DEC. 2: ESPN’s Jayson Stark tweets that while Greinke’s preference is a six-year deal at an AAV north of Price, he’s also open to a five-year pact at a considerably higher AAV than he’d receive on a six-year contract.
DEC. 111:15pm: Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM tweets that a source close to the situation says Greinke will decide within the next 48 hours. Bowden adds that he expects Greinke to land a six-year deal worth $32MM annually, which would mean a $192MM total investment.
5:08pm: News of David Price’s deal with the Red Sox is still fresh in the air, but another major decision may be relatively close, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that Zack Greinke could decide on his next contract “soon,” labeling it a matter of Dodgers vs. Giants, with a five- to six-year deal being the expectation. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale adds (Twitter link) that a Greinke decision is expected this week, noting that he, too, hears the Dodgers and Giants stand alone as the finalists. ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick tweets that Greinke is seeking an AAV that exceeds Price, so he could come in at $31.5MM to $32MM annually.
Greinke, like Price, finished runner-up in his league’s Cy Young voting this season despite the best single-season ERA mark by a qualified pitcher since Greg Maddux in 1995. He’s spent the past three seasons in L.A., working to a combined 2.30 ERA across 602 2/3 innings. Recently, Crasnick reported that the market for Greinke was “quietly heating up,” listing San Francisco and Los Angeles as the primary teams that were said to be seeking clarity in their pursuit of Greinke.
The fact that two division rivals are the top suitors for Greinke must be music to the ears of both the pitchers and his representatives at Excel Sports Management. However many wins either teams feels that Greinke can add to their future totals, the view could be made that failing to sign him will instead add those wins to the closest rival’s total, possibly increasing each team’s willingness to spend.
Both clubs are known to be seriously interested in Greinke, but Dodgers ownership partner Magic Johnson told Yahoo’s Tim Brown today that Greinke was the team’s “No. 1 priority” this offseason (Twitter link).
charles stevens
6 yrs 192 mil
John Murray
I’m thinking more like 5/$165 mil with a $25 mil team option on the backend. Can’t see a team wanting to commit $30 mil plus in Greinke’s age 39 year. But that gives him a good option in late career if he’s still performing well, and an out for the committing team if he isn’t. Price is getting paid to age 37; a five year deal commits Greinke to age 38 at a higher AAV. I think that’s what it will look like.
Philliesfan4life
yet he wants more then price, do the dodgers give him 4-5 years around 220? or 215
g55s
He wants more AAV which = 32 mill per year. Not more in total contract
JT19
I mean a four-to-five year deal worth $215-$220 would accomplish more AAV. I just don’t see a scenario where the Dodgers or Giants decide that $40-$50 AAV is worth it.
chesteraarthur
Yeah, they wont.
Benjamin 2
$40 or $50 million?? Per year? Not a chance!!!
frankjc81
Dude seriously? 40-50 mil a year is what you are guessing? Lol. Either you don’t know baseball contracts or you just threw those numbers out there without doing the math.
cxcx
Why is a comment so replete with falsity getting upvoted? Price’s 7-year deal goes through his age 36 season and a 5-year deal for Greinke would also go through his age 36 season. That’s 36, not 37 or 38.
John Murray
I’m off by 1 year, but so are you. Greinke is indeed only 2 years older than Price, but both would be 37 at their contract’s end, not 36. So I guess we’re both replete with falsity. Point still is – whether 37 or 38 – $30 million or so is a LOT of money to pitch at that age, especially where the game has become owned by a lot of very young hitters in the last 12 months.
cxcx
I was unnecessarily sniping but my point stands and was correct at least in the context of how people talk and write about baseball contracts. This coming season is age 30 for Price and age 32 for Greinke so respective 7-year and 5-year deals would ultimately commit money to each’s age 36 season and no further, regardless of if they have birthdays in September or whatever.
It’s a minutia/semantics thing but it’s better not to be confusing/rife with falsity/whatever.
puigpower
You meant to say Grienke is the priority in the last sentence, not Price.
