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Oakland Athletics pitcher Scott Kazmir was a late scratch from his scheduled spring training start against the Cubs on Monday due to stiffness in his left triceps.  

Jane Lee of MLB.com was the first to report Kazmir’s injury, news of which came less than a half hour away from the scheduled opening pitch:

Kazmir, 30, signed a two-year, $22 million contract with the Athletics last December. He is expected to be a vital part of Oakland’s starting rotation in 2014, though this would be far from the first time injuries have kept him on the shelf.

Athletics assistant general manager David Forst told gathered reporters that Kazmir’s injury is not expected to be serious, per Lee:

Joe Savery will start in Kazmir’s place against the Cubs. Overall, Monday was a day of massive concern across the Athletics organization. The team announced Jarrod Parker would “likely” miss the entire 2014 season due to an upcoming Tommy John surgery—the second of his young career. With A.J. Griffin also dealing with an injury, Oakland’s formerly robust rotation is suddenly starting to look a little thin.

While there are still some notable pitchers remaining on the open market, Forst told Joe Stiglich of Comcast SportsNet that the club has no plans on adding any pitching depth at this time. Guys like Jeff Karstens, himself trying to work back from an injury, could likely be available on the cheap. 

For now, though, it seems like the Athletics are comfortable enough with Kazmir’s prognosis they don’t feel the need to make any additions. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported Oakland is not ruling out starting Kazmir with one extra day of rest on Tuesday. 

Once one of the best young pitching prospects in baseball when coming up in the Rays organization, Kazmir’s career trajectory has been stunted by injuries for years. Though he never had the one debilitating injury, numerous shoulder and elbow ailments sapped the velocity from his fastball and put his career in jeopardy. 

While solid, if inconsistent during parts of five-plus seasons with the Rays, a trade to the Angels in 2009 proved disastrous. He went 9-15 with a 5.94 ERA during his only full campaign with Los Angeles in 2010 and started only one game a season later before being released. After the Angels cut him midway through 2011, Kazmir sat out the entire 2012 season while attempting to work on a comeback.

Salvation came with the Indians last season, where he turned a minor league contract into a renewed reputation. Flashing increased velocity and a seemingly renewed confidence, Kazmir went 10-9 with a 4.04 ERA and 1.32 WHIP. More importantly, he struck out more than a batter per inning and was nearly back to being a three-win pitcher, per FanGraphs.

Oakland’s relatively steep spending price means it’s expecting more of the same from Kazmir in 2014. Even though the team is saying all the right things now, hearing the words “injury” and “Kazmir” in the same sentence has to be cause for concern. Especially given the rest of the issues in the rotation, the Athletics better hope their initial prognosis is correct.  

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On the one hand, the moves made by Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane this winter seem out of character for a team that had a payroll of $61.9 million in 2013. The team has spent money to bring in an experienced closer in Jim Johnson and also signed free-agent starter Scott Kazmir.

The $32 million dollars of investment may not sound like a lot when it is compared to the spending of the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers this winter. But two of those teams reside in the AL West with the A’s and will likely continue to spend this season and next. 

What Oakland has done again is look at the market of players and their potential values.

The Baltimore Orioles viewed Johnson as too expensive an option for a team looking to save money this winter. Johnson is projected by MLB Trade Rumors’ Tim Dierkes to make $10.8 million this season through arbitration and then become a free agent. Johnson was traded to the A’s in a deal reported by Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal.

Instead of viewing Johnson’s one-year commitment as a negative, Beane has chosen again to view it as a strength. Johnson could be the piece to push the A’s over the top this season or he could be the piece to dangle at the trade deadline and get a huge return.

Oakland will be losing Grant Balfour and they are replacing him with a better pitcher. The cost was only Jemile Weeks, a player who never reached his potential in Oakland after a strong beginning in 2011. 

