There has only been one starting rotation in the history of the game to have 5 southpaws start at least 16 games each; that was the 1951 Boston Red Sox, so can the Dodgers become the 2nd team? Why not? After all, they just agreed to terms with left Scott Kazmir on a 3-year contract worth $48 million with an opt out clause after the first season. That is the first part of the joke; the second part is the fact that the Dodgers have reportedly got this acquisition finalized. After watching Greinke choose a division foe as well as Johnny Cueto, the Chapman allegations destroy a deal to bring a flamethrower to LA, Andrew Friedman pass on Todd Frazier for prospects, and Iwakuma fail a physical, one can’t blame LA fans for not believing that Kazmir is officially a Dodger just yet. So what if the deal is done, Kazmir is supposed to replace Greinke and help lift the team into the Fall Classic? Think again.
For what pitchers have been paid this offseason, $48 million is a bargain, so at least there is that. But, the former 3-time all-star hasn’t been worth that much since his prime days in Tampa, FL. As a Ray, he complied a record of 55-44 with a 3.92 ERA in 834 innings –for work while striking out 874 batters. Since, he is 43-46 with an ERA of 4.16, and missed the entirety of 2011 plus 2012. He had a nice year in Oakland during his first full comeback campaign in 2014, making the all-star squad and racking up 15 victories with opponents batting a low .238 against him, but even then his quality start percentage was only 63%. For his career, his quality start percentage is only 48% (league average 50%). Sabermetrics don’t favor him, so why did the new look Dodger front office like him? Because he was the only good starter left? Kazmir may be a good fit for a number of clubs, but with 4 Dodger starters ranked in the top 50 prospects, and Arizona along with the Giants looking lethal, LA should have left Kazmir behind, swallowed the fact of 85 wins or less in 2016, then looked onward to winning it all in 2017.
