Yesterday we examined the possible trade candidates the Houston Astros might be targeting prior to the July 31 deadline. Oakland Athletics' starter Scott Kazmir was one of them and rumors indicate he may land in Houston if Billy Beane opts to trade him.
Kazmir is 3-4 with a 2.79 ERA and 1.197 WHIP in 12 starts for Oakland and he could be a top trade candidate at the deadline if the Athletics remain far out of the playoff picture by then. The A's are 27-39 (last in the American League) and sit 10.5 games behind the Houston Astros for first place in the AL West and 8.5 games behind the Minnesota Twins for the second wild-card spot.
Athletics' general manager Billy Beane has not indicated he's willing to make trades just yet, but previous rumors suggested Kazmir, Ben Zobrist, Tyler Clippard and others could be up for sale if the club can't catch up in the next month or so. Astros' general manager Jeff Luhnow said the team is open to upgrading the starting rotation at the trade deadline if Houston continues to be competitive over that same span.
Kazmir could be a target of Luhnow's for a few reasons.
"Not that he was ever off the radar, but teams wanted to see a healthy Kazmir after an elbow scare that caused him to miss one start," writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. "Over the next couple of weeks, Kazmir will be monitored by the many interested teams to make sure he remains healthy. But after his last start against the hot Rangers, when he went eight innings and threw 90 miles per hour early and 95 in the eighth inning, evaluators came away impressed."
*Note: Cafardo said Kazmir's "elbow issue," and it was actually a "shoulder issue."
We wrote that Kazmir is one of the most likely options for the Astros given his current limbo status with the A's as well as the value he'll command in a trade. Because he's not among the cream of the crop soon-to-be free agents (David Price, Johnny Cueto, Jordan Zimmermann, etc.) he won't require an excessive return like the others might. Additionally, baseball insider Peter Gammons provided some telling information after talking to executives.
Gammons tweeted that some general managers he has spoken with believe Kazmir (if made available in a trade) will land with Houston because the Astros need a starter like him, they almost signed him before the A's did during the 2014 offseason and he'd be in his hometown of Houston, TX, where there's no state income tax.
Kazmir appears to be the best choice for Houston given all the factors that come into play when making a trade. The left-hander will be closely monitored through the deadline even though it's unclear if he'll be dealt or not.
