With Goldschmidt shipped to St. Louis, Zack Greinke could be next to go
Dec 8, 2018, 10:17 AM | Updated: 5:19 pm
Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zack Greinke, left, throws to Houston Astros' George Springer during the first inning of baseball game Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Parting ways with first baseman Paul Goldschmidt might have been the first trade of many that the Arizona Diamondbacks pull the trigger on this offseason.
The hot stove league is cooking up new rumors of a trade involving starting pitcher Zack Greinke to a couple of different suitors.
According to ESPN.com contributors Bradford Doolittle and David Schoenfield, the top two potential teams for the highly paid pitcher are the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros.
Both writers contend that completing a trade involving Greinke could be complicated given that the 35-year-old is owed nearly $100 million over the next three seasons and has veto power on trades to many teams in the league.
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“A team giving extra weight to short-term wins can justify an expectation of getting above-water value from Greinke, provided he maintains around a 3-WAR pace over the duration of his massive contract,” Doolittle said.
In Houston, the Astros could focus on pitching after losing out on the Goldschmidt sweepstakes. Houston could be looking at potentially three rookie starting pitchers if they loose Dallas Keuchel and Charlie Morton to free agency.
“Greinke would give them some veteran certainty and also hedge against losing Justin Verlander, a free agent after 2019,” Schoenfield said.
A trade with the Astros could involve one of the three potential starting pitchers in Houston including Josh James, Forrest Whitley and Framber Valdez.
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