Steve Adams
Good grief, yes I do. Thank you. Price on the brain still, clearly. Fixed.
seamaholic 2
Way to go, Magic. Why don’t you just send over a blank check while you’re at it! Not that I’m complaining.
vailb
The ONLY thing a Dodger fan doesn’t worry about with regard to the Giants is ability to pay. Unless there has been a major transformation, I don’t think the Giants see paying a $31 million annual contract for a pitcher as consistent with their strategy. I could be wrong…
Philliesfan4life
they have the money to spend
g55s
They have the ability.. question is will they.
Philliesfan4life
I hope they do get him and snag him away from the dodgers, they need another big guy in the rotation, because I don’t think Cain will ever get back to what he was
333ddd1
Behind Bumgarner every current Giants starter is a wild card. Peavy has been okay for the past few seasons but hasn’t stayed healthy, Cain hasn’t seemed to be good since his perfect game, and Heston had a few good starts is his half season last year, but ended pretty bad. The Peavy and Heston are both at best number 3 guys, so the Giants need at least 3 good starters, and hopefully another solid one. Bumgarner and Grienke would make an awesome 1-2, but beyond that it could be really bad.
YourDaddy
Giants need 1 top flight starter and it would be a nice luxury to have a good, young, cost controlled starter like Shelby Miller to slot in at #3 behind Bumgarner after they sign Greinke. They can get Miller or someone like him in trade. Even without someone like Miller, the Giants would have a formidable rotation with Greinke, Bumgarner, Cain, Peavy and Heston. Even after signing Greinke they would still have the money to sign Upton or Cespedes and a bullpen arm or two.
Black&Orange&Silver
I just can’t see the Giants going all in like this. They need 2 starting pitchers this off season AND at least a platoon guy who can play the corner outfield and left side of the infield. If they go with anyone at $30mm+ AAV, then they lose out on the ability to add valuable pieces in their other areas. They have about $50mm to spend. Hopefully they choose wisely.
John Murray
I can see it, because taking him from the Dodgers is like double the effect. And there’s no pending free agent pitcher nearly as good, so I think they’re treating Greinke as a unique case. Having the Freak off the payroll softens the blow, too.
RunDMC
Even if they miss out on Greinke, they can afford some lesser options like Kazmir and a few others. Honestly, I like that option where you’re spreading it around, leaving some for an offensive upgrade and not trading the farm – which someone is bound to do with all these overpays. BOS already overpaid for a closer.
YourDaddy
They have about $60 million to spend for 2016 right now. I can see them going after Greinke for $31-33 million and Upton/Cespedes for $22-23 million plus a pen arm or two then trade for a good young, cost controlled #3 like Shelby Miller to slot behind Bumgarner and in front of Cain/Peavy/Heston. Think about this lineup:
LF – Upton
CF – Pagan
RF – Pence
3B – Duffy
SS – Crawford
2B – Panik
1B – Belt
C – Posey
SP – Greinke
SP – Bumgarner
SP – Shelby Miller
SP – Cain
SP – Peavy/Heston
Kinda scary for the rest of the NL West to be sure.
Philliesfan4life
It will be crazy that the dodgers will give greinke all that money on top of kershaw’s contract
frankjc81
Why would it be crazy? The Angels have puljos, Hamilton, and trout big contracts. Do you follow the sport or no?
frankjc81
Gave*
sdsuphilip
Marlins going to sign him
ssimplisticness
So here’s a question: If the Giants lose out on Greinke to the Dodgers(and I personally expect they will), do they throw big money at Cueto or go for 1(maybe 2) of the next tier starters(Leake, Shark, Gallardo, Lackey)? Maybe make a strong push for Maeda?
Philliesfan4life
they need another pitcher to go with bumgarner, Greinke would be nice for them and a big slap to the dodgers.
ssimplisticness
I just really don’t see the Dodgers allowing themselves to be outbid for one of their Aces to a division rival. So if it comes down to purely money, the Dodgers bring him back. If there are some underlying reasons for Greinke not wanting to return, then maybe.
