps more room to trade away younger players for someone like Fernandez.

  2. I hope they trade Wood to Miami for Fernandez. I really don’t like the idea of Anderson going in as one of the starters ,again next year he’d probably better suited as a middle reliever ,than a stsrter .

  3. tonyz60chevy If they’re going to get Fernandez, Wood would be a throw-in. It would take five or six prospects. I doubt it will happen unless Fernandez goes into Loria’s office and threatens to hold his breath until he’s traded.

  4. I’m going to explain this deal for you, cause I doubt anyone else will see what they are doing in this kazmir deal. It is a 48 mil 3 year contract.The first year he gets 16 mil, then the next 4 years he gets 8 mil.He can opt out after 1 year, but if he does, he still gets the 4th and 5th year deferred payments, which would be another 16 mil, even if he only pitches 1 year for them.If he doesn’t opt out, then we get him for 2 more years, and he gets his 48 mil, which means he pitches for us for 2 more years for only 16 mil more.Its very doubtful that he does that, short of a serious injury, he could be a free agent next year, and get a good contract.He’s not going to pitch for 2 years a total of 16 mil, that is laughable these days. So the dodgers lose him to free agency next year, will still owe him 8 mil in 2019 and 2020, and when he signs with another team, they get their beloved sandwich pick after the first round.

    so everyone will say this is a 3 year deal, and I tell you it is a 1 year deal.

    why would the dodgers pay him 32 mil for 1 year which is greinke money…. it solves their need for a decent pitcher without having to pay the long term contract, the money is deferred 4 and 5 years ahead at no interest, which makes it cheaper, and they love to collect the high draft picks.

  5. JacksonEbner Your numbers are wrong. Not 32M for one year. Each individual year is 8M with 8M deferred. If he opts out he gets 16M — 8M in 2016, 8M in 2019.

    It’s 16M per with a one-year opt out.

    I’ll explain this deal for you: we’re stuck with Scott Kazmir for 3 seasons.

  6. bamaboy JacksonEbner History suggests Kazmir will opt out after one year barring serious injury or a really, really terrible season, regardless of the contract terms. Still, it’s interesting the Dodgers are deferring so much of the contract. It suggests ownership is more concerned about payroll that we might have thought.

    Any way you cut it, Kazmir is not a difference maker. He’s filing a hole, like Utley is filling a hole. It’s the end of December and the team still has too many other holes to fill: second base, leadoff hitter, bullpen, one more starter. 

    Except for the short-lived Chapman trade, the front office has basically fiddled around the edges, refusing any bold moves and basically standing pat. Two possible reasons: first, this is a transition (read: rebuilding) year, in which they start to integrate their beloved minor league prospects into the varsity, seeing if they are the real deal; second: having seen so many of their deals last year blow up in their faces (the Gordon trade; the McCarthy signing; the deadline deal with Atlanta and Miami, all those pitchers they signed who were coming off injuries), Friedman and Zaihi are paralyzed by fear that they will screw up again, and so do nothing.

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