UPDATE: Jim Bowden of ESPN.com says it’s a two-year, $22 million deal, which is a sneaky/interesting move for the A’s in a market where Ricky Nolasco just got $49 million for four years and guys like Phil Hughes and Jason Vargas got $8 million per season for three and four years.

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Recent reports suggested the A’s weren’t feeling good about their chances of re-signing Bartolo Colon and apparently they’ve moved on in a big way: According to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com they’re “close to signing” left-hander Scott Kazmir.

Kazmir was a dominant young starter with the Rays and then rapidly deteriorated to the point that he posted a 5.34 ERA in independent ball at age 28. He made an incredible comeback with the Indians, racking up strikeouts at the same rate that made him a star in the first place, and finished strong with a 43/4 K/BB ratio in September.

Kazmir is a huge risk, but he’s still just 29 and looked an awful lot like his old self this year. Based purely on upside, he’s one of the best free agent pitchers available this offseason and certainly brings a much different skill set and long-term outlook to the table than the 40-year-old Colon.

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