Oh, I wonder.

[cordscords]

1. If he was with the Mets right now I would guess his #'s would look the same and his outlook would be just as bright. It's easy to say take a stud SP in the AL and move him to an NL pitchers park and his sick #'s get even sicker, but I don't know if there is a pitcher to make that jump yet. You usually see the jump in #3/#4 starters.

2. Kazmir is signed through the 2007 season.

um.. Pedro Martinez made that exact jump. From Fenway and the AL East to Shea and the NL East. Thought I can't say there was a noticeable difference in his numbers. I mean I don't think you can say for sure that he wouldn't have bounced back had he stayed in Boston. He's pitching great, but certainly no better than he has in any recent year except his last one in Boston.

But Pedro in '04 had by far his worst statisitcal year in a very long time. One of the hot topics in the offseason was "Is he the same pitcher anymore? Did his shoulder finally get to him?" I projected his #'s to get much better the following year, as they did. Had he stayed in Boston, I don't know what he would have done, but I would have him improving but just not as much as I would have projected him to improve for the Mets.

I'm saying you have not seen a pitcher put up a few sick years in the AL in his prime, and switch over to an NL's pitchers park while still in his prime.

[nsulham]

In place of kazmir, why would I want to play for a team that will never win and pay me less then some offers from richer teams? It's that simple, he won't sign.

Sorry ZIG but that smacks of a frustrated Yankee fan looking for a fix.

I can't see Kaz going anywhere. He's that team's ace and they'll do their best to lock him up to go with the young offense they'll have. The new ownership group can't be half as stupid as the previous group. It's not permissable by law.

[raiders_umpire]

2. How long is Kazmir signed for? Its pretty simple to assume that tampa will not in any way be able to resign Kazmir so where is he going afterwards?

Why would Tampa not try to resign him. The new ownership is building the team through young, good players so I am pretty sure that Kazmir is on there list as well. They have signed Baldelli and Crawford to long term contracts in the past year, and are building for the future with the young guys. Kazmir is not a free agent next year either as he has a few arbitration years to go, so even if the Rays do struggle in 07 to get to .500 due to the youth, by the time Kazmir is a free agent in 09, the Rays very well may be a contending team. From all reports I have read, Kazmir likes it so far in his first few years in Tampa, so unless something major happens in the next few years, he very well may want to stay and be the ace of the pitching staff.

1. Where do you see Kazmir now if he stuck with the Mets?

I think his record would be about the same. In 10 starts, he has pitched 2 bad games and got the loss in both of them. In the other 8 good starts, he has won 7 of the 8, so I guess the Mets better offense maybe could have gotten him one more win. His overall stats might be a bit better due to home ballpark and pitcher hitting though.

[Zito is God]

In place of kazmir, why would I want to play for a team that will never win and pay me less then some offers from richer teams? It's that simple, he won't sign.

Sorry ZIG but that smacks of a frustrated Yankee fan looking for a fix.

I can't see Kaz going anywhere. He's that team's ace and they'll do their best to lock him up to go with the young offense they'll have. The new ownership group can't be half as stupid as the previous group. It's not permissable by law.

Where did I ever say hwe is going to the Yankees? I simply mean that he would want to be with a contender and get paid well. Unless Tampa drastically increases the payroll he will be gone. Talent like that asks for ace $$$, something the Rays do not have.

Kazmir is not a free agent next year either as he has a few arbitration years to go, so even if the Rays do struggle in 07 to get to .500 due to the youth, by the time Kazmir is a free agent in 09, the Rays very well may be a contending team

So is he signed through '07 or '09? I am getting conflicting answers.

[raiders_umpire]

Kazmir is not a free agent next year either as he has a few arbitration years to go, so even if the Rays do struggle in 07 to get to .500 due to the youth, by the time Kazmir is a free agent in 09, the Rays very well may be a contending team

So is he signed through '07 or '09? I am getting conflicting answers.

He is signed through next year, but then he has his arbitration years to go through as well.