It isn't a secret that the Oakland Athletics have been shopping for a starting pitcher this offseason. They just missed out on a reunion with Tim Hudson, who signed a two-year, $23 million deal with the San Francisco Giants last month. They have also been linked to Bartolo Colon as a potential retention candidate. 

Colon appears to be headed out of Oakland after it inked Scott Kazmir to a two-year, $22 million contract on Monday. The soon-to-be 30-year-old starter dealt with four injury-plagued seasons from 2009-2012, a span that saw him sport a 21-26 record with an ERA above five. 

That being said, Kazmir rebounded nicely last season after signing a minor-league contract with the Cleveland Indians. He won 10 of his 19 decisions and started 29 games, his highest one-season total since he was a member of the Tampa Bay Rays back in 2007. The veteran also put up solid strikeout splits for the Indians in 2013. He struck out an average if 9.2 batters per nine innings, tallying a total of 162 in 158 innings. 

Kazmir joins a strong young rotation that is headed by Jarrod Parker, Sonny Gray, Dan Straily and A.J. Griffin. It does appear that former staff ace Brett Anderson will be moved at some point this season. The injury-plagued, but talented starter is set to earn $8 million in 2014 and could net the A's a decent return in a trade. The Kansas City Royals and Toronto Blue Jays have expressed interest. 

While this deal pretty much closes the door on a potential Colon return, by no means does it indicate that the A's are done adding to their two-time defending AL West champion roster. They have real interest in Texas Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz, who is said to be demanding over $70 million in a new deal. Even if the A's don't net that high-priced prize, they are surely going to upgrade the middle of their order at some point before spring training gets going in February. 

With all that said, the Kazmir deal solidifies one of the deepest rotations in baseball. This doesn't mean that it's not a risky deal.