Philliesfan4life
If greinke was smart and not to follow the money, I would go to the giants because they have a great bullpen and they have the world series experience, If the dodgers don’t fix the bullpen outside of jansen, I don’t see greinke getting one with the dodgers
legend27
Thing is, Greinke is in it for the big $$$ why else would he have opted out of his contract
Philliesfan4life
it’s crazy that the dodgers would give greinke over 200 million along with kershaw on the payroll. they are giving the money to the starters instead of the bullpen
vailb
You don’t spend big bucks on the bullpen, except for a closer with Rivera-like gifts. You certainly don’t spend like that on a 7th inning guy. Those guys are important, but you can’t depend on them year to year to warrant a big long contract like you would pay a starter.
Philliesfan4life
I mean not giving them big bucks but giving them a nice offer , they need a darren o’day or somebody to get the ball to jansen.
frankjc81
They are going after o day
Black&Orange&Silver
They have given nice offers. Remember Brian Wilson? Marmol? Perez? League? They are just horrible at putting together and also using a bullpen.
stl_cards16 2
How much money are the Dodgers paying players to jot play for them? But you don’t think they should spend money on the bullpen.
Mikel Grady
Isn’t that how royals won beating mets bullpen ?
RunDMC
True, but the point is that you need to have a good bullpen if you’re going to give your starters $200M and expect them to win. KC has gotten to the WS back-to-back years with a serviceable rotation and elite bullpen, one that was able to withstand losing its closer (Holland) and still not lose a step because of the depth.
mrshyguy99
bull pen players are hit and miss. you dont spend big money on bullpen players like you do on other positions. you just have to be smart with who you pick and chose to run the pen
Black&Orange&Silver
You need a good bullpen to win, especially in the playoffs. You don’t need to pay big bucks for a good bullpen though…funny how LAD can’t figure that out.
YourDaddy
Royals would disagree with you. Their pen carried them to World Series.
chesteraarthur
Because he can sign for equal or more money and go to a team of his choosing?
Black&Orange&Silver
He could have opted out of the contract to get out of that clubhouse, as well as the money. Sounds like nobody wants to play with Puig, A-Gone will be on the wrong side of his career going forward, they have questions all over the infield, Joc is not meeting hyped up expectations, bullpen is awful.
73SFGiantsFan
People are looking past the fact that the Dodgers have an unproven MLB manager in control of their staff now. If I were Grienke it would not be a hard decision. Play for a proven winner, that being Botchy. Case closed. The Giants just have the chemistry and players to make the best out of any situation. Grienke can be rich for life with the Dodgers but he’ll never win a ring playing for them.
frankjc81
Your comments aren’t very well thought out. Not a lot of common sense. The Dodgers on paper are a better team than the Giants. You think ZG is thinking well the Giants do have a little bit better bullpen. Lol. Come on man
slider32
Greinke is the key to the West, unless he goes to the Nats.
frankjc81
Stating the obvious. ZG would be nice for ANY team. Not really a slap to the Dodgers tho
YourDaddy
Losing Greinke to their main rival in the NL West would be a huge slap to the Dodgers. No matter who else they bring in, they are losing at a minimum a couple of wins a season to the Giants if he signs there and the Giants are adding those wins. Giants also have enough money available for 2016 that they could go out and add an Upton or Cespedes and a nice bullpen piece in addition to Greinke.
g55s
I assume they’d throw the farm at Shelby Miller or Carlos Carrasco
Black&Orange&Silver
I think they might anyways. Especially if they do get Greinke…they would not have starter money to throw around. Bye bye Tyler Beede, Christian Arroyo, Chris Heston, et al. You will be traded for guys who can win at least 1 more ring in the next 3 years. I would love to find a way to keep Arroyo in the system and still add a younger SP to slot in the #3 spot in the rotation. Julio Teheran anyone?
benfiorica
I would imagine they would go for next tier starters because they still have Bumgarner
JoeyPankake
I would expect they go for a second tier starter and go big on Cespedes/Upton/Heyward. Or maybe sign Davis and a seond tier starter and try to trade Belt plus prospects for another second tier starter.
333ddd1
I doubt the Giants trade any of there 4 top infielders(Duffy, Crawford, Panik, Belt.). They are a young group of players that went through the minors together and last season produced the best numbers of any SF Giants infield to date. It’s probably the best infield in baseball, and since the Giants are trying to put together another World Series winning team, I don’t see them messing with that.
