Rays might be shopping Kazmir
Just a few years ago, Scott Kazmir was considered one of the rising star pitchers in the American League. Mets fans still regret the day their team traded Kazmir, once the Mets’ top pitching prospect, for middling pitcher Victor Zambrano.
But a bout of wildness, injuries and a pricy contract reportedly have the Tampa Bay Rays at least seeing what Kazmir might fetch on the market.
Tampa Bay is very interested in Toronto’s Roy Halladay and Cleveland’s Cliff Lee. Problem is, the Rays’ payroll is pretty locked in, so the team would need to trade an expensive player. That’s where Kazmir, who is 4-6 with a 6.69 ERA this season, fits in.
Lee, the 2008 Cy Young winner, is making $5.75 million in the final year of his contract and has a $9 million option for 2010. Halladay makes $14.25 million this season and $15.75 million in 2010 and has a no-trade clause. He would easily become the highest-paid player in Rays history should the team be able to acquire him.
Kazmir makes $6 million this year and has two years and $22.5 million left on his contract after this season, not counting an $800,000 bonus to be paid if he is traded away from the Rays.
Halladay reportedly has told several Tampa Bay players that he would waive his no-trade clause to play for the Rays. The pitcher resides in Odessa, Fla., just north of the Tampa Bay area. He has said he wants to play for a winner, and the Rays are the defending American League champions but sitting behind both Boston and the Yankees in the AL East.
Rays manager Joe Maddon said he couldn’t rule anything out when it comes to vice president Andrew Friedman.
“He’s got some interesting things out there,” Maddon said. “We’ve talked about different things. You know him. He’s always got good ideas, and he’s definitely willing to take the plunge if somebody else is.”
Reportedly the L.A. Angels are interested in Kazmir, and the Rays are currently scouting the Angels’ farm system. It makes sense on both sides. Kazmir is worth a risk for L.A., while Tampa Bay gets some payroll flexibility and still has plenty of top-flight pitching prospects in the minors to replace Kazmir even if the team doesn’t land Lee or Halladay.
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