Because Greinke previously rejected the Dodgers’ qualifying offer (a one-year, $15.8 million contract), Arizona will forfeit the 13th overall pick in the 2016 draft.
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He also finished second behind Jake Arrieta of the Chicago Cubs for this season’s National League Cy Young Award.
Greinke posted a 1.66 earned-run average that was the lowest in baseball in 20 years.
Greinke went 19-3, setting a career high for wins, and pitched 222 2-3 innings. Greinke had a scoreless streak of 45⅔ innings this summer. Or they must trade for a starter, because that’s how they have won before – pitching in their big ballpark, with runs cobbled together with resourceful, but less-than-overpowering, lineups.
The D-backs beat out the division rival Dodgers and Giants to unexpectedly win the Greinke sweepstakes Friday night, acquiring the free agent ace they hope will get the franchise contending again and fast. Major League Baseball owners will dig a little deeper for every free-agent contract in the future. If Greinke’s arm indeed falls off in five years, well, Dodgers fans will not be throwing the front office a parade to celebrate the foresight. Sources confirmed that Geinke signed a six-year deal worth more than $200 million with the Diamondbacks. It wasn’t at all preposterous that the Boston Red Sox would land David Price, the prize of this free agent class, and it raised not many eyebrows that it took seven years and $217 million to do it. It wasn’t until Friday afternoon that we learned the D-Backs were pursuing the right-hander, and even then it was unclear if they were willing to make a competitive offer, or just trying to drive up the price. According to ESPN and media reports, Greinke has agreed to a deal with an annual value of $34.3 million, which is the most ever for a pitcher in baseball history.
Nats, Perez reach deal • Oliver Perez and the Washington Nationals have agreed to a $7 million, two-year contract, a source said.
His departure leaves the Dodgers with a large void behind Kershaw in their starting rotation.
“He is our priority – our No. 1 priority in the off-season”, Johnson said.
“I know good things are going to happen to me in October”. Through all that they have Clayton Kershaw, this era’s best pitcher, as a backbone. For his career, Greinke owns an ERA of 3.35 (123 ERA+) and 3.71 K/BB ratio across parts of 12 big-league seasons. The Dodgers are terrified of turning into the New York Yankees of the early 2010s and the Philadelphia Phillies of the last few years, immobilized by too many old guys making too much money.
Between Kershaw, Anderson, Ryu and Wood, the Dodgers have four left-handed starters.
Right-hander Brandon McCarthy isn’t expected to return from a major elbow operation until the middle of the season. “Two will depend on a lot of factors that are not determined at this point”.
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Former Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke has signed a six-year, $206 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks, pulling in a record-breaking salary.
