Astros' Kazmir on pitching for hometown team: 'It's a dream come true'
Scott Kazmir is going home.
The Oakland Athletics made the first splash in this year's trade market, dealing the left-hander to his hometown Houston Astros on Thursday for a pair of prospects.
"It's a dream come true to be able to play for the Astros," said Kazmir. "I grew up being an Astros fan, watching (Jeff) Bagwell, (Craig) Biggio, all those Killer B’s when I was a kid.
"It's pretty special to come back."
In return, the Athletics received pitching prospect Daniel Mengden and catcher Jacob Nottingham.
Related: Billy Beane looking to the future by trading Scott Kazmir
Kazmir, who was scheduled to start Thursday against the Toronto Blue Jays, will make his Astros debut Friday, though he's not thinking about that just yet.
"There's a lot of emotions right now," Kazmir told reporters. "I can say I had a great time here, I really did."
The 11-year veteran is 5-5 with a 2.38 ERA in his second season with the A's. Kazmir, whose two-year deal is set to expire at the end of this season, will complement Cy Young Award candidate Dallas Keuchel in the Astros' rotation.
"We've been working on it for a little while, Oakland wasn't sure what they were going to do ... I'm excited," Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow told the Houston Chronicle's Evan Drellich, adding, "(Kazmir) makes us a potentially great rotation."
| Pitcher | W-L | ERA | IP | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Keuchel | 12-4 | 2.12 | 144.1 | 127 | 0.97 |
| Scott Kazmir | 5-5 | 2.38 | 109.2 | 101 | 1.09 |
| Collin McHugh | 11-5 | 4.25 | 127 | 99 | 1.28 |
| Lance McCullers | 4-3 | 2.52 | 64.1 | 71 | 1.10 |
| Scott Feldman | 4-5 | 4.93 | 65.2 | 39 | 1.42 |
The move also comes at the right time for the Astros, as Kazmir's 0.47 ERA in July is the third lowest in the majors.
Although the Athletics aren't getting immediate-impact players in return, they're receiving promising futures. Mengden, the Astros' fourth-round draft pick in 2014, owns a sparkling 1.16 ERA at Class-A Lancaster. Nottingham, Mengden's teammate, is batting .326/.387/.543 with 10 homers.