As was rumored last month, the Indians have inked a deal with lefty Scott Kazmir to a minor league deal, as was reported by Paul Hoynes tonight.
Kazmir, set to turn 29 years old in January, hasn’t pitched regularly in the big leagues since going 9-15 with a 5.94 ERA for Anaheim in 2010. A former first-round draft pick and promising start for Tampa Bay earlier last decade, his career quickly derailed because of injuries and inconsistency. He pitched in the independent leagues in 2012.
But, most recently, in the Caribbean Baseball Winter League with Gigantes de Carolina, Kazmir posted an 0-2 record and 4.37 ERA in five starts. He struck out 27 against 8 walks in just 22.2 IP, very respectable peripheral stats.
This seems like a very low risk move for the Indians, and wouldn’t seem to affect any other plans related to signing a possible free agent starter ready to compete for the MLB team in April. Kazmir could likely start for the Clippers in 2013, although we’ll certainly see more based on his performance in spring training.
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