After Some Doubt, Angels Acquire Scott Kazmir From Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays, 3 1/2 games out of the American League Wild Card, have given up with a little over a month remaining in the season.

Why do I say this? Well, they traded 25-year-old lefthanded starting pitcher Scott Kazmir, who, in spite of a uncharacteristically poor 5.29 ERA, has pitched well of late, to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for two prospects, pitcher Alexander Torres and third baseman Matt Sweeney.

They wanted to be rid of the remaining $20 million on his contract that ends after the 2011 season, and use the money elsewhere.

I understand that, but, given his recent success, why not showcase him in September, hope he can lead Tampa Bay into the playoffs, then field offers during the winter?

So, why did they trade Kazmir now? I haven’t the slightest idea.

Lyle Spencer, who writes for the Angels on MLB.com, reported at 1:00 Pacific Time that Anaheim was close to acquiring Kazmir, saying the Rays were “on the verge” of completing the trade for the two prospects previously mentioned.

Then, a half an hour later, ESPN’s Buster Olney and Sports Illustrated’s Jon Heyman both confirmed Spencer’s report.

So-called sources Spencer, Olney, and Heyman knew about the proposed deal, but interestingly enough, Kazmir did not.

According to Marc Topkin, a columnist for the St. Petersburg Times, at approximately 1:45, Kazmir was approached by a pair of writers in Tampa Bay’s clubhouse and was asked about the reported trade to Anaheim.

He hadn’t been informed about a possible trade, and apparently thought the writers were kidding. He thought it was some sort of joke, and had reason to.

His velocity is down a bit, and his strikeout rate hasn’t been what it was in season’s past, but both of these can be attributed to a variety of injuries he has suffered this season, most notably a quadriceps strain that likely weakened his drive to home plate.

So, the Rays brass would have to be out of their minds to trade him solely based on his underwhelming statistics this season.

Spencer then reported that the deal fell through. As far as he was concerned, Kazmir would remain a member of the Rays.

Upon reading this, I jumped to the conclusion that Tampa Bay pulled the plug and realized how important Kazmir, the healthy version who struck out 10 in his last outing, was to their team's success.

I figured their 32-year-old General Manager, Andrew Friedman, had come to his senses.

Then, 10 minutes after Spencer changed his report, Joel Sherman of the New York Post heard that a deal was in place and that Kazmir is “definitely going to the Angels.”

What made this so interesting is that neither team had confirmed anything. So, given this and Spencer’s initial report, I thought little of Sherman’s.

At 3:00 Pacific Time, a half an hour after Sherman’s report, Topkin said the deal would be completed within the hour. Yet, there was still no word from either the Rays or Angels.

At 4:00, by when Topkin said Kazmir would be an Angel, Topkin said that the move wouldn’t be made official until the conclusion of the Rays-Detroit Tigers game.

No one affiliated with the discussions has gone on the record confirming even talks between the Rays and Angels, yet, growing tiresome of all the speculation, I give in. I now consider Kazmir a member of the Angels.

So with this said, I feel comfortable analyzing the trade. This is a fantastic move for Anaheim, as they acquire a talented pitcher to add to their staff full of them.

Jered Weaver leads the team with 13 wins, a 4.06 ERA, and 145 strikeouts, while a pair of 30-year old’s, Matt Palmer and John Lackey have a combined 17-8 record and a 4.21 ERA.

Kazmir gives the Angels a fourth quality starter, something many other contending teams lack.

Though I believe the Rays could have received a better haul for Kazmir on the open market, they still did okay. They acquired a possible replacement in Torres, a 21-year old lefty who has the fifth most strikeouts among lefthanders, 145, in the minor leagues this season.

Sweeney also leaves the Angels system for Tampa Bay’s. The 21-year old played with Anaheim’s Single-A affiliate and possessed some power as well as terrific plate discipline, with a strikeout/walk ratio of 37:26 in 211 at-bats.

Whereas Torres could find his way onto Tampa Bay’s roster in 2010, Sweeney is farther off. If he makes the majors, he won’t be their third baseman, as Evan Longoria will hold down that position, but with his abilities, they’ll find a spot for him.

This move for the Rays gives them financial flexibility for the future and allows them to call up their third-ranked prospect, 23-year-old pitcher Wade Davis.

Yet, though there are many viable reasons for trading Kazmir, I am stunned they would give him up so willingly when they are right in the middle of the Wild Card hunt.

Sure they can bring up Davis, but they just gave up one of their better pitchers and one of their few reliable pieces that could have led them into the post-season.

Finally, at 7:43 Pacific Time, the LA Times’ Bill Shaikin reported that the Angels officially announced the acquisition of Kazmir. Officially, I can say they improve greatly, while the Rays puzzlingly throw away their chance to compete the rest of the way.