On Wednesday afternoon, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced through their Twitter account the signing of veteran left-hander Scott Kazmir. CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reported that the deal is worth $48 million over the three years with a player opt out after the first year. According to Heyman, Kazmir will get a $5 million signing bonus, $11 million in 2016, $16 million in 2017, and $16 million in 2018.
Kazmir's Career Up To This Point
Scott Kazmir has played with a total of five teams in his career: the Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Angels, Cleveland Indians, Oakland Athletics, and most recently the Houston Astros. His best years came while he was with Tampa Bay from 2004-2009. He had a 55-44 record with an overall 3.92 ERA and was an All-Star in 2006 and 2008 while he was with the Rays.
After having terrible troubles with the Angels, Kazmir went to the Oakland A's. In 2014, he earned another All-Star appearance and ended the season with a 15-9 record and a 3.55 ERA. In 2015, the southpaw had a combined 7-11 record with a 3.10 ERA while with the A's and Astros.
Dodgers Setting Up A Strong Rotation
With the signing of Kazmir, the Dodgers now have a rotation filled with southpaws. Clayton Kershaw, Brett Anderson, Alex Wood and Hyun-Jin Ryu are all left-handers with Brandon McCarthy and Mike Bolsinger as the only right-handers. Both Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu have been out with injuries but are expected to be back during the first part of the 2016 season.
Los Angeles had an agreement with veteran right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma for three years and $45 million, but once the Dodgers took a look at the results of his physical there were concerns about his health and the deal fell through. Iwakuma would end up returning to the Seattle Mariners on a one-year deal.
With Zack Greinke deciding to sign with the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Dodgers needed another guy to help fill in the starting rotation. Clayton Kershaw will be leading the way and Kazmir will be a solid anchor in the middle of the rotation. This will be Kazmir's first season pitching for a National League team after 11 years in the American League.