Selling a closer who has thrived in the tough AL East during his career and would only require a team to pay the remaining $5 million or so on his contract makes Johnson an extremely valuable commodity this summer. Six to eight teams could be in the market for someone like Johnson at the deadline. 

The 30-year-old Johnson is coming off of two seasons of 50-plus saves for the Orioles and should benefit moving into Oakland’s spacious stadium.

Signing Kazmir was first reported by ESPN’s Jim Bowden. The deal allowed the A’s to trade Brett Anderson to the Colorado Rockies in a move that was reported by Fox Sports’ Rosenthal.

Any move done by Oakland is done in conjunction with another move in mind. Anderson was a risk due to his injury history and his remaining $9.5 million salary. Trading Anderson now let Oakland get from underneath the majority of Anderson’s remaining salary, allowing the A’s to spend that money on the more dependable Kazmir. 

Kazmir pitched almost as many innings last season (158) as Anderson has pitched over the past three seasons (163). It is easy to understand why Oakland would want to move Anderson’s contract, especially after having spent $10.25 million over the past three seasons with very little return. Kazmir has had his injury struggles as well, but his fastball velocity seemed to return last season. 

Acquiring Kazmir also means that Oakland might be able to flip him during the the two-year contract, something the A’s always seem to be open to doing if it makes the team better.  

It’s not that Oakland is constantly looking to save money. The A’s are just looking to spend money on players who are more likely to return that investment. It’s how Oakland has managed to stay one step ahead of the MLB landscape. 

*Information used from Cot’s Baseball Contracts/Baseball Prospectus, Tim Dierkes/MLB Trade Rumors, Ken Rosenthal/Fox Sports, Baseball Reference, Jim Bowden/ESPN

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Last Saturday, we saw Scott Kazmir take the mound in an MLB game for the first time since 2011. What we saw was nothing short of scary. 

For me to sit back and criticize is not right. I’ve endured brutal experiences on the mound and completely understand the feeling you get when you work so hard for something have nothing to show for it. 

I have documented Kazmir’s return to the pros for many months and have written countless articles stemming from being released by the Los Angeles Angels, to his redemption story with the Sugar Land Skeeters. 

Kazmir proved his worth to the Cleveland Indians this spring going 1-0 with a 3.46 ERA in 13 innings. His fastball showed increased velocity and his command was back in check. He allowed one walk while striking out 13. 

His first start was postponed due to an abdominal injury—as reported by CBS Sports—resulting in an April 20 start in Houston against the newly relocated Astros. Kazmir was handed a 14-0 lead, and less than four innings later was removed from the game, charged with six runs on eight hits, allowing two home runs while striking out four and walking three. 

Obviously, this was not what anyone wanted, but that was only one game in a career that has seen many. 

Saturday, we’ll see Kazmir toeing the rubber, this time against the Kansas City Royals, in Kansas City. Let’s hope that with one start out of the way the nerves and location problems are a thing of the past. 

Throughout the latter part of his stint in Sugar Land and in his five starts in Puerto Rico, his strikeouts were up and walks were down. His rehab start with Columbus on April 15 was much of the same; five innings pitched, one run, five strikeouts and no walks. 

If you break down the numbers even further (courtesy of FanGraphs), you see that his fastball has picked up over four mph to top out at 90.7 mph. And his contact% (Total percentage of contact made when swinging at all pitches) is 79 percent, currently the lowest it’s been since 2008. 

I believe we will see flashes of the Kazmir of old against the Royals Saturday. Kauffman Stadium is a little more spacious and that short porch in left is non existent. The Royals’ bigger names are left-handed (Gordon, Hosmer, Moustakas), so his numbers should become more respectable after Saturday. 

It has been a long road back but we shouldn’t judge him on one game.

Devon can be reached at devon@thegmsperspective.com. You can follow the GM’s Perspective on Twitter and Facebook.

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Scott Kazmir wants to be the fifth starter for the Cleveland Indians.

After Monday’s four–inning, scoreless performance against the Los Angeles Angels, he may have made a successful case.

