A person with knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press that free agent Greinke and the Arizona Diamondbacks have reached agreement on a six-year contract.
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He was most recently signed on with the Los Angeles Dodgers since the winter of 2012, but in November he opted out of the remaining three years of his contract and $71 million.
In 12 major league seasons, Greinke has a 142-93 record with a 3.35 ERA but his decision to join the Diamondbacks was greeted by surprise. The $34.4 million average will be the sport’s highest, topping Price’s $31 million. If this doesn’t end up being the most stunning upset of the offseason, then we can’t wait to see what is.
Greinke was the second former AL Cy Young victor to get a mega-contract this week. Yes, the Diamondbacks. Not the San Francisco Giants or the Los Angeles Dodgers, who were the supposed front-runners for the right-hander. With the team giving Greinke a staggering amount of cash, one would expect they might be done Christmas shopping. So when the Arizona Diamondbacks outbid the Dodgers by million for Greinke on Friday night, it must have been tough for Dodgers fans to take.
Now, with Price already delivered to Boston (seven years, $217 million), Jordan Zimmermann to Detroit (five years, $110 million) and Greinke splitting town for a division rival, the suddenly pitching-poor Dodgers are dangerously close to sifting through the free-agent market leftovers bin.
Greinke’s ERA was the lowest in the majors since Greg Maddux had a 1.63 ERA in 1995. During one stretch of the season, Greinke threw 45 2/3 scoreless innings.
In spite of forecasts his personality might be ill-suited for a large-market franchise, Greinke shined in three seasons with the Dodgers, for whom he was 51-15 with a 2.30 ERA. Instead, Greinke is also a long-haired home-run-hitting beast who cares little for the feelings of his colleagues as he knocks one out of the park.
By Adding Greinke, the Diamondbacks solidified themselves as contenders in the National League, as they look to make their mark under the Tony LaRussa regime. 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. Signing Iwakuma or Samardzija would cost the Dodgers a first-round draft pick in addition to their salaries; Cueto or Leake would not. There is something of a joking acknowledgment in the game that the Giants contend – and, in fact, win it all – only every two years, so the 2016 season is their next and best chance.
A top priority of the Giants this off-season was to build up their rotation behind 2014 World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner.
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“I think I was just saving all my postseason wins for the Red Sox”, Price said on Friday during his introductory news conference in a Fenway Park function room filled with championship memorabilia.
