The Dodgers lost out on Zack Greinke, who cashed in on a massive six-year contract with the Diamondbacks worth a reported $206.5 million, give or take $15 or $20 million depending on the details of the deferred money.
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In short, the Diamondbacks have the offense to contend. They need to shore up their pitching, and that’s what they are doing. As for Arizona, this in a team that was poised for and ultimately achieved a break through in 2015, notching 79 wins and finishing third in the top-heavy division after winning 64 games in 2014.
Greinke’s contract would average $34.4 million per year, surpassing the seven-year, $217 million deal ($31 million average per year) that David Price signed this week with the Boston Red Sox.
FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal was first to report the deal. They will get a draft pick at the end of the first round as compensation for losing Greinke, and Arizona forfeits it’s pick (originally 13th).
The deep thinking, somewhat eccentric, often wry and hyper-athletic Greinke emerged in 2015 as the Dodgers’ co-ace, an extraordinary development given his partner at the top of the rotation was three-time Cy Young Award victor (and one-time MVP) Kershaw. It appeared that he narrowed his choices to the Giants and Dodgers until the Diamondbacks convined him to come toi Arizona.
The hot stove season is always good for a few big surprises.
Greinke was the major league leader with a 1.66 ERA. Greinke had a scoreless streak of 45 2-3 innings this summer. Over six starts, from June 18 to July 19, he did not allow a run.
He joins the staff of Don Mattingly, who recently became the Marlins’ seventh manager since June 2010.
So much for the notion that the NL West will be a two-team battle, too. They probably aren’t going to be seen this upcoming year, but they aren’t likely to be pitching in Sacramento three or four years from now either. They kind of save your bullpen. If Johnson and other ownership group members put a limit of Greinke spending, ask them why they suddenly have amnesia about the Mission Rock project. He also helped Japan win the bronze medal at the Premier12 tournament last month. In 2013, he missed a month with a broken collarbone, that being the result of Carlos Quentin charging the mound.
The Giants had reason to covet Zack Greinke.
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Despite a market flush with high-end starting pitchers, perhaps the greatest collection of arms to hit free agency at the same time, the Giants again must lower their sights and concentrate on the next level to fill the holes in their rotation. Arizona’s outside-the-box thinking in terms of design and its eight uniform sets drew comparisons to the NCAA’s Oregon Ducks, known for wearing new almost uniforms every week of the college football season.
