Results tagged ‘ Scott Kazmir ’
Familiar Face
VS 
The Rays took off on this 9-game road trip with high hopes in mind.
They had not fared well in the past on the West Coast, but this was not the typical Rays team. They were leaner, meaner, and playing the best baseball in the franchise’s history.
The trip began with a roar, as the Rays won the series with the Seattle Mariners and took the first game in dramatic fashion from the Oakland A’s.
Then the bottom fell out.
A poor showing on Saturday was followed by, well, the game that must not be named. A loss to the Angels in Anaheim and you suddenly have something the Rays have not experience this season.
A 3-game losing streak.
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Kaz Attack
The Rays will be taking on the guy who set pretty much every single franchise pitching record before he was traded to these Angels late in August last season.
Scotty Kazmir.
Lots of talk has been thrown around about how the Rays hitters will find it difficult to refrain from laughing when they step into the batters box against their longtime former teammate. Kazmir has said that he will simply look at the catcher’s glove so that he does not break down laughing.
Kazmir fared very well during his regular season time with the Angels last year, going 2-2 with an ERA in the high 1′s. He fell apart during the post season to the tune of an ERA above 7 in two starts.
He hasn’t done much better this season, entering the game with 2-2 record and yet another 7.11 ERA. It’s ugly, but it is typical Kaz. He doesn’t start well and ends up getting beaten when he starts to nibble at the corners and throws foul ball after foul ball.
Apparently, a reunion with former pitching coach Mike Butcher has not cured Kaz’s ills as most thought it would.
The Rays have done poorly against lefties this season (yes, that perfecto thrown at them by the A’s was thrown by a, gulp, lefty).
Kaz is a lefty.
Manager Joe Maddon is 1-14 in Anaheim against his former team.
They are in Anaheim.
Surely, those do not bode well for the Rays’ chances tonight.
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No Sentimentality
I cannot say that I feel very sentimental about tonight’s game against Kazmir.
I was one of the people who did not want Kazmir to go when he was traded last last season. I thought that the Rays were still in the race and that this trade pretty much was them throwing in the towel.
However, after finding out that the Rays were going to receive youngster Sean Rodriguez as the player ot be named later, I rejoiced. The Rays were going to lose Akinori Iwamura (sniff) and Rodriguez’s possible 20 hr power was very attractive.
Kazmir was nothing but frustrating near the end of his career with the Rays, failing to throw strike and letting the other team’s bats hit the ball (fair or foul) way too often. It was a common occurrance to see Kaz with 100 pitches in the 4th inning.
Those made for some very long, and very boring, games to watch.
I hope that he gets it together out west before he is shipped to the bullpen for the remainder of his career.
But, of course, he DOES play for the other team.
So tonight I hope we destroy him.
Sorry, Kaz.
Jamie Gets Another Opening Day
Joe Maddon just named the guy who will toe the mound on Opening Day 2010 against the Baltimore Orioles.
It seems a little anti-climactic, but I am sure you can guess who it is.
For the third season in a row, James “Don’t Call Me Jamie” Shields will open the season for the Tampa Bay Rays. His third appearance on Opening Day breaks a record he had held with Scott Kazmir and Wilson Alvarez.
Shields is coming off of a slightly disappointing season where he got double-digit wins (11) again, but also got double-digit losses (12). HIs ERA of 4.14 is much higher than it should be for a true #1 starter.
So what can we expect from the righty with the devestating changeup?
Here is what Shields has done in his first two Opening Day assignments.
2008
@ Balt 7.0 IP 5 H 2 ER 3 BB 2 K Win Rays Win 6-2
2009
@ Bos 5.1 IP 9 H 5 ER 5 BB 2 K Loss Rays Lose 5-3 (2 HR given up)
You have to admit, those are two very different starts. Then again, you have to admit that those are two very different types of teams. Neither of those previous statements bode well for the Rays on Opening Day 2010.
Overall, here are Jamie’s stats on Opening Day:
1-1 Record 12.1 IP 14 H 7 ER 8 BB 4 K 5.20 ERA 1.81 WHIP
Those numbers are tough to look at.
However, let’s keep in mind that each of those starts occurred on the road. And one of those starts, against the Orioles, was against the team that he will face on Opening Day this year.
That is the beauty of baseball, isn’t it? You can look at numbers and feel just sick to your stomach, or you can bend them a little bit to make you feel a little better.
I prefer to bend ‘em like Beckham, so to speak.
