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« Mariners OK With Griffey's Salary | Main | Cubs Sign Edmonds »
Scott Kazmir Signs Extension With Rays
5:59pm: Marc Topkin of The St. Pete Times has the details. It is four-year deal for $28.5MM with a team option for 2012 season at $11MM. It's a team-friendly contract, as you'd expect. The Rays are setting themselves up for a run of excellence.
5:47pm: Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus reports that Kazmir has signed and the deal will be announced tonight.
5:45pm: Rays Index transcribes a quote from Rays owner Stuart Sternberg via Mike & The Mad Dog. Sternberg hinted that the team is exploring a deal with Scott Kazmir. Kazmir made his season debut on May 4th following a March elbow strain.
Kazmir, just 24, has two more years of arbitration eligibility before he hits free agency after the 2010 season. The going rate for the last two arb years of a young ace is about $11MM. The Rays managed to get options on James Shields' first two years of free agency for $9MM and $12MM, respectively. For Fausto Carmona, the free agency options are for $7MM, $9MM, and $12MM.
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Stop it, damn it.
Posted by: ArodSucksAtLife | May 14, 2008 at 06:17 PM
Incredible. It's time to take this franchise seriously.
A rotation headed by Kazmir, Shields and Garza is great.
How is David Price doing?
Posted by: themfightnwords | May 14, 2008 at 06:29 PM
Wow, that happened quick. An hour ago they were "exploring a deal" and now it's signed. Hey, smart move by Tampa Bay.
Posted by: Aaron | May 14, 2008 at 06:30 PM
Kazmir, Shields, Price, Garza, and Wade Davis. With Jake McGee moving to closer.
Try that idea out for a moment.
Posted by: Aaron | May 14, 2008 at 06:32 PM
That is a dirt cheap deal. Smart for Kazmir too, especially if he is worried about getting hurt again.
Posted by: AA | May 14, 2008 at 06:59 PM
I have to admit I'm surprised. But the Rays have made some excellent draft choices recently and are primed to become a true threat in the East. On paper they have the leagues best 1-2-3 punch under control for a minimum 3 years, an offense that is downright scary, and a bullpen that is beginning to gel...
Friedman has officially jumped into the top 5 GMs in baseball list.
Posted by: start_wearing_purple | May 14, 2008 at 07:18 PM
Now they just need to move the team to San Antonio so people will actually go to the games.
Posted by: Mike Simms | May 14, 2008 at 07:39 PM
Amazing. I am a die-hard Cubs fan, but the Rays are now officially my second favorite team. I never thought they'd be able to lock up Kazmir. This year the are going to be at 500, but next year when Longoria breaks out and the big 3 pitching prospects hit the rotation, I think they'll win their division and challenge for the world series!
Posted by: Joe | May 14, 2008 at 07:44 PM
"Now they just need to move the team to San Antonio so people will actually go to the games."
Winning games brings fans.
"This year the are going to be at 500, but next year when Longoria breaks out and the big 3 pitching prospects hit the rotation, I think they'll win their division and challenge for the world series!"
They are putting the fear of the baseball gods into the wild card contenders right now. They have a legit chance to challange for a playoff spot.
Posted by: ArodSucksAtLife | May 14, 2008 at 07:55 PM
My jaw has just dropped and hit the floor. Kazmir has one of the best arms in the game and this is such a team friendly deal, I just can't believe it. I thought he would be priced out of their range, but they get home at a great team discount. The Rays have made some great moves like this recently, but this one is the best yet. Kazmir can be an ace for years to come, headlining this great young rotation. Im still amazed. I never thought I would say this, but I really think the Rays are for real now. Terrific signing for the Rays.
Posted by: JP | May 14, 2008 at 07:57 PM
If my cubs don't do it this year then I cannot imagine a better storybook worldseries than Rays vs Marlins. Grandtotal of both teams payroll combined - about $3 million less than the Yankees infield. Question is - which jersey to get from each team to annoy my fellow NY'ers lol
Posted by: touchmymonkey | May 14, 2008 at 08:01 PM
Get a Kazmir jersey, but make it a Mets one. I've been wanting to do this for a while and have fun at Shea.
Posted by: ArodSucksAtLife | May 14, 2008 at 08:04 PM
"Get a Kazmir jersey, but make it a Mets one. I've been wanting to do this for a while and have fun at Shea."
I bet a Mets Zambrano uni is more insulting ;-)
Posted by: start_wearing_purple | May 14, 2008 at 09:26 PM
Isn't this quite a change in direction from Kazmir? I wonder if he is a little more worried about his arm than he has previously let on.
Posted by: bjsguess | May 14, 2008 at 10:09 PM
"Now they just need to move the team to San Antonio so people will actually go to the games."
“Winning games brings fans.”
…Tell that to the Marlins… Or Twins… Or A’s… Or, well you get the idea…
...On the other hand, it did work for the Angels ~ one day it was me and 2K of my closest friends; the next I was surrounded by 30 thousand people in red shirts talking on their cell-phones with screaming babies in their arms and another 20 thousand 12YO girls with monkeys tied in their hair banging balloon sticks in my ears...
Posted by: darkstar1661 | May 14, 2008 at 10:24 PM
WOW! The Rays management team is proving their mettle. I didn't think this would happen, I thought that Kazmir would test the market. However, with his somewhat bothersome elbow, this should provide security for the lefty ace.
