Greinke agrees to deal with Diamondbacks

The question gained a significant amount of gravity Friday, as the Dodgers received word that Zack Greinke wouldn’t return next season.

In a surprise move, Zack Greinke is headed to Arizona.

The deep thinking, somewhat eccentric, often wry and hyper-athletic Greinke emerged in 2015 as the Dodgers’ co-ace, an extraordinary development given his partner at the top of the rotation was three-time Cy Young Award victor (and one-time MVP) Kershaw. During one stretch of the season, Greinke threw 45 2/3 scoreless innings.

The 19-game victor chose Arizona over the NL West rival Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants. He was 51-15 in three years with the Dodgers. But nothing says respect like three parades in six years – and, hey, next year is an even year.

In December 2012, Greinke signed a $147 million, six-year deal with the Dodgers that included an opt-out clause. The deal includes $60 million in deferred money that will be paid out in the five years following the contract. The annual average value of $34.3 million is the highest ever. They would end up shocking baseball by being the ones to sign Greinke, giving him six years, $206 million. Several days later, left-hander David Price signed for a record $217 million over seven years with the Boston Red Sox. However, the anticipation was that he would be paid more per season.

Greinke’s departure leaves the Dodgers with an unstable rotation beyond Kershaw.

Magic Johnson, who owns a minority stake in the Dodgers, said this week that Greinke was the team’s “No. 1 priority”, with a qualifier. “We said that we are going to try to do what we can to promote our young pitchers but also give ourselves a chance to make some savings so that we can have an opportunity to do things at a later date”. “We like that 1-2 punch that we have with him and Clayton”. The Diamondbacks’ starting pitching was below average in 2015, and ultimately undermined one of the better offenses in the league.

Hyun-Jin Ryu is recovering from shoulder surgery and Andrew Friedman, the team’s president of baseball operations, has conceded he doesn’t know what to expect from the South Korean. On the year he put up a 3.44 ERA and 3.53 ERA in 32 starts between the Reds and Royals, with 176 strikeouts and 46 walks in 212 innings. 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.