Shields is going to nail down the first Rays win of 2010 on Opening Day.
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On a side note.
I want one…
Long John’s Power Stroke
Through the first three games of the exhibition season the Rays saw many balls fly over the outfield fences. While most of them were hit by the team they played back to back, the Baltimore Orioles, three of the dingers came from one of the newer Rays on the roster:
Sean John Rodriguez.
This guy has a lot of pressure on him.
Think about it.
–He was brought to St. Pete in exchange for one of the most popular–and successful–Rays of all time, Scott Kazmir.
–He has been said to have the potential to knock 20 dingers per year.
–He can fill one of the Rays’ biggest holes in 2010–second base–now that Aki has been dealt and the Rays might want to see Ben Zobrist in right field.
No doubt, Rodriguez can be something of a godsend for the Rays in 2010. Should he be successful in Spring Training, the Rays will find themselves with the ability to wait on Matt Joyce to mature and give Reid Brignac a chance to play everyday at AAA.
But is it fair to look at Rodriguez’s three long balls and see him as on track to breaking camp with the big club?
The wind in Florida has been gusting. That is putting it mildly. Around town you see signs blown over and trash strewn about because just about everything is getting knocked around by the wind.
That includes fly balls.
Manager Joe Maddon has said that if the Rays had hit more fly balls they would have had many more home runs than they do now.
That reasoning would have to apply to the young second baseman’s three dingers so far in this spring.
So perhaps we should not read too much into the early success of Rodriguez’s big stick, but it can’t be too terrible to dream.
After all, if it were the regular season he’d be on pace for 162 home runs.
Not too shabby…
Five Battles to Watch for in Spring Training
As Spring Training approaches (not fast enough, despite my Indianapolis Colts’ moving the Bowl of all Bowls), there are several areas on the Tampa Bay Rays that are in need of shoring up. These five areas certainly “ray-se” concerns among fans, and failure for Andrew Friedman and company to address them may result in a long summer for the Boys in Blue.
Here are the five key areas of consternation heading into these few weeks before pitchers and catchers report:
DH
Rays fans loved Pat Burrell in 2009.
He did an amazing job of keeping those in attendance at the Trop cool every night as the human oscillating fan. Hearing Dwayne Staats announce, “Swing and a miss,” with regards to Burrell never got old. Wait…it did.
No folks, “The Bat” was far from a fan fave-the typical fate of so many .221, 14 hr, 64 RBI guys making 9 million dollars. As of this moment Burrell is still a Ray-not for lack of trying, though. While the much maligned Milton Bradley’s name was bandied about as a possible replacement at DH, nothing happened. Tough to know whether that was for the best or not.
The question remains, though: Who will fill the DH role in 2010? There is no clear cut answer. It seems unlikely that Tampa Bay will look to free agency to find a Burrell replacement. The addition of closer Rafael Soriano and the resigning of Kelly Shoppach pretty much ate up the petty cash lying around Stuart Sternberg’s office. Promoting from within might occur, with Willy Aybar itching for a chance to play every day. A Burrell trade could happen too, but the price tag for the 33-year-old veteran might be a little high for most teams.
Perhaps Rays fans should prepare for another breezy summer inside the Trop.
2B
This position was occupied by several people in 2009. Akinori Iwamura was certainly one of the Rays’ most beloved second basemen of all time (sorry, Brent Abernathy). However, he is now gone, doomed to the Sarlaac Pitt. Other second basemen of 2009 include Reid Brignac, Joe Dillon, Willy Aybar (what an experiment in futility that was) and the great Ben Zobrist.
While Zobrist may very well become the Rays everyday 2B in 2010, there could be a problem should Zorilla be moved to right field instead. Brignac probably will not be the every day answer-though it would be neat to see him break camp as the starter so we can see what he can do with consistent at bats-so the Rays might just consider the recently acquired Sean Rodriguez.
Side Note: I know that every team wishes they had a player with the last name “Rodriguez” simply so they can take that player’s first initial and add it to “Rod,” ala “A-Rod.” But, seriously, Rays fans, let’s please avoid calling him S-rod, ok?
Rodriguez has some serious pop (easily 20 hr power) and shouldn’t be a defensive liability should he take over the 2B position. I am sure that the Rays see him as a long term answer at that spot in the infield, but it will remain to be seen if Andrew Friedman and Joe Maddon will give the youngster the green light coming out of Spring Training. If he can win the job when the team breaks from Port Charlotte, many things would be cleared up as Zorilla’s move to right would be set.
