Elephant Rumblings: Giants sign Scott Kazmir to minor league contract

Good morning, Athletics Nation!

Jed Lowrie isn’t the only former Oakland A’s All-Star looking to make a comeback in 2021. Another familiar name is back in the Bay Area, though on the other side of it.

The San Francisco Giants signed pitcher Scott Kazmir to a minor league contract, reports Buster Olney of ESPN. If he makes the MLB squad then he’ll earn $600K, just over league-minimum, and there is no opt-out date by which the Giants must bring him up, adds Susan Slusser of the S.F. Chronicle.

The lefty last pitched in the majors in 2016, for the Dodgers, and he already made one famous comeback in his career. In 2012, the longtime star fell out of affiliated ball entirely and went to the independent Atlantic League, but he worked his way back to the majors with the Indians and then signed with the A’s in 2014. He made the All-Star team that year with Oakland, the third selection of his career, and pitched even better the next summer before being traded away from the rebuilding club in July (in a transaction tree that eventually led to Khris Davis).

However, the success didn’t continue after signing in Los Angeles the following winter, and he was traded to the Braves and later released in spring 2018. Now he’s back, again, at age 37.

“What year is it?” Kazmir joked, per Slusser, in a full writeup that I promise is worth your time to click and read. Among the details in Slusser’s story: During his time away from baseball Kazmir stayed in shape by surfing, and his sons are named Bodhi and Utah. Do you think there’s a chance he might be a Point Break fan?

Best of luck to Kaz in his potential third MLB career! May he do well enough to get traded away from a bad Giants team so we can more fully root for him here at Athletics Nation.

Extra note: Giants President of Baseball Ops Farhan Zaidi was the A’s AGM when Kaz signed in Oakland, and he was the Dodgers GM when Kaz signed in L.A.

A’s Coverage

• AN: A’s DFA pitcher Paul Blackburn
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• Gallegos: Chapman, Olson eye return to elite form
• Gallegos: Rosenthal, Moreland join A’s camp
• Kawahara: A’s in camp, ‘expectations should be the same’ in 2021, Bob Melvin says ($)
• Coffey: Oakland A’s camp intel: Matt Chapman’s health, Jesus Lazardo’s hook and more ($$$)
• AN: A’s 40-man roster update after flurry of February moves
• AN: A’s payroll update: It finally went up!
• AN: Matt Chapman ranked 7th-best third baseman by MLB Network
• AN: A.J. Puk makes FanGraphs Top 100 prospect list for 2021

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MLB Transactions

The transaction mill is finally winding down after a busy February, but there are still a few recent moves of note.

Bummer to see Choo leave the majors, but A’s pitchers will breathe a sigh of relief after years of being torn up by him

Wilson moves to the other New York team after two good years on the Mets; this will be his second stint on the Yankees, after an excellent 2015 season there

It’s a $2.25 million deal for the former A’s closer, with a mutual option for $3.5 million in 2022 (or $500K buyout)

Just saying, Mayfield is a versatile infielder

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