Against a full roster—minus Albert Pujols and Mike Trout—Kazmir shut the Angels down.

In his stint, Kazmir allowed three hits, walked one and struck out four in what ended up to be a scoreless tie. If Indians manager Terry Francona thought he had a hole at the back end of his rotation, Kazmir’s outing may have started to fill it.

A non-roster invitee, the 29-year-old left-handed starter is looking to earn his way back into the major leagues. The first-round pick of the New York Mets in 2002, Kazmir made the majors two years later as a member of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

By 2007—his third full season—Kazmir started a league-leading 34 games and led the American League in strikeouts with 239. After making back-to-back All-Star games in 2007 and 08, Kazmir was a leading member of the Rays team that won the pennant.

It was in that World Series, however, Kazmir showed major control problems which, along with injuries, led to his departure out of Major League Baseball. In two starts against the Philadelphia Phillies, Kazmir walked 10 in just 10.1 innings.

Traded to the Angels in 2009 at the deadline, Kazmir found his way with six magnificent starts down the stretch. A terrible postseason and a dreadful 2010, along with some injuries, cost him his job with Los Angeles.

He has spent the last two years outside the big leagues. In fact, last year, he pitched for the Atlantic League’s Sugar Land Skeeters. With a record of 3-6 and an ERA of 5.34, it looked like Kazmir’s dream of coming back was done.

The Cleveland Indians, however, invited him a spot at spring training and he has taken every advantage.

Coming into Monday’s start, Kazmir had pitched four scoreless innings in two relief appearances, giving up no walks and two hits while striking out five.

In his start against the Angels, Kazmir mixed the speed of his pitches well and had very good movement. When he did allow baserunners on, he pitched around trouble effectively and had batters strikeout.

After that performance, he told Cleveland.com’s Glenn Moore that he wanted the job.

Once considered by Baseball America as the No. 7 prospect in all of baseball before the 2005 season, Kazmir can deliver the goods, if healthy.

He may not be able to ever throw 200 innings or contend in the strikeout race again, but good left-handed pitching is very hard to find. Kazmir could be on the verge of reinventing himself into a much-needed commodity.

If so, then the Indians are the lucky beneficiaries. 

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The comeback continues, and for the second time this spring Scott Kazmir has held his opponent scoreless. 

It’s a long shot that Kazmir could make the starting rotation, but there is also nothing that says he can’t. 

Against the Chicago White Sox Friday, Kazmir went two innings, struck out three, gave up one hit and for the second time did not walk anyone. That, in my eyes, is the biggest factor. 

Kazmir has struggled in recent years with control problems. If he can harness his fastball—that appears to be creeping up in velocity—and continue to throw strikes, there’s no telling how far he can go. 

According to Paul Hoynes of the The Plain Dealer, Kazmir hit between 90-92 mph on the gun Friday. 

In addition, Cleveland Indians Manager Terry Francona, who was quoted in The News-Herald, had nothing but good things to say about Kazmir’s recent performances:

“He’s interesting,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “There’s not a lot of effort, and the ball is coming out really nice. That’s a good combination.”

In two outings so far this spring, the former first-round draft pick has tossed four innings, surrendered two hits and struck out four without walking a batter.

Devon can be can be reached at devon@thegmsperspective.com. You can follow the GM’s Perspective on Twitter and Facebook. His full bio can be seen here.

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The Cleveland Indians signed left handed starting pitcher Scott Kazmir to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training, according to Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer.

At one point in his career, Scott Kazmir was one of the best left-handed pitchers in the American League. Initially a product of the New York Mets farm system, Kazmir left for Tampa Bay after being acquired in the Victor Zambrano trade in July of 2004. That deal haunted fans in Flushing for years.

By the end of the 2004 season, Kazmir made his big league debut. By 2005, he was a Rookie of the Year candidate. In 2006, he made his first All-Star team.