YourDaddy
The Giants have about $60 million to spend in 2016 so they have the money to go for Greinke and Cespedes, Upton or Heyward. I would put my money on Upton or Cespedes since Pence is in RF. Then if they want to they can trade Belt and prospects for a guy to slot behind Bumgarner and in front of Peavy.
Black&Orange&Silver
the fact of the matter is that SF needs 2 SP, if not 3. Cueto would have to be the guy. They need a RHSP to pair with Bumgarner. They also need a number 3 guy too. Shark, Fister, Maeda, Lackey, Leake could all fit that role.
legend27
Dodgers are going to have a huge hole in their rotation if they cant re-sign Greinke. There is no one in their system that can fill such an important gap.
sdsuphilip
Sabean isn’t exactly predictable, but assuming Cueto checks out fine physically I think he would be a really good fit in SF, too much recency bias going on based on his second half in KC with his reputation, he’s really good.
333ddd1
Sabean isn’t GM anymore
Philliesfan4life
they have Urias and de leon coming up , Urias could but I guess the dodgers are not going to rush him
Niekro
Is Ryu’s injury something that will linger? He seems like a valuable piece coming back people are forgetting about.
sdsuphilip
He’s had injury problems and by all accounts Dodgers are not counting on him.
Niekro
Any word if he will even be ready for start of season?
BlueSkyLA
As above, yes he is expected to be
BlueSkyLA
He’s still expected back by spring training. The surgery on his shoulder was intended to correct a chronic problem that has sidelined him in the past. Will it take? Probably not even his team will know for awhile. Either way it doesn’t have a lot of bearing on the Greinke sweepstakes.
mrshyguy99
im hoping ryu come back strong. dodgers sure miss him. dodgers could have a strong rotation with zack if sign,kershaw,anderson and who ever the 5th
slider32
Dodgers will still be the favorites even if they don’t get Greinke. They have Ryu coming back and Urias coming up.
BlueSkyLA
Urias is all of 18 years old. A little early to be penciling him into the rotation.
Philliesfan4life
I don’t look for Urias till 2017
BlueSkyLA
At the soonest. By that time Kershaw will be coming to his opt out year.
stl_cards16 2
Why at the soonest? He’ll be in AAA all of 2016.
BlueSkyLA
Because 2017 is the year after 2016?
mrshyguy99
well by 2017 he will be 20 so it be the same age when kershaw was called up. since dodgers resign wood and anderson. i dont see that he will be call up unless injures
slider32
True, they can get Leake or Chen as a stop gap.
mrshyguy99
dodgers dont need a stop gap. how many pitchers do the dodgers need. they have already 4 if ryu healthy 5 if zack sign and they have another who will be back mid season
Philliesfan4life
Do you think it would of been smarter if the dodgers traded for hamels then re-signing greinke if they lost him?
mrshyguy99
no because philly wanted what the dodgers werent willing to give up. if they lose zack there still decent options out there
frankjc81
Not at all
mrshyguy99
he actually 19 and wanst kershaw like 20 or something when he was called up
YourDaddy
Kershaw came up midway through his age 20 season which if he can continue to progress would be mid-2017 for Urias. Certainly not out of the question. Urias is not as dominant as Kershaw was then nor is his ceiling as high.
stl_cards16 2
Who cares how old he is? His stuff would play in the majors right now. It’s all about building up innings, at this point. If the Dodgers are smart in 2016, he’ll be in the bullpen in September and October.
BlueSkyLA
It all depends on how he works out in the upper minors.
frankjc81
Isn’t he 19 and will be 20 half way through next season? I can see them bringing him up in the pen next September. How old was kersh when they brought him up btw? Yup
McGlynn
But If they resign greinke, they are the same as they were last year, but any additions by the giants/dbacks make them better than last year . I think calling them the favorites without greinke is a long shot.
frankjc81
They didn’t have Ryu last year. Plus Seager. And any other additions. They can still be in the conversation as favorites without ZG. But if the Dodgers can sign a solid 2 guy if they lose ZG, they are right back to being the stand alone favorites
YourDaddy
Urias threw 80 innings last season. He is still a full season away from being able to be slotted into the Dodgers rotation. Maybe you see him in 2017. Even then he is no Greinke. He is more of a Brett Anderson which is not that bad, but not an Ace like Greinke either.
mrshyguy99
they got some good pitchers in the farm. maybe not a good as zack. but they have talent. urias might be the next big thing. they also have a guy name holmes who i heard is pretty good
frankjc81
As well as de Leon
frankjc81
Which is why they would sign another pitcher. But even without ZG the Dodgers have a solid 4. They would go out and sign or trade for a 2. And urias isn’t that far away to “fill that gap”
jmg s.