RF
Should S-Rod (oops!) take the 2B competition, the question of who will be the next right fielder becomes simple arithmatic.
Zobrist’s bat and strong arm at the corner outfield position would be a perfect fit. He would seemingly complete one of the better outfields in the majors and finally settle the revolving door that the Rays have had at that position for years.
However, if Zobrist were forced to man the 2B position because Rodriguez was not ready for the majors and Reid Brignac was, well, the same ol’ Reid Brignac-a move that Maddon may not frown upon as much as may be thought-then the Rays could potentially be in trouble in right.
In the offseason they unloaded one of the Gabes (both Kapler and Gross were really one entity in 2009, but the Kap has stuck around for about a million in 2010) which means more playing time for Kap-should he earn it. But his struggles with righties means that the Rays will have only 1/2 of a right fielder-not ideal.
Right fielders in waiting (for how long is to be determined) might be Matt Joyce, Justin Ruggiano, Fernando Perez, and Desmond Jennings, but it is difficult to determine whether or not any are ready to be with the big club. Jennings, Ruggiano, and Perez may be better suited for CF, which limits thier contributions to RF to a simple “fill in” status from time to time.
Joyce was a big part of last year’s Edwin Jackson trade, a trade that Maddon has consistently said may work in the Rays favor despite Jackson’s double digit wins and All-Star appearance in 2009 and Joyce’s almost season-long stint at Durham. Will this be the year that Joyce shows his own All-Star potential and takes the right field spot by force?
If Rodriguez could take over 2B and Joyce was the every day RF (or at least could platoon with Kapler) then that might give Maddon the option of using Zobrist as that super-sub again-something that certainly worked in the past. Perfect scenario? Maybe, maybe not. It would seem that Zobrist would prefer to have his position staked out beforehand so he could maintain his focus throughout the long season.
This might be the most contentious position battle as we near spring training. However, the emergence of either Joyce or Rodriguez will clear everything up quickly.
5th starter
The Rays seem to have gotten their money’s worth (we hope) in the Scott Kazmir deal. Adding the highly touted Sean Rodriguez and the potential of lefty Alex Torres and infielder Matt Sweeney (the biggest Sweeney) has put the Rays in a great position for the future.
However, after moving Mitch Talbot to Cleveland in the Kelly Shoppach trade (he was the player to be named later) the Rays find themselves potentially a little thin in big league ready starters.
Sure, the rotation looks fine at the top with James “Big Game” Shields and Matt “Just As Big Of A Game” Garza. Spots 3 and 4 should be fine with David Price and Jeff Nieman, especially if both build on their 2009 performances.
But where do the Rays go from there?
At the moment the 5th spot is manned by Wade Davis, but he was hardly consistent in his 6 starts last season in spite of his 2-2 record and 3.72 ERA. While he struck out an impressive 36 in 36 1/3 innings, he also had games where he simply blew up.
If Davis does win the 5th spot, who do the Rays turn to should somebody or, God forbid, two somebodys get injured? In the wings stand Jeremy Hellickson (he might be ready sooner than we think-hopefully) and-<gulp>-Andy Sonnanstine. Not exactly a scenario that inspires great confidence.
The likelihood of the Rays adding a 5th starter via free agency seem small, though veterans such as Vicente Padilla and Joel Pineiro might be interesting (both would likely expect more than the Rays could afford).
At the moment it seems that Joe Maddon’s squad will be content with the arms they have and head into Spring Training hoping for two things: 1) that those aforementioned arms remain healthy; and 2) that one of the guys in camp really stands out to claim the 5th spot.
Co-Post 2: Judging the Rays’ Callups
We are now through the first week of Septemeber! The season is quickly approaching its final end.
It feels like a good time to get away from what the Rays might be doing on the field these days (especially since it could be better) and take a look at the guys who have been recently added to the expanded Rays roster.
Ginny at The Watercooler and Bob at More Cowbell are doing another co-post.
This time the duo will be analyzing the September callups of the Rays and deciding whether each player’s promotion to the big club should be designated a
GOOD CALL or a BAD CALL.
Remember, just because a guy is moved to the MLB roster does not always spell good things for the team. Or does it?
Let the debate begin!
After reading Bob’s analysis, click here to See what Ginny thinks!
