In a stunning series of events Friday, right-handed starting pitcher Zack Greinke agreed to terms with the Arizona Diamondbacks, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.
The deal is for six years, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, and worth $206.5 million, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.
As such, Greinke surpasses David Price, who joined the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, with the highest per-year salary in baseball history at $34.4 million per year.
Heyman reported on Sunday Greinke also received a limited no trade clause in the contract.
ESPN analyst Tim Kurkjian said on SportsCenter on Friday that Greinke’s addition immediately catapults the D-backs into contention in the highly competitive National League West:
They also are a pretty good club. This is without Zack Greinke. If you look at how they played last year—offensively, they were a very good team, defensively they were a very good team—but they needed a couple of pitchers. That was obvious.
And they got arguably the best pitcher on the market in Zack Greinke, who now goes to the top of the rotation and really puts the Diamondbacks in the middle of the West, given, of course, that the Dodgers and the Giants thought they had a real shot at Greinke.
ESPN Stats & Info showed how Greinke stacks up with the rest of his new team:
ESPN Stats & Info @ESPNStatsInfoZack Greinke was worth 9.3 Wins Above Replacement last season... All Diamondbacks pitchers combined for 7.9 WAR last season.
Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, who covered Greinke over the past three-plus seasons during his time with the Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels, added to the argument that the D-backs had already been legitimate contenders without Greinke:
Bill Shaikin @BillShaikinGreinke isn't signing with an also-ran. Paul Goldschmidt and A.J. Pollock are better position players than any Dodgers.
Jesse Spector of Sporting News added context to show how much Greinke's unprecedented deal will be worth to the star right-hander:
Jesse Spector @jessespector$34.3 million would be more than a million per start.
Jesse Spector @jessespectorNow Greinke is going to make as much as pretty much half an NHL roster.
Jon Morosi of Fox Sports alluded to how surprising Friday’s signing was—particularly since few considered the D-backs to even be dark horses to sign Greinke:
Jon Morosi @jonmorosiGreinke to #DBacks. Price to #RedSox. Hot Stove, thou have flummoxed us once again. @FOXSports
Sports author Molly Knight called out the Dodgers front office for its failure to retain its top free agent—especially given the ongoing saga over its lucrative television-rights deal to broadcast games locally:
Molly Knight @molly_knightHalf of LA can't get the Dodger games on TV because org made bad deal to get most cable money to sign superstars like Greinke. Welp.
Diehard Dodgers fan and iconic newscaster Larry King also chimed in and relayed his disappointment:
Larry King @kingsthingsCrying in my iced coffee right now. Looks like the #Dodgers lost #Greinke. Sad, sad, sad...
D-backs reliever Daniel Hudson shared his excitement over the addition of his new teammate:
ESPN analyst Curt Schilling made a great point on SportsCenter Friday, pondering the prospect of if any player in any era has ever been worth $34.3 million per year. Eric Stephen of True Blue LA echoed that sentiment—particularly given Greinke's age:
Eric Stephen @ericstephenOne final thing driving me crazy: Greinke just turned 32 in October. D-backs paying for his age 32-37 years. Nobody is paying 38-y-o Greinke
Greinke was expected to opt out of his deal after a remarkable season in which he went 19-3 with a 1.66 ERA—the majors’ lowest since Greg Maddux’s 1.63 in 1995.
Greinke, this year's runner-up for the National League Cy Young Award, opted out of his contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in November with three years and $71 million remaining in hopes of hauling in a longer-term deal.
He was arguably the best player in this year’s loaded free-agent market and was expected to sign with either the incumbent Dodgers or archrival San Francisco Giants before the D-backs made a late push Friday.
By joining Arizona, he solidifies a rotation that, with the support of an upward-trending offense, should help the Diamondbacks become immediate contenders in the NL West.