Giants could win either way: Getting a top-quality pitcher or forcing a top-dollar commitment with luxury tax implications from their rival. I’d rather see the latter and have the Giants use their money on more players and more flexibility.
McGlynn
I agree, if they don’t sign greinke, that leaves them with plenty of financial flexibility to sign additions to the bullpen, rotation, and outfield; as well as room to make trades in the off season and during the season
YourDaddy
Giants have about $60 million to spend this offseason for the 2016 season. They could take Greinke away from the Dodgers and still get any other top flight FA they wanted.
mrshyguy99
i say he stay a dodger just because he knows the team. if he goes a giant he might want to be the big man ace of the team. not co ace. either way he will get paid
stl_cards16 2
That Bumgarner fellow isn’t too bad.
Kapler's Coconut Oil
Are you serious? He spent his whole time there being a co-ace to Kershaw, Why would that stop him from going to the Giants?
bravesred 2
Seeing as Greinke had better numbers over the last 3 or so seasons, not surprising he’d want more money than Price.
vailb
Thanks for fixing the typo in the last graf. It made Magic sound a little desperate when it still read “Price.”
Philliesfan4life
It’s crazy that the dodgers want to give out all the money to the rotation but they won’t sign a good bullpen arm that they need
mrshyguy99
off season still young so you cant say they arent till the offseason
over. signing zack wont stop them from getting bullpen help
frankjc81
What do you mean they won’t? They signed many bullpen arms last season that looked good on paper. Pen is always risky. This winter is still very very young. I can guarantee you they will sign some pen arms. To say they won’t is just not true
beyou02215
If the Dodger don’t sign Greinke, then hello Cueto.
mrshyguy99
cueto would be nice but they will be fighting the dback for him.plus he struggle once he left the reds. so it would be some what of a drop off from zack
beyou02215
No question it would be a drop off, but if there is any team that can pay extra for Cueto (give him $150 Million), it’s the Dodgers. If, however, the Dodgers end up with Greinke, then the Cueto sweepstakes will be much more interesting. Either way, my Padres seem relegated to another tough year. No power on the infield, an injury-prone Myers and an aging Kemp.
mrshyguy99
the pads can still improve there still a bunch of good b level talent out there. reason why dodgers gave up kemp. injures have hurt kemp bat. once a promising player now a avg player with decent pop. nvm didnt see kemp stats he still a good player he just getting older even though he only 31
Mike.Rube
I don’t think the Giants are interested at all. I think they’re bluffing to make the Dodgers focus on Greinke AND spend crazy money on him. Meanwhile they’ll sneak in and snatch up Jason Heyward or a few other middle of the rotation guys. Well played SF, well played
Kapler's Coconut Oil
Nothing thus far has indicated that you’re even close
zackzgurl
yeah cause middle of the rotation guys are so special
frankjc81
Dodgers would spend crazy money regardless. But if you think that a team can lose focus on one player by going after another, lol, come on man.if they get heyward it’s because the Dodgers didn’t want him. Have fun with those middle of the rotation guys btw. Lol
YourDaddy
I think they are not only very interested, they are the favorite because not only does adding Greinke strengthen their rotation and give them a 1-2 punch that one of the best in baseball, it also takes Greinke away from their key rival. Sorry Padres, Rocks and Dbacks, you really don’t count in the NL West. The Giants dropped $54 million from their payroll in FA that they won’t resign and another $4 million in non-tendered players so they could add Greinke at $32.5 AAV and another $25.5 million without even raising payroll from their 2015 levels. In other words they have the money to go out and get both Greinke and Heyward and a really good reason to take Greinke away from the Dodgers.