In 2008, he was an All-Star once again, leading the league in strikeouts. He helped pitch the Tampa Bay Rays first into the playoffs as a Division Champion. Then in Game 2 of the 2008 Division Series against the Chicago White Sox, Kazmir got the win over Mark Buehrle. He would go on to start Game 1 of the World Series.

By the end of 2009, he was dealt to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and pitched well in his six starts. He would pitch in the Division Series and ALCS for the second-straight year. 

By the start of the 2010 season, he was an established big league starter and only 26 years old. 

Then the wheels came off. Hamstring and shoulder issues contributed to a dreadful 2010 season. His 5.94 ERA was the worst in baseball for qualifying pitchers.

According to Kevin Baxter of The Los Angeles Times, the Angels sent Kazmir to an extensive offseason workout program between the 2010 and 2011 seasons. The results were disastrous. He pitched a single game in April of 2011 where he could not get out of the second inning. As of this writing, he has not thrown a pitch in the majors since.

The Angels eventually released Kazmir, eating more than $14 million in the process.

After stops in the Domincan Republic and an Independent League in 2012, Kazmir wants to climb back to the big leagues.

With a starting staff, according to MLB.com, that includes the likes of Justin Masterson, Brett Myers, Ubaldo Jimenez and Carlos Carrasco, the Indians rotation has some question marks of their own. 

Kazmir represents a low-risk and low-cost option for the Indians. But if he works out, the Indians will have picked up a left-handed starter who has been an All-Star multiple times, has postseason experience and is still under 30.

That would be quite an upside if he pans out.

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It appears the comeback is complete. 

After spending time in the Independent Leagues with the Sugar Land Skeeters and more recently in the Winter Leagues honing his craft, Scott Kazmir is back. 

According to Cleveland.com, ESPN and multiple other reports, Kazmir signed a minor league deal with the Cleveland Indians and is invited to spring training. Pitchers and catchers are to report on February 10 in Arizona. 

It really has been a long road for Kazmir, who was once a highly touted first-round pick out of the New York Mets organization. 

Kazmir is still amongst the all-time leaders in Tampa Bay Rays history, sitting in the top five in multiple categories, including wins, games started, innings pitched, strikeouts and k/9 (statistics courtesy of MLB.com). Unfortunately, control issues and injuries set off a chain of events that led to an unsuccessful stint with the Los Angeles Angels and then put him completely out of the game. 

Fortunately, the Independent Leagues have a funny way of accentuating the positives of players who were overlooked by MLB teams in the draft or resurrecting the careers of people who were lost and forgotten. 

The Sugar Land Skeeters took a flier on Kazmir this past year, and despite some rough patches that included a nine-walk performance against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, he regained the form that once made him an All-Star, leading to people around the game to again take notice. 

In 14 games with the Skeeters, he put together a 3-6 record with a 5.34 ERA, with 51 strikeouts in 64 innings, and walks, his Achilles heel, were under control for the second half of his Skeeters season, as he allowed three walks or less in five of his six final starts. 

His progress was seemingly overshadowed by the performances of Jason Lane, who just signed with the Minnesota Twins and Roger Clemens, who started a comeback trail of his own. Yet Kazmir, determined to get back to the Show, continued his comeback, joining the Gigantes de Carolina of the Puerto Rican Winter League. 

In five starts spanning 22 innings, he went 0-2 with a 4.37 ERA, which was nothing earth-shattering, but if you read between the lines—eight walks and 22 strikeouts—there is much more there than what the win/loss record suggests. 

A decrease in velocity, which was once a negative in the later part of his career, has also shown resurgence. According to Kazmir’s Twitter account and reports through Jon Heyman of CBS, he was once again touching between 90 mph and 94 mph on the radar gun. 

Much of this hype gained some steam during the baseball Winter Meetings held in Nashville. Many rumours were swirling that a variety of teams were interested (previously reported by The GM’s Perspective), and it appears the rumours were true! 

