Full Reaction To Kazmir Trade: Salary Dump And The Rise Of Wade Davis?
by RZ on August 29, 2009
Well the Scott Kazmir era in Tampa Bay is over. After a little more than five years and 55 wins, Kazmir has been traded to the Los Angeles Angels for minor leaguers 3B Matt Sweeney and LHP Alexander Torres plus a player to be named later. Here is the info on those two prospects from the Rays
Torres, 21, is a combined 13-4 with a 2.75 ERA (147.1 IP, 45 ER) in 26 appearances (24 starts) between Rancho Cucamonga and Arkansas (AA) this season. He went 10-3 with a 2.74 ERA (121.1 IP, 37 ER) for Rancho Cucamonga, earning California League All-Star honors and a July 31 promotion to Arkansas, where he went 3-1 with a 2.77 ERA (26-IP, 8-ER). Overall he has 149 strikeouts in 147.1 innings, while limiting opponents to only four home runs and 116 hits, good for a .222 opponents’ average. The Valencia, Venezuela native will report to Montgomery (AA).
Sweeney, 21, hit .299 (63-for-211) this season for Rancho Cucamonga (A) with nine homers, 44 RBIs, a .379 on-base pct. and .517 slugging pct. while playing third base and designated hitter.
The left-handed hitter was sidelined the entire 2008 season while recovering from ankle surgery, and this year spent more than two months on the disabled list with a right hip injury. The two-time Minor League All-Star was selected in the eighth round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft out of Rockville, Md. He will report to Charlotte (A).
Although the details of the entire trade are not released at this point, it is safe to assume that the Angels will picking up Kazmir’s contract for the rest of this season and his next two years of his contract. Purely a salary dump in my opinion.
Kazmir has bounced back tremendously from an early season leg injury, with his strikeout climbing back up and his walk rate going down. And it wasn’t like Kazmir was really that bad going into this season. This leads me to think that the Rays Front Office were willing, no, going to trade Kazmir this offseason. His contract will have him take $8 million in 2010 and $10 million in 2011. And according to Cot’s Contracts, he actually gets $800 thousand bonus for being traded. This sheds some payroll for several players, or keeping couple more around for 1-2 more years past free agency (long term contract?). Although that will wait till the offseason.
The return for Kazmir doesn’t look to promising in the short term. But the Rays acquired young talent, a couple 21 year olds that look like big hit or miss guys. A nice hard throwing lefty that is even shorter than Kazmir (Torres is 5′10” and Kaz is a generous 6 foot) and a third baseman that has pop potential but will likely won’t stick at third in the Majors (Longoria). Then the player to be named who can range from middle level prospect, an older one in Brandon Wood, to some player no one has ever heard of. I am sure Burgi will give us more insight in this trade and the future third player soon.
The pain fans feel is the long attachment they have had with Kazmir for the past five years. The ace for three seasons has been steadily pushed behind newer Rays James Shields and Matt Garza. Not to mention a now harder throwing lefty and former #1 pick in David Price. Kaz has seemed to fallen out of place with Wade Davis and Jeremy Hellickson and the 15 other future Major League starters in the Rays minor league system waiting to get their shot this year or next.
I loved Scott Kazmir. He was the pitcher to get excited about in the darker years of the Rays from 2005-2007. The future ace. The one who would entice you to go to the Trop and see him pitch. He was a joy to watch pre-2008, using his mid-90s fastball and devastating slider to get past even the best of hitters. Yet somehow Kazmir couldn’t reach his full potential as he struggled with pitch counts, inconsistent offenses, and a really bad bullpen in 2007.
Still very young at 25 years old. Kazmir was getting money most Major League player wish they were being paid at any point in their careers. But the Rays front office had a choice to make and decided to punch the gun to free payroll, acquire talent, and possibly pass the torch on to some one else.
That torch should be passed on to a starter who has been making a name for himself at Durham: Wade Davis. The man with a mid-90s fastball and top notch power curve, not to mention his “tough as nails” demeanor on the mound. He looks to be David Price’s twin. A nice one-two combo on the top of the rotation, a power lefty and power righty.
Indications from the Durham Bulls is that Wade Davis is more likely to be called up than Andy Sonnanstine. The Durham Bulls had a this tweet last night:
We are also having a major press conference on Saturday at 2:00. Check our website tomorrow afternoon for multiple exciting announcements.
Hopefully one of the exciting announcements includes a Wade Davis callup, with the press conference likely a team oriented one but you never know . The Bulls have leaked some behind the scenes moves on Twitter before so exciting must equal Davis rather than Sonny.
As for Kazmir, I will miss him dearly as a Rays fan. But if this helps out the Rays this year, more likely financially next year and the years following, i have full confidence with the Rays Front Office in their our quest for a World Series title. Good luck to Scott in LA, maybe take a win or two away from the Rangers, and maybe see him in the playoffs.
That would be fantastic.
