The resurgent Houston Astros traded for Oakland A’s left-hander Scott Kazmir on Thursday, kicking off a weeklong march to the July 31 deadline still teeming with gridlock because of persistent questions about which teams are buying and selling.
The 31-year-old Kazmir, struggling in an independent league as recently as 2012, joins an Astros team in need of pitching depth as it tries to catch the red-hot Los Angeles Angels, who surged to the American League West lead on the back of a seven-game winning streak. For two months of Kazmir, a free agent-to-be, Houston sent Class A right-hander Daniel Mengden and catcher Jacob Nottingham to Oakland.
In 18 starts this season, Kazmir is 5-5 with a 2.38 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 109⅔ innings. Because he was traded midseason, he will not be subject to a qualifying offer and thus will enter free agency unrestricted, a huge boon for him.
The rest of the pitching market will sort itself out in the coming days. Among the frontline starters available: Philadelphia’s Cole Hamels, Cincinnati’s Johnny Cueto and the White Sox’s Jeff Samardzija. Potentially throwing a wrench in the market: Detroit could still make David Price, one of the big leagues’ best pitchers, available if it decides to sell.
Oakland’s next moves are obvious: With Kazmir gone, utilityman Ben Zobrist and Tyler Clippard could follow in the coming days.
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