Everyone looks for a comeback story, and this one fits the mould perfectly.

Devon is a manager at a financial institution in Northern Ontario, Canada, and he can be reached at devon@thegmsperspective.com. You can follow the GM’s Perspective on Twitter and Facebook. His full bio can be seen here.

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After parts of three disastrous years in Los Angeles, Scott Kazmir was finally released. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pitcher who wasn’t injured whose skills just evaporated as much as they did for Scott,” Scioscia said. “He’d long-toss 240 feet, and you can’t be hurt and do that. Then he’d get on the mound and try to translate that energy into a pitch, and it wasn’t there.” 

The quote by current Angels manager Mike Scioscia pretty much sums it up. 

Kazmir’s struggles have been well document since being traded by the Rays, but no one could have foreseen how fast his downfall has been. From nagging injuries, to inconsistencies in the strike zone, this former first-round pick will need someone to take a flyer on him to get him back where he once was. 

When Kazmir burst on the scene with the Rays in 2004, everyone took notice, and he quickly became the Rays No. 1  guy, becoming a rock for a team desperate for success. 

That all began to change when the Rays did finally accomplish their goal of reaching the playoffs. Looking back now, hindsight is 20/20. Back then you couldn’t imagine the struggles he would encounter after leaving the only team he has ever known. 

From 2006 until 2008, Kazmir’s ERA steadily crept above 3.00. In today’s game, anything under 4.00 will get you a hefty sized contract.

And after spending part of the ’09 season with Tampa, all the warning signs unfortunately came to fruition; an ERA near 6.00, a career high in WHIP (1.541), a noticeable decrease in K/9, increase in BB/9 and a continued decrease in velocity. 

He did turn some heads in LA going 2-2 and keeping his ERA under 2.00 in six starts. He was largely ineffective in his only playoff appearance with them which was obviously a lead-in to what 2010/2011 had in store. 

I have been following Kazmir and his efforts to regain his old form for nearly two years now and what has always jumped out on the page was the reduced velocity which seemingly breaks down your other abilities.

Even since that first article, the reduction continues. “A once dominant fastball (93.7 mph) and slider (84.0 mph) have turned relatively common; 90.5 mph and 80.9 mph.” In 2011, a fastball that was consistently in the mid-90’s was now a pedestrian 86 mph. 

Career worst’s in nearly all facets of his game were witnessed last year in one of the nastiest seasons in memory for any pitcher. Kazmir went 9-15, after allowing a career high in HR/9, BB/9 and career lows in K/9. He was also third in the AL with 12 hit batters. 

When it gets that bad, the whole league is aware of your struggles; when you are around the plate they crush it, when you miss they lay off, your fastball and change-up are nearly identical when it crosses the plate and troubles around the strike zone up your pitch count. 

The 2011 campaign did not start off any better. 

“Kazmir’s performance against the Kansas City Royals leads us to believe that he is on a mighty short leash after giving up five runs in less than two innings. Making matters worse, his control issues have not subsided as evidenced with nearly half of his pitches thrown for balls (63-35).” 

If things couldn’t get any worse, his assignment to the Angels’ triple-A affiliate was the final death knell for his comeback: 0-5, 17.02 ERA, 15.1 IP, 22 hits, 20 BB, 14 K, .355 BA 

At 27, a career can’t be finished. There has to be some gas left in the tank, there has to be. Maybe this is exactly what Kazmir needs at this point in his career. Wipe your hands clean and start over.   

This will not be the last time we will hear from this southpaw whose slider, when on, is pure filth. For someone who has self-destructed on live television and comes back for more will not allow this to get in the way. 

Scott Kazmir obviously has the heart of champion, a true competitor that, as he has shown, will face adversity head-on and do everything in his power to turn it around. 

Baseball is a funny game, and we all like underdogs! You just never know.

Devon is the founder of The GM’s Perspective

Devon is a former professional baseball player with the River City Rascals& Gateway Grizzlies, and is now an independent scout.

