Kazmir Traded - Has the Towel Been Thrown In?

According to MLB Trade Rumors Scott Kazmir has been traded to the Angels for two prospects (lefty Alexander Torres and 3rd baseman Matthew Sweeney).

The timing makes this deal more interesting than anything else. The Rays are still in the race and Kazmir has been pitching better since coming off the DL. It will also be interesting to see who takes his spot in the rotation.

At first glance this deal is financial more than anything else. The hard throwing lefthander is owed $20 million over the next two years and the early reports have the Angels picking up his entire salary.

The nDRO has made it known that if attendance wasn't where they needed it to be their could be repercussions. With the talent the Rays have at the pitching position Kazmir was a likely candidate. I just thought it would happen in the off-season.

The good news - this probably keeps Carl Crawford in a Tampa Bay uniform for another year. I haven't questioned too many moves that Friedman and Co. have made, but the timing of this raises eyebrows.