Astros Acquire Scott Kazmir From Athletics
(CBS) One potential target of the Cubs' in their search to add a starting pitcher before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline is off the board.
The Astros acquired left-hander Scott Kazmir from the Athletics on Thursday, the teams announced, with Houston sending a pair of minor leaguers to Oakland to nab one of the best pitchers available on the market.
The 31-year-old Kazmir is 5-5 with a 2.38 ERA and 1.09 WHIP this season. His ERA is fifth-best in the American League. He'll be a free agent at season's end, so this trade is a two-month rental for Houston, which currently holds the top wild-card spot in the AL.
To acquire Kazmir, the Astros traded away right-hander Daniel Mengden and catcher Jacob Nottingham -- neither of whom rated as one of their top-10 prospects by Baseball America. Mengden was ranked as the team's No. 19 prospect by MLB.com entering 2015, while Nottingham was No. 22.
Mengden, 22, has a 3.46 ERA and 1.30 WHIP at Single-A this season. Nottingham, 20, is hitting .326 with a .941 OPS at Single-A.