Heyman: Three Diamondbacks could soon hit the trade block
May 25, 2017, 2:20 PM | Updated: 5:49 pm
(AP Photo/Ralph Freso)
This season, Zack Grienke has been everything the Diamondbacks thought he would be when they signed him to a huge $206.5 million contract in 2015.
Through 10 starts, the right-hander is 6-2 with a 2.82 ERA, a 0.97 WHIP and 78 strikeouts.
Because of stats like those, Jon Heyman of Fanrag Sports Network ranked Greinke atop his list of players who could hit the trade block.
A lot of things work against a trade: A team that’s in the thick of the race, an overpriced contract that few teams could even afford (almost $150 million to go through 2021), a limited no trade (he likes the Phoenix-Scottsdale area) and a long list of starters expected to be available. But if they fall back, well, he does make 3 ½ times what the next highest-paid D-backs player makes, and the guys in charge weren’t the ones who signed off on it.
Greinke is a top-of-the line ace, the kind of pitcher who could carry a team a long way.
Behind his success, the D-backs are off to a great start as well, and at 29-19 they are 10 games above .500 for the first time since 2011.
As excellent as Greinke has been, however, his balky contract could create problems down the road for the D-backs, which is why some believe they may have interest in moving him.
At $34 million this season, Greinke alone comprises nearly 36 percent of the D-backs’ entire payroll, a tough number to work with in the future as the D-backs will have to address other contracts down the line.
For example, Paul Goldschmidt will be due for a new contract in 2020 and the D-backs may try to extend guys like Jake Lamb, David Peralta and Archie Bradley, all who make under $600,000 and are set to hit arbitration within the next two seasons.
If the D-backs keep Greinke, they may end up trading a few players, including A.J. Pollock, who Heyman put at number seven on his list.
Now that he’s less than two years from free agency, he could become a bit more available. The Nats could make some sense, though Michael Taylor’s doing fine so far in place of Adam Eaton. “Winter time trade,” one rival predicts.
Pollock, who is currently on the DL with a groin injury, is a good player who has trouble staying healthy, and with him in line for a new contract soon that could be an issue.
Just last season, Pollock played in just 12 games after suffering a spring training elbow injury which required surgery.
When Pollock is healthy, however, he can be one of the D-backs’ best offensive weapons. In 37 games this season, he has hit .299 with two home runs, 11 RBI and 11 stolen bases.
Pollock is set to hit free agency in 2019 and is currently the fourth-highest paid D-back, as he will make $6.75 million this season.
The other D-back to make the list is Patrick Corbin, who Heyman ranked at number 35.
He has one year left before free agency but still hasn’t gotten back to previous form.
An All-Star in 2013, Corbin has struggled to regain his top form after missing 2014 due to Tommy John surgery. This season, he has posted a 4-4 record with a 4.40 ERA and just 47 strikeouts in 57.1 innings.