Greinke, Diamondbacks get $206.5 M, 6-year deal

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 only other team that was expected to compete with the Dodgers for Greinke’s services was the San Francisco Giants. His 1.66 ERA was the lowest in Major League Baseball last season and it never reached above 2 at any point throughout the year.

After opting out of his contract with the Dodgers, hotshot starting pitcher Zack Greinke has found a new home – in Arizona, of all places. Pollock is under control for three more years, and Peralta and Inciarte for four.

“It’s an awesome deal”, former Major League Baseball pitcher Curt Schilling said on ESPN. While the other Dodgers starters combined for a 4.41 ERA last season – went 49-48 but 43-22 when Greinke or Kershaw started – but they will find another starter to fill the spot. He threw a career-high (with the postseason) 236 1/3 innings, and in the regular season posted 200 strikeouts to 40 walks, and career bests in hits per nine innings and WHIP. Perez, 34, a lefthander, was 2-4 with a 4.17 ERA in 70 relief appearances this year from Arizona and Houston. It is easy to call the D-backs the favorites to win the NL West. If they add another starter through free agency or trade, they would be the team to beat. 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. The 32-year-old right-hander is a three-time All-Star and has spent time with the Royals, Brewers, Angels and Dodgers.

His departure figures to be a setback for the Dodgers, whose rotation now consists of Clayton Kershaw and a series of wild cards. The Dodgers also gained a compensatory selection between the first and second rounds of the draft next year. The Dodgers, who have no budgetary constraints, would have passed based exclusively on principle, and now likely turn to second-tier free agents such as Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija, Mike Leake and Scott Kazmir, same as the Giants. Brett Anderson returns after his first healthy season since 2009 and young Alex Wood is also back, but Hyun-Jin Ryu is coming off shoulder surgery that cost him all of last season and Brandon McCarthy is out until midseason after Tommy John surgery.

A top priority of the Giants this offseason was to build up their rotation behind 2014 World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner.

He joins the staff of Don Mattingly, who recently became the Marlins’ seventh manager since June 2010.

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