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Reid Brignac
.282 AVE 24 2B 8 HR 44 RBI 5 SB
This is the third time Brignac has been moved from Durham to St. Pete. Over the course of the season it seems that the guy has logged more air miles than a pelican! He has had so much promise, yet has yet to break Spring Training with the club and become a regular starter. All that aside, Joe Maddon has said that having Brignac is a good thing because when starter Jason Bartlett needs a day off he can avoid putting Ben Zobrist in a position he has rarely played this year and simply plug in Brignac. I like that idea. It allows Zorilla to concentrate on 2B or RF and keep his bat steady.
GOOD CALL
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Wade Davis
10-9 3.40 ERA 1.25 WHIP 158 IP 140 K
I get chills when I think about what this guy can do on the mound.
This 24-year-old righty has been seen as the next big thing in the Rays system. How amazing is it that the Rays can continually put out the “next big thing” for their fans year after year? (see: Evan Longoria, Jeff Nieman, David Price, Wade Davis) He will make his first start Sunday for the Rays against the Detroit Tigers, and I think that the entire Republic will have its eyes glued on the screen (or in person, hopefully) to see just what the kid can do.
Having him on the roster now gets him a few major league starts before Spring Training next year. He just might have a shot at cracking the rotation next year, especially with the move of Scott Kazmir out west.
GOOD CALL
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Shawn Riggins
.200 AVE 2 2B 1 HR 5 RBI (11 Games)
The call on this move is kind of tricky. I think that the addition of Gregg Zaun was a godsend for a club whose catcher play was inconsistent offensively at best. Seeing Zaun from the left side and Dioner Navarro from the right side has really helped the offense click a little more from the backstop position and the results have been pretty solid (who can forget Zaun’s grand slam!?). Adding Riggs might be a mistake, though. He will not log much playing time with the big club because of the reasons mentioned above and whatever playing time he does get will take away–and disrupt–the smooth flow that has been established by the Zaun/Navi platoon. It can’t hurt having Riggs on the bench, but if he gets some playing time I think the results will be less than desirable.
BAD CALL
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Andy Sonnanstine
Last start: 4 IP 8 H 3 R 4 BB
Sonny is kind of a strange situation in that he was brought up September 1st because of the departure of one Scott Kazmir. His first start did not go much better than the previous 15 before it. This is a great chance for Sonny to earn a spot in next year’s rotation, but he did not impress in his first game back. He’ll be moved back one day to allow Davis to start at the Trop on Sunday and to get Sonny into the double header against the Yankees Monday. I am losing some faith in Sonnanstine’s ability to get batters out, and he may be ticketed for a long relief spot if he’s not careful.
NECESSARY CALL!
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Fernando Perez
.278 AVE 3 2B 0 HR 2 RBI 8 SB (13 games)
(This is Davey Lopes…but the ‘stache is the same–I can’t find a good pic of Perez’s stache!)
If the mustache doesn’t get you excited, then you must be dead!
This is one of my favorite players. The “Columbia Kid” was impressive in his stint with the Rays last season, culminating with a 2008 playoffs to remember. He is exciting on the basepaths and plays above average defense in center or right field. His bad is adequate, but he is also young (26) and will get better. His switch hitting ability is another plus.
He comes along at the right time, for BJ Upton’s ankle injury will sideline him for a few days. I think that this is a perfect chance for Perez to show the front office that he and BJ are the same age, possess the same skill set (minus the power for Fernando), but totally different salary situations. Hmmmmm….
GOOD CALL
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The September callups for the Rays used to mean that the year was over. That it was time to figure out what to do next year.
I don’t think that is the case just yet, though things don’t look so great.
The guys above are all guys who could/should break Spring Training on the Rays major league roster. They should all be contributers to next year’s team as well.
This opportunity, though, comes with alot riding on it. Not only do they get to audition for the team for next season, but they can help get the team to the playoffs if they do well.
I’m hoping for some great baseball from these guys over the next few weeks!
KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR OUR NEXT CO-POST, COMING SOON!
Go Rays!
Take a Look at Our Future Second Baseman
First, I’d like to encourage you all to read my preview of tonight’s big/huge/incredibly exciting matchup against those Sox from Bawston. I am REALLY stoked about tonight’s game. I’m counting the minutes!!!
But I wanted to jump in quickly with a look at the latest addition to the Rays roster.
Meet Sean Rodriguez, the Rays’
“Second Baseman of the Future”
Ok, maybe I’m overstating. But I’m pretty enthused.
This is the guy the Rays and Angels were fighting over when the Scott Kazmir deal was on-again and off-again.
I can see why the Halos wouldn’t want to give him up.
