When you look at the Dodgers 40-man roster as it stands today, November 27, 2017, there is an exceptionally good chance that it will not look the same on February 14, 2018 when pitchers and catchers report to Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona for spring training. In fact, I’d stake my life on it. But when you peruse that 40-man roster today, there is one name that absolutely jumps out at you. In fact, it may even cause you to say “Huh, I didn’t know he was still on the team.” It is the name of soon-to-be 34-year-old left-hander Scott Kazmir.

For those who may not recall, and there are probably many, the Dodgers signed the extremely likable Houston, Texas native as a free agent on December 30, 2015. At the time, Kazmir had just completed a combined 7-11 season with the Oakland Athletics and the Houston Astros while posting an impressive combined 3.10 ERA. And while these numbers alone may cause Dodger fans to wonder why on earth Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Farhan Zaidi would give a guy like that a lofty 3-year / $48 million contract, Kazmir did post a 5-5 record and exceptional 2.38 ERA while with Oakland.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that after Kazmir was traded to the Astros at the July 31, 2015 trade deadline, he went 2-6 with a 4.17 ERA, causing Dodger fans to wonder even more.

For those who do remember that the 6′-0″ / 195-pound left-hander is still on the team, they are well aware that Kazmir posted a 10-6 record and less-than-stellar 4.56 ERA in his 26 starts with the Dodgers in 2016. But they are also aware that Kazmir did not appear in even one major league game in the just-concluded 2017 season, having spent the entire season on the disabled list for a strained left hip. And while this in no way is to suggest that Kazmir was not actually hurt, he was paid $16 million to make four three-inning rehab starts with the Dodgers Advanced Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes while attempting to work his way back to the Dodgers. In other words, Kazmir was paid $4 million for each of four minor league starts that totaled a combined 12 innings pitched. This may not be the most money paid to a rehabbing major league pitcher this past season, but it’s probably among the top-10.

Kazmir did not make even one appearance for the Dodgers in 2017. He did, however, make four starts with the Quakes, for which he was paid handsomely. (Photo credit – Steve Saenz)

To be fair, over his 12 big league seasons, Kazmir has a career mark of 108-96 for a .529 winning percentage with a mediocre 4.01 career ERA. He was also named to the American League All-Star team in 2006, 2008 and 2014, and finished ninth in the AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2005. However, when you crunch his career numbers together, Kazmir’s projected numbers for the 2018 season are less than ideal and fall considerably short of justifying his lofty contract.

According to Baseball_Reference.com, Kazmir’s projected 2018 numbers call for a 4-4 record and 4.14 ERA. Granted, these are merely projections based on his career averages and a 100 percent healthy Scott Kazmir can easily put these projections to shame. But the brutally painful truth is that the three-time All-Star has had a sub-3 ERA season only twice during his 12-year career, and one of those was during an injury-plagued 2009 season (with the Angels) in which he made only six starts.

(Image courtesy of Baseball_reference.com – Click on image to enlarge)

But alas, hope springs eternal and by every indication Scott Kazmir will be 100 percent healthy when pitchers and catchers report on February 14, 2018. As such, there is a good chance that he will break spring training camp on the Dodgers 25-man roster as a member of the Dodgers 2018 starting rotation. But if he does not, he will once again be among the highest paid minor leaguers in the game.

Stay tuned…