D-Backs land Greinke for six years
The Diamondbacks have agreed to a six-year contract with free agent right-hander Zack Greinke worth $206.5 million, CBS Sports MLB Insider Jon Heyman has confirmed. The contract is pending a physical. The deal includes $60 million in deferred money that will be paid out in the five years following the contract.
Greinke, 32, was arguably the best free agent starter on the market this offseason and inarguably the best once David Price agreed to a seven-year contract with the Red Sox. Heyman recently reported Greinke could exceed Price’s $31 million average annual salary.
In recent days the NL West rival Dodgers and Giants were bidding for Greinke. 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.
Arizona made a run at Johnny Cueto earlier this offseason, offering a six-year deal worth $120 million. That showed the team was willing to spend big this offseason. The D-Backs signed a new and very lucrative television contract not too long ago, which surely helped land Greinke.
In 2015, the D-Backs went 79-83 and finished 13 games back of the Dodgers in the NL West. Those 79 wins represented a 15-win improvement from 2014. Greinke is joining a strong core that includes Paul Goldschmidt, A.J. Pollock, Patrick Corbin, Ender Inciarte and Robbie Ray.
Because the Dodgers made Greinke a qualifying offer, the D-Backs will forfeit their first round pick (13th overall) to sign the right-hander. Los Angeles will receive a supplemental first round pick as compensation. That usually slots in somewhere around No. 30-35 overall.
Greinke is coming off a season in which he pitched to an MLB-leading 1.66 ERA in 222 2/3 innings for the Dodgers. 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.
Back in 2009, Greinke won the Cy Young as a member of the Royals. He finished runner-up to Jake Arrieta in the 2015 NL balloting. He’ll enter the 2016 season needing eight victories for career win No. 150. Greinke also enter 2016 with more than $110 million in career salary to date.
Zack Greinke is a free agent no more. (USATSI)
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