The Los Angeles Dodgers have signed Scott Kazmir to a three-year, $48 million contract, filling the hole in their starting rotation created by the departure of Zack Greinke.
Kazmir can opt out of his contract after next season. The class of free-agent pitchers will be particularly thin next winter, with Stephen Strasburg, Andrew Cashner and the Dodgers’ Brett Anderson projected as the top available starters.
The Dodgers could open the season with a rotation composed entirely of left-handers: Clayton Kershaw, Anderson, Kazmir, Alex Wood and Hyun-Jin Ryu.
The Dodgers believe that as many as four starting prospects — Julio Urias, Jose DeLeon, Jharel Cotton and Frankie Montas — could be ready for the major leagues by the end of next season. Right-hander Brandon McCarthy also is expected to return from Tommy John surgery in the second half of next season.
The Dodgers opened the offseason hoping to retain Greinke, but they were outbid by the Arizona Diamondbacks. They then agreed to a three-year, $45 million deal with Hisashi Iwakuma, but then tried to restructure the deal amid concerns about the results of his physical examination. Iwakuma instead returned to the Seattle Mariners.
Kazmir, who turns 32 next month, went 7-11 with a 3.10 earned-run average for the Oakland Athletics and Houston Astros last season. He ranked fourth in the American League in ERA, behind David Price, Dallas Keuchel and Sonny Gray.
The Dodgers have also agreed to terms with Japanese right-hander Kenta Maeda, multiple media outlets reported on Thursday, as the team continues to fill the void left by Greinke.
Maeda, a starting pitcher, has a 97-67 win-loss record and a 2.39 ERA in eight seasons with the Hiroshima Carp in Japan.
The 27-year-old is coming off a 15-8 season which earned him a second Eiji Sawamura Award as the top starting pitcher in the league, the Japanese equivalent of the Cy Young Award.
Maeda was posted by the Hiroshima Carp, who will receive a fee of up to $20 million from any club that signs him.
The Dodgers have yet to confirm the deal, reported to be for eight years, which comes hot on the heels of the signing Kazmir.
Maeda alluded to the deal on his Twitter account, wishing Los Angeles a happy new year and saying he was excited by a new challenge and delighted to accomplish a long held dream.
The Dodgers are seeking to replace Greinke, who has joined National League West rivals Arizona in a blockbuster six-year deal.
Greinke finished second in the Cy Young Award voting this year after recording the best ERA in the majors.
Under an agreement between Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball, a player from Japan can negotiate with MLB clubs for 30 days after being posted.
If the player signs during this period, the MLB team must pay the “posting fee” to the Japanese team.