This guy’s a stud!
IF you look at his Triple-A number, that is.
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Quick Bio Junk
He is a 24-year old guy who, actually, I’ve followed for the last few years. I’ve read some stuff on him off an on in other blogs (Halos Heaven is great), in our paper when we played the Angels, and on the Angels’ website.
I’m not totally done being upset that we moved our 25-year-old pitcher, but we might have found a guy who can really fill the hole that will open up at 2B this winter.
And at 24, he could be there for the Rays for years and years to come.
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Numbers, Numbers, Numbers
Ignore the MLB numbers. He’s 24, and in two stints with the Angels he is hitting just .203. Not good, buddy.
But his year this year at Triple-A has been stud-like.
He is batting a robust .299.
And his power numbers are incredible!
He’s knocked 23 dingers and driven 93 RBIs in ONLY 103 games.
Wow.
We could certainly use that production from the 2B spot. Sure, Ben Zobrist helped alot at that position when Akinori Iwamura went down, and his power numbers are just as solid, if not moreso because they occurred at the MLB level.
But I’ve been saying forever that Zorilla needed to be our future RF.
Now Ben Z can go to right while S-Rod, as he is called in the Angels minors (not too creative), takes over at second.
I’ll take that.
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What About Aki?
I love Aki. Next to Longo, he is my favorite player.
The Rays have already declined his option for next year, though. They could not take on the millions he was slated to make in an option year, not to mention their slight gamble on his knee being healthy for an entire 162-game season next year.
I don’t want him to go. Not at all.
I think that this acquisition, though, might spell the end for Aki.
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Joe Maddon said that he was “excited” about the infamous Player To Be Named Later in the Kaz deal.
Angels websites (fan and professional) indicated that they were wary that player would be Rodriguez.
I don’t know if they are both right, or if their perception of a 24-yo kid who has barely played in the MLB level is way off.
We’ll have to see, of course.
But I think that this added player takes a little bit of the sting out of losing Kazmir during a playoff run.
This kid does strikeout alot, not too good for a team that has more Ks than K-mart (I mean the “K” in the sign–no good?). That could make him bat low in the order and miss some RBI opportunities.
But the Rays have been all about adding talent when they lost talent. And this kid is talent.
It’s amazing how much a team can change in so little time.
But change is good.
Right?
Detroit Disaster
Things seem to be blowing up a big in MoTown.
It isn’t end-of-the world type stuff, but it sure feels bad.
Today’s game seems indicative of a team that is losing that killer instinct that playoff teams must have.
The Rays had this one wrapped up.
Then the Tigers unwrapped it.
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Bal-FORE!!!
Jeff Nieman had just completed 7 solid innings. His performance paired with Saturday’s game from David Price gave the Rays back-to-back 7+ inning, quality start outings in Detroit–not the easiest place to win.
While there were runners on, the Rays still had a 3-1 lead and were ready to hand the game over to our awesome Aussie, Grant Balfour.
He got two guys out.
It was the third one that was a little tricky.
Placido Polanco teed off and launched one over the wall to give the Tigers the 4-3 advantage. Fernando Rodney made it hold up in the 9th.
No, it wasn’t a 9th-inning wild pitch, but it was just as jolting.
Aren’t these games the ones we used to win?
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Good Starts, Bad Finishes
Today’s game seems to fit in well with the way the Rays have played recently.
Sure, the starting has been somewhat spotty, but it is the relieving that is killing us. And I thought that the bullpen was one of our strong suits in recent weeks.
Uh-oh.
Today it was Balfour.
Wednesday it was old reliable, JP Howell.
I know we’re talking about two games here, but these are two games that the Rays HAD to have.
Instead, these two wins were transformed into losses, making the Rays playoff squad slowly looking like they are transforming into also-rans.
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Unlucky 7
The Rays came into the last 7 games having gone 6-1 in their previous 7 games.
Things were good. Really good.
Our guys were starting to get hot just when they needed to and no team in the league wanted to play them. They were a playoff team. Taking the wild card was just a formality.
Then something happened when Texas shut us out on a Sunday.
Since then we are 3-4.
What is worse is that up to last Sunday we were in the wild card hunt. We had narrowed the gap to 3-3.5 games.
Now?
The Rays stand 5 full games behind the Red Sox in the wild card race, and 2.5 behind the Rangers.
October might be a mere 4 weeks or so away, but it has never felt so far out of reach.
