The Grand Old Game

“This is a surprise. I had heard rumors before, but it’s hard to believe that it is now official.”

-Scott Kazmir, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim neé Tampa Bay Rays.

It’s always a surprise, isn’t it, Scotty ol’ boy? 

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim acquired LHP and two-time All Star Scott Kazmir yesterday for two minor leaguers and a player to be named, as the Tampa Bay Rays appear to be raising the white flag for the 2009 season. Since they were only 4 1/2 games out of the wild-card race, it IS, as Kazmir says, a surprise, but with New York holding tight to first and Boston on their heals, there is a point of view which suggests that Tampa would be better off cutting their losses. Financial losses, that is.

The truth is, with Scotty out of the mix, the trio of Shields, Garza, and Niemann have things well under control, thank you very much. Niemann is 12-5, 3.87 this year, and Shields and Garza both have sub-4.00 ERAs, as well. Kazmir, on the other hand, has had his…moments, shall we say? Injuries aside, there’s no reason to expect he would have been anything but his usual, dominant self, but then he might not have been traded, to begin with, right?

Wrong, as it turns out.

In the midst of a $28.5 million dollar contract, it made perfect sense. At least, in this current market. However, this is not just a salary dump.

“We think that we gave up two talented players, and a third to come. So this was not a basic salary dump,” said Angels general manager Tony Reagins.

Told ya. I mean, if you can’t believe Tony Reagins, who CAN you believe?

Anyway, the Rays don’t exactly come out of this empty-handed. Their loot consists of one of the top lefties in the Angels system, and one of the best young power bats, as well. Here’s the skinny:

Alex Torres, LHP, Arkansas, Rancho Cucamonga (AA and A+)

Bats: Left , Throws: Left
Height: 5′ 10″ , Weight: 160 lb.

Combined totals:

13-4, 2.75, 26 games, 24 starts, 147 1/3 IP, 116 HA, 149 SO, 10 WP (doh!), 7 HBP (ow!)

FB in the low 90’s, curve with tight spin, developing change (sound familiar? Kazmir-Lite?)…groundout pitcher, comes at you from different angles…has trouble throwing the curve for strikes, which partially explains the 80 walks…strange in that he has significant trouble with lefties.

Matthew Sweeney, 3B (for now), Angels, Rancho Cucamonga (AZL and A+)

Bats: Left , Throws: Right
Height: 6′ 3″ , Weight: 210 lb.

Combined totals:

62 games, 259 PA, 42 R, 67 H, 18 2B, 9 HR, 44 RBI, 28 BB, 41 SO, .296 BA, .380 OBP

21-year-old has barely missed a step since being drafted in 2006 (8th round)…Great bat, not-so-great glove…Aggressive swing, creates natural lift, ball carries well off his bat…Fielding, on the other hand, is another thing entirely…Lacked range at third before missing the whole 2008 season with an ankle injury that turned out to be rather more serious than originally thought…Will probably move to first in the Rays system, where his arm is well above average…Could move through the system quickly if he learns to use the whole field at the plate and can adjust to first well enough.

Since Kazmir was traded before August 31st, he will be eligible for postseason play. It is in that scenario where he becomes a different matter, altogether. Assuming he manages to stay healthy, he could be a real wild card when October rolls around. He will be the 14th starter used by Anaheim this year, most in the majors, and he’ll need to step it up if the Anaheim rotation is to keep it together, never mind fighting off the hard-charging Rangers and their No-Name rotation (no offense, Kevin Millwood). The Chase is on, and in the AL West it looks like it may be a photo finish.

Clinton Riddle

The Grand Old Game

UPDATE: Check out Halos Heaven for info regarding the PTBNL.

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