YourDaddy
While Magic has said Greinke is their top priority, other partners have said that payroll will be less in 2016 than the $298 million they spent in 2015. That doesn’t scream “the Dodgers will outbid anyone on Greinke” to me. I would think that a 5 year $162.5 million deal with a vesting option would get Greinke signed and I would think that signing Greinke away from the Dodgers would be worth something extra to the Giants. Giants – 5 years/$165 million with a $30 million option for a 6th year.
4slhorowitz
Greinke wants to pitch in and win a World Series. His decision will be based upon which team can he best help to reach the “promised land.” Apparently, he also thinks Puig is a major distraction within the Dodger clubhouse.
Giants eliminated $54 million dollars with the end of contracts with Lincecum, Hudson, Affeldt, Vogelson, Aoki, Byrd, etc. They have money to spend. Also, the voters of SF approved a major real estate project near ATT Park that will bring in millions of revenue in coming years. The team wants a fourth title. That is what Greinke wants too.
dstuart
Best part about the new real estate deal for the Giants, doesn’t require revenue sharing. The Giants are about to be Mr. Money of the National League.
michaelw
5 – 165 deal will get it done that is 33 a year maybe 6 at 190
est1890
Dave Roberts. Dodgers hiring him, aside from the money, convinces Greinke to stay in L.A.
hopper15
Dave Roberts or Bruce Bochy. Seems like a no brainer to me.
homeparkdc
An “even-year” thought by Greinke could be in play, too.
HEpennypacker
He’s coming back to dodger blue deal done period, there the ones with unlimited funds
73SFGiantsFan
Keep dreaming, when he goes to the Giants you can out a trashy couch on the curb and burn it in disgust while waiting another 20 plus years to win the big one. For now just keep on smoking the big one to get over the disappointment of losing
YourDaddy
Not unlimited, but certainly a lot. They can probably sustain a total MLB payroll including luxury tax of $250 million per year. This year they were over $340 million with a $298.3 payroll and a luxury tax hit of $43.7 million.
forum199
As a Dodger fan, I don’t know how excited I am about giving Greinke 190 million plus for a 6 year period that is beyond the typical prime for a SP. Coupled with the fact that the Dodgers have two outstanding SP prospects who legitimately have a shot to contribute by the end of next year, it makes more sense to take the pick that comes with his departure and use some of the outstanding prospect depth to make a trade for a young SP. I’m thinking something like De Leon, Holmes, Verdugo, Cotton, and another prospect for Sonny Gray.
BlueSkyLA
I figure they either pay what it takes to sign top free agents or the owners get to buy themselves a new yacht. As a fan I don’t have a problem deciding which option excites me more.
forum199
Any cost-benefit analysis is based on the assumption that the money can and will be spent elsewhere. Theoretically, 32M now means 32M less to offer a guy like Bryce Harper in 3 years. At some point, a financial ceiling always exists.
BlueSkyLA
The problem with this argument is we have no idea where their financial ceiling is located. All we really know for certain is the teams are for profit ventures. If they can cut an expense without reducing their revenue, then more is left over as profit. I would never assume that a dollar not spent on Player X will be spent on Player Y.
YourDaddy
For a typical MLB team you can say that MLB payroll will sit somewhere around 50% of revenues. With projected revenue between $480-500 million for 2016 with $310 million coming from their TV deal with TWC for the season and another $134 million from ticket sales plus $50 million as their share of national TV revenue, but not including any playoff income, that would put the Dodger’s at having a sustainable MLB payroll of $240-250 million. Because they have very little debt service, about 17%, they could realistically sustain a slightly higher payroll. If they signed Greinke, having two starting pitchers with combined salaries of $63-64 million would still leave them with $180+ million to spend or more than enough payroll to surpass all but a 3 teams total payroll.
forum199
Yeah, you are not wrong BlueSkyLA; it’s all speculation at this point. To be more concrete, I would probably favor giving Heyward the 200M and finding a SP for Puig (ideally someone like Salazar or Carrasco if we included a good prospect or two). Now, admittedly, the trade value of Puig is a pretty open question and the front office knows a lot more about what type of pitcher he could bring back.