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Kazmir Update
I read the recent MLB.com article about Scott Kazmir and how he felt about being with the Angels. It was a nice fluff piece profiling the newest left coast acquisition.
He sounded happy. He sounded excited. He sounded like he had already forgotten about his time in St. Pete.
When he reference the Rays, he did so to springboard into what he thought his current team could do.
“I got a taste of it last year. You want to go all the way. The Angels are a team that can do it year in and year out. It says a lot about the organization.”
Maybe it says alot about our organization too.
The Bell Has Rung…Kaz Got His Wings
The Rays lost tonight.
And I’m not talking about the game with Detroit.
The on again/off again romance between the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Scott Kazmir has reached its fitting end.
Scott Kazmir is now an Angel.
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Took Long Enough
It’s been a long road, but somehow a deal got done.
The trade started back in July when the Rays were out scouting the Angels’ farm system for prospects. At the time the rumor was that Kaz was on the block and a trade to the Angels was imminent.
Both teams denied the reports and the rumors quickly died–well before the July 31st trade deadline.
Nothing was said for weeks. Then reports started to leak this afternoon from the LA Times that a deal was done and Kazmir was an Angel. Coming over in the trade were lefty Alexander Torres and 3B Matt Sweeney.
Alas, the trade was NOT done. It fell through because the Rays wanted one more player.
Cue ominous music:
Duh-duh-duhhhhhhhhhhhh.
I reported that, thankfully, the Rays were going to hang on to their 25-year-old lefty and that that was a good thing. They were fighting for the playoffs, after all.
No news was good news.
Until there was news.
After the Rays loss to Detroit this evening, news came out that Kaz had, indeed, been traded.
We were shocked!
The Rays apparently got what they wanted in Torres, Sweeney, and a player to be named.
The fans lost a favorite player, and More Cowbell lost the ability to wear a certain pitcher’s t-shirt.
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Clubhouse Fallout
Kaz was not only a fan favorite, but also a teammate fave. He seemed to click very well with youngster David Price.
That could have been a bad thing, considering that Price, upon being called up this year, immediately took on some of Kaz’s traits:
Throw lots of fastballs, work slowly, and get pulled before the 6th inning.
Regardless, you have to imagine that such a positive guy as Kaz being gone will negatively affect the Rays clubhouse and make players search for what is the next step.
It should also cause them to question the front office’s faith in their ability to win this wild card spot.
Keep in mind that Kazmir was starting to come around. He had been solid in his last 8 starts, going 4-2 with a 4.41 ERA. He had thrown 6+ innings in 7 of those 8 starts and dominated Wednesday night with 10 Ks.
He was starting to look like the guy who set franchise records for wins, innings, strikeouts, starts, and quality starts.
And, despite his good-faith contract signing for much less money than he could have gotten on the free agent market recently, the Rays STILL shipped him off for prospects in what can only be seen as a cost-cutting move.
A cost-cutting move during a playoff run!?
Idiots.
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Potential Fan Reaction
I think that Rays fans are going to be mixed on this one.
On one side will be the fans who remember the last 2+ years during which our once golden child struggled to get out of the 5th inning. The kid who set the bar for all future starters for this frahchise.
They’ll remember the guy who was the DEAL OF THE CENTURY when we stole him from the New York Mets for who WAS our franchise record holder in wins etc, Victor Zambrano.
That was a Chuck Lamar deal…one of the few things he did right while with the Tampa Bay franchise.
They’ll remember him as the Icarus of the team who fell much too quickly and disappointed us much too strongly.
Remember when he was the fixture of the rotation?
Remember when EVERYBODY saw him as the team’s ace, the only 2-time pitcher All Star in franchise history.
He was supposed to be one of the greats.
The fall was quick and hard.
Those fans are going to be excited about this 21 year old pitcher and his 21 year old counterpart 3B and what they will bring to the Rays 1-2 years down the road.
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The other side will remember a kid with blonde hair and a cherub face who was ready to help a terrible team get better. A kid who went out every 5th day from, seemingly, the beginning and threw gems.
A kid who just won–Period.
He was a kid who made us forget we rooted for one of the worst teams of all time. He gave us hope when we had none.
Those fans are going to miss him. They’ll miss the “Kaz” and “Kid K” nicknames and wonder if this deal is going to be something we rue as much as the Mets did when they dealt him in the first place.
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Personal Memory
What I’ll remember most of the kid was one game during the “Devil Rays” days when his teammates decided to have fun with him one night.
