Oakland Athletics Need To Trade Scott Kazmir Now

Jun 11, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Scott Kazmir (26) throws the ball against the Texas Rangers in the eighth inning at O.co Coliseum. The A

At the beginning of June, the thought was that the Oakland Athletics would be active in the trade deadline as sellers. That talk has died down after a recent upswing by the A’s. Now, there is chatter that if the team can keep it up, Billy Beane might choose to hold onto his future free agents. Not only is there talk of keeping guys like Ben Zobrist and Scott Kazmir, there is some speculation that Oakland might even be buyers come the trade deadline. Beane and the rest of his staff need to ignore how the team is playing and sell Kazmir now.

Sure, it is understandable as to why the team would want to hold onto Kazmir and why the fans would be disappointed if he was traded. He is the most consistent starter on the staff other than Sonny Gray, has the most experience of any starter in the rotation and has been relatively healthy since joining the Athletics. However, there are just as many reasons as to why he should be traded away. The A’s have enough depth in the organization to absorb trading him, he got fatigued in the second half of 2014 and, if they trade him now, Oakland would get in front of the other teams that are looking to trade for starting pitchers.

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Consistency among the A’s starters has been a problem in 2015. However, as the spring turned to summer, the pitchers who struggled early in the season like Kendall Graveman and Jesse Hahn have settled down and are looking good. Graveman struggled so badly that he was sent down to the minors to get things right. But, after just under a month with the Triple-A Nashville Sounds, he was called back up and has dropped his earned run average from an atrocious 8.27 to a respectable 3.47. While Hahn didn’t have to be sent down, he was in a similar boat with an ERA of 4.73 on May 9 that is now down to 3.47. With their recovery, the continued growth of Jesse Chavez and Gray pitching like he is one of the best pitchers in the American League, Kazmir is no longer needed to be that consistent presence in the rotation.

Although he has been the most reliable starter after Gray, Kazmir has shown fatigue in his brief time with the A’s, struggling in August and September during the 2014 season. He is currently seventh in the American League in ERA at 2.79. He had similarly good numbers last year and he kept that ERA down through July. However, his weariness showed in the final two months of the 2014 season, and he had a ballooned ERA of 7.80 in August and 4.35 in September. Those two poor months raised his ERA from 2.37 to 3.55 – still a respectable overall season – but enough of a change that it could hurt this team if the A’s are battling for a playoff spot down the stretch and Kazmir begins to struggle again.

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

While the possibility of second half struggles is an important reason to dump a guy if the team is winning or losing, it is not the biggest reason to trade Kazmir away. The rationale is to get ahead of the trade market and possibly get more in return than Kamzir is worth. At most, he is the third best option on the trade block after Johnny Cueto and Cole Hamels. At worst, he’s around the fifth best option muddled up with three or four other pitchers around the same talent level.

With Kazmir ranked between three and five out of all starters on the trade market, one would not expect the A’s to get the biggest return in exchange for this veteran pitcher. But, all of the rumors make it seem as though the Philadelphia Phillies are asking far too much for Hamels. If the A’s can swoop in and make an offer to some of the teams who feel that the price for Hamels is too high, they may be able to pry away a prospect that those teams are willing to give up for Hamels and set the trade market before the Phillies. Also, Oakland could be getting a prospect or two that they might not be able to acquire if they waited.

So, the time is now to trade Kazmir away. This team has enough depth to overcome his loss one way or another. Additionally, if Kazmir struggles again down the stretch, he could hurt the team. But, if they trade him now, Oakland could dictate the trade market and possibly get more in return than what Kazmir is actually worth. Whether trading Kazmir is right or wrong, the A’s got a good look at his possible replacement last night as Chris Bassitt made a spot start for an ill Gray. How Bassitt performed in yesterday’s game could have helped Beane’s make up his mind as to if or when Kazmir should be traded.

Next: Oakland Athletics Need To Bring Up Outfielder Jake Smolinski