Scott Kazmir to Astros: Latest Trade Details, Comments and Reaction

The Oakland Athletics elected to trade starting pitcher Scott Kazmir to the Houston Astros on Thursday in exchange for pitcher Daniel Mengden and catcher Jacob Nottingham, the Athletics announced.

It makes sense that Oakland would want to deal Kazmir away. The 31-year-old southpaw is a three-time All-Star whose contract expires after this season.

“I grew up being an Astros fan, watching Bagwell, Biggio, all those Killer B’s when I was a kid. It’s pretty special to come back," Kazmir said, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.

Kazmir posted a message thanking his former A's teammates, the organization and its fans:

Lev Facher of the San Francisco Chronicle provided comments from Billy Beane following the move:

Kazmir likely wouldn't have wanted to stick around with the A's unless their front office put together an unforeseen, tremendous sales pitch in the winter. Oakland is known for running a shoestring budget and would have been hard-pressed to meet his impending salary demands.

Houston may have its work cut out to keep Kazmir for the long haul as well. The Astros might just be renting him for the remainder of the 2015 campaign for a potential playoff push.

Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle reported Kazmir is expected to make his Astros debut in the series against the Kansas City Royals.

The lefty fills a massive need for Houston; outside of ace Dallas Keuchel and Lance McCullers, no Astros starter has an ERA under 4.25 on the season, according to ESPN.com. Kazmir slips immediately into the second spot in the rotation and will provide the sort of stability the unit has lacked all season long.

It seemed inevitable Kazmir would be moved at some point, as Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported that six teams were in attendance for the hurler's final start prior to the All-Star break. A left triceps issue caused him to leave the mound that day. Although Kazmir insisted it was "super minor," that's a bit of a risk Houston is taking on.

Zach Rymer of Bleacher Report noted the risk for the Astros:

Another possible red flag is that Kazmir's postseason record isn't too stellar. He's posted a 1-2 record in eight appearances with seven starts and a 5.20 ERA.

It's not a definitive sample size, and he has reinvented himself since his last playoff appearance in 2009, managing to still be effective despite diminished velocity.

The chance to just be in the hunt for the World Series may be enough to galvanize Kazmir. Going from an unpromising situation in Oakland to a club with at least a chance to snag the Commissioner's Trophy could lead him to play inspired baseball and close the year strong.

Kazmir has the incentives of a huge payday on the horizon and an opportunity to redeem his lackluster playoff resume with the Astros. Even if he doesn't stick with the club beyond the near future, what Houston had to give up for a possible brief stint may be well worth it if Kazmir has his best stuff down the stretch.