It was miraculous that the cameras caught it, but one night Kaz’s teammates (I believe it was Jonny Gomes) decided to make Kid K look stupid.
They blew up a Dubble Bubble bubble and pinched it off.
Then they placed it on his head.
Scott went most of the game with that bubble on his head. His teammates fell out every time he came up to shoot the sh– with them.
Of course, this kid had no idea why he was so funny all of a sudden.
He smiled and waved at the cameras everytime he saw the red light come on. He thought he was suddenly some kind of celebrity, though he had no idea why.
After a few innings he took his hat off. And the camera caught him going nuts over the fact that he had been on tv all night long with a HUGE bubble gum bubble on his head.
I’ll always remember that one. It was one of the funniest moments I’ve ever had watching a baseball game.
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Where Do We Go From Here?
The Rays acquired two very young, but very talented, players from the Angels farm system. Both guys played primarily at Class-A the last year or so, but recently were promoted to Class-AA.
Alex Torres was named the organization’s pitcher of the month for July for putting up stellar numbers. He was just moved to Class-AA Arkansas.
Matthew Sweeney missed the entire 2008 season with an ankle injury and two months of the 2009 campaign. He still impressed enough for the Rays to get him, but his power numbers this season (9 hrs) are not impressive at all.
As fans, we’ll just have to wait and see just who got fleeced in this deal. I don’t see this as a win/win situation. I see this as a “somebody beat somebody else” situation.
I don’t know if the Rays got the best of this deal, but I doubt it very much.
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Final Thoughts
I don’t want to be too negative here. The deal is done. Kaz is no longer a Ray. We have to deal with losing our franchise’s best starting pitcher ever.
What makes me more upset than anything is simply the timing.
According to reports, Kaz could have been moved around the trade deadline.
Know who we could have gotten?
Mr. Cliff Lee.
You know. Mr. 5-0 sub-1.00 ERA for the Phillies, Cliff Lee.
Instead we’re getting two guys (and a player to be named) who have yet to reach AAA.
These moves do not win you Executive of the Year, Andrew Friedman. These moves make you a joke.
Not only does the timing of this move stink because of what we COULD have had, but it makes the Rays look like they are giving up on the post season.
It is as if the Rays are showing the team–and their fans–that they don’t think making it to October is plausible, so moving a surging pitcher now is not that big of a deal. Might as well get what we can for him, right?
Moving Kaz is not the bad move.
Moving Kaz NOW is what makes this stupid.
I’ll admit, my confidence in this team’s committment to winning this year is now shaken. I bet I speak for lots of fans when I say that.
Regardless, I wish Kazmir luck in California. He’ll certaily help out that Angels rotation. Maybe he’ll even get his elusive World Series ring.
I’m sure he’ll enjoy it.
But, no doubt, he–and we–would have enjoyed it alot more if he could have earned that ring playing for the team that annointed him a Golden Child.
We called him “Kaz.”
And he’ll be missed.
East Coast Kaz?
I think that the things worked out for the best–for now.
I’m afraid to post this since it could be rendered irrelevent in the next 20 minutes by this on again/off again romance between the Angels and Kaz. Remember around the trade deadline the Rays were off scouting Angels minor leaguers while the Angels were making some noise about wanting Kazmir. Both teams said it was nothing more than pure coincidence.
Ah, the politics of baseball.
However, after reading things around the net and listening to local sports radio, it seems as if the potential deal that would send Scott Kazmir to the Angels is officially
D-E-A-D
That could be a good thing.
Or not.
It seems stupid to analyze a deal that wasn’t, but I’m going to take a look at this thing anyway.
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Bad Idea to Trade Kaz
THE CLUBHOUSE:
Moving Kaz now would have done much damage to the Rays. Remember that this is a team trying to get into the playoffs. Why would you ever want to mess with one of the team’s more dominant starters (right now, anyway) when they are sitting just 3 1/2 games out of the wild card spot?
Don’t forget also the potetial effects that trading a popular guy in the clubhouse could have on the team. Right now the Rays are getting close to having the chemistry that they had in 2008, and a move of a guy of Kaz’s stature could undo all of that.
HIS YOUTH AND TALENT:
Let’s not forget that Kazmir is just 25 years old. He ain’t some washed up has-been. You don’t often see teams trade their all-time leader in wins BEFORE the guy’s 26th birthday!
