Astros acquire Scott Kazmir from Oakland for two prospects

Scott Kazmir, who went 15th in the first-round draft to the Mets, talks to the Mets on the phone, as his former bat boy for his Cy Falls high school team, R.J. Powell, 8, listens to the conversation in Kazmir's home Tuesday afternoon. (Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle).

Three years ago, Scott Kazmir was pitching in independent ball in Sugar Land, unwanted by any major league team. The lefthander later turned his career around with the Indians, and two winters ago considered signing with the Astros — who were prepared to offer more money — but went to the Oakland Athletics.

On Thursday, the former first-round pick out of Cy Falls high school finally made it to

the hometown team.

The Astros struck first in the race for starting pitching at this trade deadline after “intense” negotiations with the A’s, as Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow described them, trading for the lefty Kazmir in a deal for two minor leaguers, catcher Jacob Nottingham and righty Daniel Mengden.

“We’ve been working on it for a little while. Oakland wasn’t sure what they were going to do, but they knew we had interest in Kazmir, they knew we had bid on him prior to them signing him (in the 2013-14 offseason),” Luhnow said. “It came together last night and this morning. I’m excited, I think he really adds to a good rotation, makes us potentially a great rotation, and a rotation that could get the Astros to the playoffs for the first time in a long time. And he strengthens us if we do get to the playoffs.”

Kazmir jumps right into the rotation as the scheduled starting pitcher Friday in Kansas City.

A 31-year-old rental who becomes a free agent after the season, Kazmir gives the Astros the significant upgrade they’ve sought and positions them as one of the best teams in the American League for the final two months of the season.

“A lot to take in right now,” Kazmir said by phone while waiting for his flight to Kansas City. “A lot of excitement being able to go back home with a team that I grew up as a fan. Everyone from all the Killer B’s, (Craig) Biggio, (Jeff) Bagwell, just always going to the ball park as a kid. There’s a lot of excitement going back to the ball park, wearing that uniform.

“A lot of friends and family are really excited. Being able to come back after — actually, last time I was there was with the Sugar Land Skeeters — to be able to play for the Astros, come back and play for the Astros, that’s something that I take a lot of pride in. It’s everything I worked hard for, to be in this situation and to help a contending team and for it to be the Astros.”

The timing of the deal is beneficial because the Astros get the use of Kazmir with enough time to keep evaluating their areas of need — they haven’t ruled out adding another piece to the rotation, but they’re looking at a bat and bullpen help as well — with more than a week to go before the non-waiver deadline on July 31.

The Astros had been working on acquiring Kazmir the longest of most any trade candidate, a person familiar with the team’s thinking said.

With a fastball that sits at 93 mph and a changeup and slider generating most of his swings and misses, Kazmir is 5-5 with a 2.38 ERA in 109 2/3 innings and 18 starts this season. He entered Thursday ranked fourth in the AL in opponents’ batting average, .213, and fifth in ERA.

A flamethrower out of high school, Kazmir doesn’t throw in the high 90s anymore but still gets his strikeouts, with 101, and has matured into a fine pitcher. He’s made just one start this season where he’s allowed more than three earned runs.

He was supposed to pitch Thursday for the A’s, but that outing was canceled as the deal unfolded and he said his goodbyes. Kazmir now won’t have much of an opportunity to get to know his new teammates Friday before he takes the mound, but he and Dallas Keuchel talked to each other in public view on Thursday on Twitter.

“It is interesting,” Kazmir said of the timing of his start. “Not too much time to warm up to my new teammates, but it’ll be fun. Get the first one out of the way and go from there.”

The Astros were willing to top the two-year, $22 million deal Kazmir signed with the A’s in December of 2013, people familiar with those negotiations said, but a deal had already been agreed to with the A’s and was honored. The Astros quickly signed Scott Feldman to a three-year, $30 million deal, instead.

“We made a run at him, we had strong interest and he was a top priority for us,” Luhnow said. “I kept his phone number because I figured I might need it again someday. He still had the same cell phone number that I had back then.”

The GM talked to the pitcher Thursday morning as the deal finalized.

There is no indication money was exchanged in the deal, so the Astros owe Kazmir the remaining portion of his $11 million salary this season, more than $4 million.
Kazmir, as part of his contract, receives a $500,000 bonus because he was traded. The A’s are contractually obligated to pay the bonus and there is no indication the Astros provided money to offset that bonus. The club declined comment.

All along, the likelihood was the Astros would pursue a rental pitcher because the cost in prospects would be less than it would be to acquire someone under control. The team didn’t have to give up a prospect like Vince Velasquez, for example, to get this deal done.

Nottingham, a 2013 sixth-round pick, and Mengden, a 2014 fourth-round pick, both started the year at Low Class A Quad Cities. Nottingham quickly established himself as one of the best hitting catching prospects, with a .326 average and 14 home urns between his two levels.

A’s general manager Billy Beane told A’s reporters Nottingham was “particularly one kid we were focused on.”

“When they decided to throw him into the deal, that’s when it gained momentum and we ultimately got it done pretty quickly,” Beane said. “For a catcher to be potentially a middle of the order hitter, that’s really unusual. He’s really taken off this year. An All-Star in the Midwest League hitting nearly .340 with power. He’s carried that right into the Cal League.

“We sent a few of our scouts to watch some guys in their system, and this kid really stood out, and they have a very deep system, so they were an attractive team to engage with.”

Luhnow said he didn’t want to give up Nottingham.

“Different clubs like different guys,” Luhnow said. “We have our own pref lists, which isn’t exactly what is out in the media typically. We really value Nottingham and Mengden both. This was an intense back-and-forth negotiation, involving a lot of different players and combinations of players, and we really feel to get a premier starter like Kazmir, who’s having a great year and in a position that we’re in, we had to give up value to get value.”

Mengden, out of Texas A&M, throws 90 to 95 mph 90-95, with a cutter/slider and change up. He had a 1.16 ERA at Low Class A and a 5.26 ERA at Lancaster.

Kazmir heard the trade rumors but wasn’t sure if they’d amount to anything.

“It’s something where, on one end, you feel like there was unfinished business with how everything ended with the Athletics (losing in the Wild Card round last year) and how we started off this year,” Kazmir said. “But you know, looking forward, I’m very excited with the positon I’m at, being able to join a team, my hometown team, that’s got a bunch of exciting players that I loved watching while I was facing them.

“It’s going to be awesome.”

Source : blog.chron.com