Diamondbacks agree to six-year contract with Zack Greinke

After opting out of his contract with the Dodgers, hotshot starting pitcher Zack Greinke has found a new home – in Arizona, of all places.

The deal is reportedly for six years, according to CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman. He agreed to a $206.5 million, six-year deal, sources told The Associated Press.

In 12 major league seasons, Greinke has a 142-93 record with a 3.35 ERA. He was also the losing pitcher in the Mets’ Game 5 win in the NLDS.

The Diamondbacks unexpectedly won the Greinke sweepstakes, beating out the rival Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants for the free-agent ace Friday night.

After star left-hander David Price signed with the Boston Red Sox for seven years and $217 million – a contract that became official Friday – Greinke was said to be seeking even more money per year.

Maeda, who turns 28 in April, was 15-8 with a 2.09 ERA in 29 starts in 2015 in the Japanese Central League, with 175 strikeouts and 41 walks in 206⅓ innings, winning the Sawamura Award as the league’s top pitcher for a second time, having also won in 2015.

Greinke posted a 1.66 earned-run average that was the lowest in baseball in 20 years.

LOS ANGELES_Did the Los Angeles Dodgers outsmart themselves by not signing Zack Greinke? The Detroit Tigers signed right-hander Jordan Zimmermann to a five-year, $110-million contract. Last year, the Diamondbacks opened the season with a payroll just short of $92 million.

The Dodgers had hoped Greinke and Kershaw, plus a roster that added up to the highest payroll in baseball, could lead them to their first World Series crown since 1988.

Because the Dodgers made Greinke a qualifying offer, the D-Backs will forfeit their first round pick (13th overall) to sign the right-hander.

That the Dodgers were outbid for a 32-year-old free agent shouldn’t come as a complete surprise. The Dodgers gain a compensatory pick, likely No. 41.

But the reality is, the Giants have Madison Bumgarner to front their rotation (an excellent spot in which to be) and Chris Heston as a promising 28-year-old behind him. 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. But Arizona apparently went far beyond the Dodgers’ comfort zone to make the most significant free agent splash in franchise history.