The A's remain in pursuit of free agent lefty Scott Kazmir, hoping to bring back a pitcher who was an All-Star wearing green and gold in 2014.
A source with knowledge of the situation said Oakland is still in the running to sign Kazmir, one of the top starters left on the open market. That backs up a report Friday from CBS Sports' Jon Heyman, who listed the A's as one of Kazmir's main suitors, along with the Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals.
It's unknown just how good the A's chances are to reel in Kazmir, who Heyman reported has multiple three-year offers "probably in the $12-13 million range (annually)." Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports listed the Dodgers in the running for Kazmir too.
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For the A's to still be hanging in the Kazmir sweepstakes is a mild surprise given the comments made at the Winter Meetings by executive Vice President of baseball operations Billy Beane, when he said the chances of the A's signing a starter to a multi-year deal were shrinking due to his team's lack of financial flexibility.
But there's clearly mutual interest between Kazmir and the A's. He fit well in his 1 1/2 seasons in Oakland, going 20-14 with a 3.12 ERA in 50 starts and serving as a valuable sounding board for younger pitchers.
The A's are known to have made a run at Bartolo Colon, who eventually accepted a one-year $7.25 million offer from the Mets. Oakland followed by agreeing to terms with starter Henderson Alvarez for a reported $4 million, plus incentives.
The savings from that trade-off would benefit the A's in their pursuit of Kazmir, though landing the lefty will obviously still take a serious financial commitment over multiple years, one that the A's aren't known for diving into with starters.
