Astros acquire left-hander Scott Kazmir in a trade with Oakland

The Houston Astros made the first big splash ahead of the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

Houston acquired 31-year-old left-hander Scott Kazmir on Thursday from the Oakland A’s in exchange for a pair of minor leaguers: right-hander Daniel Mengden and catcher Jacob Nottingham.

Kazmir, a three-time All-Star, is a free agent at the end of the season. He was 5-5 with a 2.38 ERA with a 1.085 WHIP in 18 starts with the A’s.

Last year, he was 15-9 with a 3.55 ERA.

The A’s made the announcement ahead of their afternoon series finale against Toronto, so instead of Kazmir starting against the Blue Jays he was saying his goodbyes in the clubhouse.

Evan Drellich, the Astros beat writer for the Houston Chronicle, said Kazmir is expected to start against the Royals when Houston comes to Kauffman Stadium for a weekend series.

This story was originally published July 23, 2015 at 12:29 PM with the headline "Astros acquire left-hander Scott Kazmir in a trade with Oakland."