DownSwinging.com

Scott Kazmir was traded earlier today from the Tampa Bay Rays to the Los Angeles Angels in a move that will ultimately benefit all three parties involved: the Rays, Angels, and Kazmir himself. While this deal has been rumored for months, it wasn’t until these past couple of days that those rumors might turn into reality.

Realistically, the Rays probably didn’t want to make this move. The fact is that they are in playoff contention now, and they know they have the ability to perform deep into the playoffs. Despite Kazmir’s poor performance (8-7, 5.92 ERA) I don’t think anyone doubts that he still has the ability to show off his talent. Kazmir is still young, and brilliance that has been seen in him in the past is likely to arise again in the future. But clearly, his contract was going to be an issue for the Rays, and given his poor work this season, it just wasn’t worth the expensive risk for the Rays to keep him around. As Buster Olney said today on ESPN, it may be the absence of Kazmir’s salary that will allow the Rays to hang onto Carl Crawford this offseason.

For the Angels the deal is good for all of the reasons the Rays would have wanted to keep Kazmir. He has improved of late, and is a proven Red Sox-killer, which is something the Angels have seriously lacked in the playoffs this decade.

Maybe most important of all, Kazmir’s career could really take a turn for the better here. While he said he was a little disappointed to leave Tampa Bay, the kind of rut he was in generally calls for a change of scenery. While he still is in the AL, he probably will find the AL West to have weaker hitters than the brutal Eastern Division, so his stats might catch a break as well.