Greinke will pitch in Los Angeles, this time wearing Dodgers blue
Zack Greinke has reached an agreement with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The deal is worth $147 million over six years. The deal is pending a physical.
Greinke was thought to have narrowed his choices down to the Dodgers and the Texas Rangers.
With the addition of Greinke, the Dodgers payroll will be near $220 million, which most likely will be the highest in 2013, and the organization has added more than $500 million in player salaries since they were purchased by Guggenheim Baseball in the spring, which officially bought the team in May for a record price of $2 billion.
In June, the Dodgers signed Cuban outfield prospect Yasiel Puig to a $42-million deal and inked Andre Ethier to a $85-million contract extension.
At the trade deadline this summer the team took on $260 million in salary commitments by acquiring Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Beckett from the Boston Red Sox.
They traded for former All-Star shortstop Hanley Ramirez and absorbed the $38 million remaining on his contract.
This winter, they agreed to a three-year, $22.5 million contract extension with closer Brandon League.
At $147 million in total value, Greinke’s contract is the second-largest ever for a pitcher , behind CC Sabathia‘s seven-year $161 million deal with New York.
Greinke will replace San Francisco Giants right-hander Matt Cain as the highest-paid right-hander in major league baseball. Cain signed a six-year, $127.5 million contract with the San Francisco Giants last spring.
Greinke, 29, combined to go 15-5 with a 3.48 ERA with the Los Angeles Angels and Milwaukee Brewers last season.
With the Rangers losing out on Greinke, their attention may now shift to National League Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey or Tampa Bay Rays workhorse James Shields.
Josh Hamilton who had been in talks with the Rangers, that were put on hold pending the outcome of the Greinke negotiations, may become the focus of the Rangers once again. It is also possible Texas will still have interest in acquiring Justin Upton
Before the winter meetings we said, if the Dodgers want Greinke they will get him, and apparently they did.
