Zack Greinke – who is expected to pick between the Dodgers and Giants – is likely to beat it by a bit when he agrees to his deal.
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But this answer was so obvious – the need so glaring, the fit so snug – that one of the owners of the team stood about a dozen feet from Friedman and stood up for the fans.
“From the day this ownership arrived we have stressed the importance of becoming a player development-oriented organization”, Dodgers president Stan Kasten said. If – a very suspicious looking “if” in retrospect – Greinke could ever have been had for five years at $25 million per, matching the Price deal could cost them an extra $92 million. An efficient operator who outsmarts hitters and thrives on bad contact, Greinke s ERA stayed below 2.00 all season and won 19 of 22 decisions. Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports reported yesterday that Greinke is expected to sign with the Dodgers or Giants and the deal will either be for five years and $160 million or six years and $192 million.
Greinke is 32, two years older than Price, but is thought to be seeking a contract that pays a similar or greater average annual value ($31 million). In three seasons with the Dodgers he’s 51-15 with a 2.30 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 92 starts.
After David Price signed a seven-year, $217-million deal with the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, it was clear that the biggest name in free agency had come off the board. That leaves Greinke, and a plentiful list of starters in the non-elite class. Basically, an average of $30-32 million until he’s 38 years old. He knew how good Corey Seager might be three years ago, when Seager had not advanced past rookie ball.
This Major League Baseball offseason has a plethora of quality pitchers available. Behind Clayton Kershaw, the Dodger’s starting rotation is full of question marks as both Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-jin Ryu look to come back healthy in 2016 after missing all of 2015 with respective injuries. And there is Jake Peavy, who turns 35 in May.
The Red Sox rotation was also in dire straits, and knowing Price preferred to pitch in the National League and had a strong relationship with Joe Maddon, his former Rays manager now leading the Cubs, ESPN’s Buster Olney said they had little choice but to step up and crush all other bidders. By the time Greinke breaks down – if indeed he does – one of the Dodgers’ recent Latin American signings should be primed to step in as a cost-effective replacement.
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The Giants envision teaming Greinke with left-hander Madison Bumgarner, a doubly whammy for the Dodgers, but it’s unclear what their maximum bid might be after falling short lastseason in a bid for free agent lefty Jon Lester. If the Dodgers lose on Greinke, they ll go after Johnny Cueto.