HE TOOK LESS MONEY:
From a moral standpoint, I don’t think that moving Kazmir would have been the right thing to do. I know we are talking about millionaires here, but when the Rays were hoping to keep their young talent (Upton, Crawford, Longoria, etc…), Kazmir agreed to a contract that paid him less than what (at the time) he could have made elsewhere.
He said he took the deal because he loved the Rays. He said that taking less money meant he could stay here for his career. He knew the Rays were a team that could not afford to pay guys $15 million.
So he took a more reasonable contract to stick around St. Pete. It would seem wrong to trade him now.
WHITE FLAG?:
Let’s not forget what trading a suddenly-dominant rotation member would mean to a team fighting for the wild card.
It would mean surrender.
If all you were going to get in return (look below) was a couple of prospects, I don’t know what else it could mean to trade a guy like Kaz. When your team thinks that the front office has given up, they often follow.
THIS DEAL SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE IN JULY!:
If we were going to move him, why not do so in July? We could have gotten much more. Look at what the deal would have been if the Rays had worked things out in a 3-team deal back around the trade deadline:
According to the Seattle Times
The Mariners, you might remember, were linked to Kazmir at the trade deadline in a rumored three-way deal that would have sent Brandon Morrow and Jeff Clement to Cleveland, Cliff Lee from Cleveland to Tampa Bay, and Kazmir and shortstop Reid Brignac to Seattle. It never came to fruition, obviously.
WHAT WE WOULD GET IN RETURN:
Finally, I took a look at the prospects we would have gotten for Kaz. Not impressed. Not terribly impressed, anyway. We would have gotten a left hander named Alexander Torres and a third baseman (like we need one) named Matthew Sweeney. Those guys were good, but they were not going to get us to October.
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Good Idea to Trade Kaz
DOUBTFUL RESURGENCE:
I don’t think that Kaz’s sudden turnaround is for real. I think that due to the teachings of one Jim Hickey, or maybe just due to Kaz’s loss of control, Kazmir will not be the pitcher he was. In that way, we might have missed out on an opportunity.
TORRES WAS GOING TO BE GOOD:
Torres had already won several awards in the Angels’ minor league system. He was only 21. His next stop (probably next year) was the Angels rotation. Plus, he is more than likely making NO MONEY and could free the Rays up to go after a solid starter for next season.
OPENS UP ROTATION:
Moving Kazmir would have opened up a spot in the rotation that does not exist right now. Perhaps a spot that guys like Mitch Talbot could take over. And let’s not forget the money thing again. Promoting a minor leaguer for next year saves money and–maybe–gives us a guy who can actually go more than 5 innings.
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As I post this I see online the news starting to get out that the deal fell through. It is funny because the LA Times reported that the deal was done.
Bad reporting.
I wonder, though, if keeping Kaz is the best thing for the team. I want to think it is.
Since the All-Star Break Kaz has gone 4-2 with a 4.41 ERA in 8 starts.
That’s not great, but it is enough to get you to October.
But I just don’t get that excitement about having Scotty in the rotation anymore. I don’t think he is going to continue to get better. I am dubious about how much he can help us in the rotation next year.
Maybe he can be a closer? Hmmmmmm….
No matter what, I have to cheer a little bit about keeping one of the Rays’ best deals EVER (Kaz for Victor Zambrano!) in the fold.
I can still wear my Kazmir t-shirt!
That makes it all worth it…
West Coast Kaz?
This all seems to be coming together pretty quickly as the Rays and Angels are currently working out a deal to send Scott Kazmir to Los Angeles/Anaheim/California.
Right now the sports news outlets are saying that a deal is “close,” and little else.
We don’t know what players might be involved or how the deal might be structured.
I’m surprised that the Rays were able to sneak Kaz through waivers. No team wanted a 25-year-old lefty starter who can throw 94 mph?
Seriously?
I know he is making a little money these days, but not enough to dissuade teams such as the Cubs, Yankees, Red Sox, and White Sox from trying to get him.
So, do those clubs know something we don’t?
I can’t say I’m surprised that the Rays want to move Kazmir, who makes much too much money for a guy with a barely sub-6.00 ERA and who, for the last few years, has been unable to go past 5 innings.
However, I would be upset to see my guys send him west for anything less than a pitcher who could help us reach October.
I think Kaz is that pitcher right now, so moving him is slightly perplexing–if it does happen.
I know that there will be many sad Rays fans if this goes through (Ginny, get ready for heart ache!).
My gut is hoping it falls apart, but my brain says it is the right move for the future of this team.
I don’t think it is the right move right now, though.
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