Scribbletone, I hope you see this soon because your wish of the young Rays staying together may be happening. They are putting together a team that will challange for the division title very soon. Kudos!
Posted by: HoratioAlgae | May 14, 2008 at 10:59 PM
Don't reference southern california when trying to make a point based in reality, ever.
Posted by: ArodSucksAtLife | May 14, 2008 at 11:00 PM
Hell yeah I'm excited. Cubs-Rays World Series. It's gonna be epic.
But honestly if the Rays take Tim Beckham or Buster Posey as many suspect they will with the first pick, then this team is gonna just be unreal in a couple years..
C- Navarro, Jaha or Posey
1B- Pena
2B- Iwamura or Brignac
3B- Longoria
SS- Brignac or Beckham
LF- Crawford
CF- Upton
RF- Jennings
DH- Bring in someone to straight up mash here
Kazmir, Shields, Garza, Price and Davis round out the rotation. And that doesn't include young stud Jake McGee, as well as Edwin Jackson, Andy Sonnastine, Eduardo Morlan, Chris Mason, Jeremy Hellickson or Jason Hammel.
Thats an astonishing amount of young talent. Every team in baseball should envy them, with maybe the exception of the D-Backs, because Upton, Young, Drew, Jackson, Reynolds, Bonifacio, and Parra is quite the core as well.
Posted by: scribbletone | May 14, 2008 at 11:25 PM
Its a great illustration that the draft can sometimes almost work. A lot of great drafted talent coming through.
Rays should lose the #1 pick this year, thats just unfair on the rest of baseball. That much young talent, and they get first choice.
In 3 years, going 3-1 with a 3.98 ERA in April would probably get you demoted to Durham.
Posted by: quintjs | May 15, 2008 at 12:52 AM
What a great step it was to lock up Pena and Shields, which has lead to Longoria and Kazmir. This can only help them move on with Upton.
Posted by: quintjs | May 15, 2008 at 12:58 AM
Not that anyone cares - opted for Kazmir jersey ( mets - thank AROD) to piss off my met fan friends and a Lowell Marlins Jersey to agitate my yankee loving friends ( figure that kills them on 2 fronts - he was from their farm system and now plays for the sox lol).
Posted by: touchmymonkey | May 15, 2008 at 06:28 AM
"What a great step it was to lock up Pena..."
A .218 BA, .317 OBP, .401 SLG and 48 whiffs in only 159 AB's says not really. Looks like last year was a fluke and Pena has reverted to form.
Posted by: rangerchick | May 15, 2008 at 06:39 AM
"What a great step it was to lock up Pena..."
A .218 BA, .317 OBP, .401 SLG and 48 whiffs in only 159 PA's says not really. Looks like last year was a fluke and Pena has reverted to form.
Posted by: rangerchick | May 15, 2008 at 06:39 AM
you're half right rangerchick. He has literally reverted to form but last year was no fluke.
Posted by: wihargo | May 15, 2008 at 09:14 AM
The Rays are scary now, and they'll be utterly terrifying for the next 4 or 5 years. Next year, they'll trade for a monster 1B/DH and it's all over for the AL East for a while.
Posted by: FineHamAbounds | May 15, 2008 at 11:07 AM
"Terrifying" is absolutely right. "It's time to take this franchise seriously" and "primed to become a true threat" are way behind the curve. It's already happened.
Posted by: asm | May 15, 2008 at 03:06 PM
Oh, sorry for the double post, but wanted to chime in on the lack of fans: you need to win games and have a ballpark for people to show up. Marlins, Twins and Athletics have quite possibly the 3 worst ballparks in the majors; that's why their attendance is abysmal.
Posted by: asm | May 15, 2008 at 03:08 PM
For the Rays bullpen, I like the idea of moving McGee there. Call him up in August and let him get used to relief pitching. If he's good there, you could probably move him to closer in '09. Then if Morlan is up and pitching well, the Rays will have 4 quality relivers in McGee, Percival, Wheeler, Morlan. Also move Sonnastine there for middle relief.
For the lineup, trade Wade Davis or Edwin Jackson for a 1b/dh Hitter. The lineup would be Iwamura, Crawford, Upton, Pena, DH aquired in offseason, Longoria, Gomes/Floyd/Hinskie, Bartlett, Navarro.
For starting pitching, call Wade Davis up in September to get his feet wet, and put him in the rotation in '09. Trade Hammel. Start '09 with a rotation of Kazmir, Shields, Garza, Davis/Jackson, Niemenn/Heillickson/Mason. Price will be ready at next year's all-star break to be the fifth starter.
It seems the Rays have everything it takes to be a GREAT team for a LONG time.
Posted by: Joe | May 15, 2008 at 09:35 PM
"Don't reference southern california when trying to make a point based in reality, ever."
...Hey, just trying to find a team that proved you point... :)
"Marlins, Twins and Athletics have quite possibly the 3 worst ballparks in the majors; that's why their attendance is abysmal."
...Although I agree that it makes an impact, there are/were team with some pretty horrible stadiums drawing atleast respectable crowds.
Posted by: darkstar1661 | May 15, 2008 at 10:53 PM