Yesterday, the Angels released LHP Scott Kazmir, eating the remainder of his $14.5 million contract for 2011.
Once a promising young starter, Kazmir finished ninth in Rookie of the Year voting in 2005 at age 21, and went on to lead the American League in strikeouts in 2007.
In August of 2009, a struggling Kazmir (5.92 ERA in 20 starts) was traded by the Tampa Bay Rays to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for Sean Rodriguez, Alex Torres, and Matt Sweeney. Since then, he's continued to decline, posting a 5.94 ERA in 28 starts in 2010.
In five rehab starts in Triple-A this year, Kazmir lasted a total of 15.1 innings with a 17.02 ERA, 14 strikeouts, and twenty walks.