gopads
McGwire seemed atleast on the field to interact well with Puig, the Indians do seem a better landing spot – Winter Meetings are going to be wild
Selkies
As much as I think of Greinke, with the state of SF’s rotation they’d be better off getting two tier 2 or 3 starters like Johnny Cueto and Yovani Gallardo or even John Lackey or Jeff Samardzija and Mike Leake.
chicubbies1
Wow. So it’s official, Cubs’ Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer have officially oversold the prospects of what this offseason will entail for the Cubs. No Zimmermann, no Price, and likely no Greinke. Also, another MLBTR post says they have made Heyward a “secondary” option….. meaning they likely won’t sign him either. So much for the being a “big” player in free agency this offseason.
Slightly disappointed Cubs fan.
tac3
that is a tough pill to swallow, considering their “arch” Its not over yet, I’d say Grienke could be posturing a bit, saying its down to two teams. Fister wouldn’t be a terrible pickup for the cubs if it came down to it. They can still trade for a top tier pitcher as well
ilikebaseball 2
Winter Meetings haven’t even started yet… just chill! Pun intended.
justinept
Yea… and the same site said that Price was their primary option — until it became obvious yesterday that the Cubs never even made the guy an offer. So believe what you want.
tac3
Big moment for the Dodgers. If the Dodgers can’t resign Grienke… the past trade deadline certainly hurts a little more. Not going after the Big Ace for a few prospects. If he leaves, your stuck with Kershaw and Urias … who may or may not develop into Ace/#2. It’ll be interesting, I think he resigns with LA though, but I do think its an interesting case study for GMs around the league, especially if he bolts for SF. Prospects are prospects, at some point you gotta go all in, or close to it. IMO, prospects are very overvalued vs proven MLB talent, such as Cole Hamels/David Price. Good luck LA, not rooting against you, just interesting from an outsider who is a baseball fan on how it shakes out over in Cali.
justinept
The Jays went all in on David Price… they didn’t win either. So neither strategy is guaranteed…
YourDaddy
Jays won the AL East and went to the playoffs so the strategy worked.
UHawks1926
Honestly I’m surprised the Yankees didn’t at least check in on Greinke or Price. Or maybe they did I just don’t know.
justinept
Basically – Greinke is saying “I’d prefer to take 6 years for 192 million… but if you’re uneasy about giving me that 6th year due to my age, then I’m willing to compromise with a 5-year $192 million deal…”
ilikebaseball 2
5yrs/250million doesn’t even matter anymore?
forum199
Paying 32 year old Greinke 190M plus would be a massive expense simply to address a 1-year problem. In 2017, the Dodgers potentially have a top 4 of Kershaw, Urias, DeLeon, and Wood, not to mention Ryu, McCarthy, and several other good SP prospects in the organization. Obviously prospects are hardly sure things, but if a team believes in them enough to keep them and actually utilize their baseball skills rather than use them as currency, it makes sense to incorporate them into one’s long-term plan. The Dodgers have always said they are trying to build a consistent winner, not go for broke in any particular year. Accordingly, makes more sense to find stop-gap or cheaper solutions to fill the holes this year and save the 200M cost for a younger FA in the future.
Twinsfan79
If Porcello is worth $20m per, Greinke is worth every bit of $30m plus. I will be shocked if he’s not back with LA.
degrominance
I don’t care how good greinke is anything more than a 4-5 yr deal at 130-165 would be a huge mistake. Everyones forgetting he’s 32!
bart4u
If the Dodgers don’t sign him then there will be no 2016 season to cheer about. The GM is some young kid that will destroy the team and no good player will want to play for the Dodgers. They already hired a robot as a manager with zero managing experience who will let the GM set the lineup every night with his mathematic formulas and the Dodgers pitching staff has a hundred question marks for 2016. They only have Kershaw and after that nothing.
forum199
I think a better strategy would be to sign Heyward for 200M and trade something along the lines of Puig, Holmes, and Cotton for a Carrasco/Salazar. Immediate upgrade in defense, professionalism, and consistency on and off the field and the big contract would be given to the guy 6 years younger. Granted, if Puig can’t bring back that type of return, it would be a moot point.