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The first week of the 2011 Major League Baseball season is well underway. The first series are in the books, and with them, fans across the country are showing their first signs of panic.

Out in Anaheim, things are no different. At least for the fans.

Optimists draw parallels to the 2002 season, when the Angels lost 14 of their first 20 games before roaring back to a 99-win season and the franchise’s first World Series Championship.

Pessimists fear the similarities with last season, when a solid Opening Day victory lead to three straight losses to the Minnesota Twins, setting the tone for a frustrating year in every aspect.

The realists, however, understand that although the start hasn’t been pretty, no baseball season was ever won or lost before tax day. Realists can appreciate that while changes may need to be made, the year is far from over.

Realists like Mike Scioscia.

The Angels skipper, regarded as one of the game’s best, is typically a slow mover when it comes to making roster moves. Particularly this early in the season, and especially when it involves an emotional response to painful losses.

But even Scioscia couldn’t sit idly by and watch his relievers continue to destroy the good work done by the offense and starting pitching.

After suffering through their team’s first losing season in seven years, he watched his bullpen fritter away three games in what could have easily been a four-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals.

In all three losses, the Royals scored the go-ahead run in their final at-bat. Twice, the bullpen surrendered walk-off home runs, breaking both fans’ hearts and coaches’ patience.

Now, that’s not to say Angel batters couldn’t improve, and Scott Kazmir certainly didn’t do himself any favors by giving up five runs in less than two innings.

What it does suggest is things haven’t changed for some Angels from last season, and that is unacceptable in Scioscia’s eyes.

He immediately dropped a long-struggling Fernando Rodney from the closer’s role, inserted young fireballer Jordan Walden in his place, and put Kazmir on notice. One more start like he had on Sunday, and the former ace will find himself bounced from the starting rotation.

These changes are far from the panicked, knee-jerk reactions some fans have had already. They are the measured, calculated, and perfectly executed plans of a savvy dugout politician.

Scioscia knows this Angels roster has its work cut out for it in the AL West. But he is not going to let his boys go down without a fight.

Rodney and Kazmir are pitching like they’re in competition to see who can put the most men on base in the fewest innings. Allowing that to continue would be as devastating to players’ morale as it would be to their win-loss record.

Need proof? One day after Scioscia’s intervention, the Angels cruised to a 5-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, capped off by a 1-2-3 ninth inning from new closer Walden.

The last time that happened, Francisco Rodriguez was still on good terms with his father-in-law.

It’s time to relax, Angels fans. It’s April. There are 157 more days and nights of emotional anguish ahead. And Mike Scioscia will be there to see us through it all.

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When Los Angeles Angels’ manager Mike Scioscia announced last Thursday that starting pitcher Scott Kazmir would open the season as a member of the starting rotation, he was asked by reporters whether or not Kazmir had earned the spot.

“Earned?” Scioscia said. “Define ‘earned.’”

Not exactly a stirring vote of confidence.

However, Kazmir, who struggled last season with a 9-15 record and a 5.94 ERA, is owed $14.5 million this season.

Considering what the Angels gave up in return for him, they are not quite ready to give up on the enigmatic southpaw right away.

However, the wait won’t be long.

The Angels have one of the better starting rotations in the American League with their top four pitchers (Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, Ervin Santana, Joel Pineiro).

But the last thing the Angels can afford is to wonder whether or not they’ll have struggles every fifth day with Kazmir on the mound.

“He’s tried a lot of things, but there hasn’t been one simple adjustment he’s been able to make that has brought consistency,” Scioscia told the Los Angeles Times. “We need it. He needs it. We’re past the point of development. We need him to pitch the way he’s capable of pitching.”

If Kazmir is unable to right the ship and return to his form from 2006 to 2008, when he was one of the more dominant left-handed pitchers in baseball, the Angels will need to look for a dependable arm to replace him in the rotation.

Here are five options.

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