GREINKE ----> $$$

by oc on Jan 26, 2009 10:56 AM PST Comment 13 comments

The Royals reached agreement Monday morning with right-handed pitcher Zack Greinke on a four-year contract that buys out his first two seasons of free-agent eligibility.

Financial terms were not immediately available.

The deal comes after Greinke, 25, produced a breakout season in 2008 by going 13-10 with a 3.47 ERA in 32 starts. He achieved career highs in numerous categories, including victories, innings and strikeouts.

Greinke had sought $4.4 million through arbitration before agreeing to the multi-year contract. The Royals had offered $3.4 million. He made $1.4 million last season.

Damn... I didn't think Greinke would have it in him to re-up with K.C.

Traditionally, I applaud athletes who decide to stay with the organization that fathered them along... but for fans of teams not named the Royals, starved for a top-of-the-rotation anchor, this news buh-lows. Although I'd like to think he's probably a more attractive trade commodity now than yesterday.

You have to tip your cap to Dayton for the signing. The Royals are essentially all-in for '09, while they allow their plethora of lower level prospects to develop.

They have the potential to be a pretty scary team by the time 2011 arrives... you know... if Butler and Gordon ever get it.

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Fine with me Greinke staying in KC.

I doubt we would ever acquire him and I would rather see him in KC than LAA, OAK, NYY, BOS, etc.

by Wilder. on Jan 26, 2009 11:51 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Good for him and good for K.C.

by acblue on Jan 26, 2009 12:18 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Rec'd for the Gil Meche pun.

There are no good individual basketball statistics.
54!

by joof on Jan 26, 2009 12:19 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

His slider is Felix-worthy.

And his 72 mph curveball coupled with the 95 mph fastball is just unfair.

I was at Shea for the Felix-Slam!
Personal M's record: 5-4.

by EnglishMariner on Jan 26, 2009 4:55 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Agreed. The guy is straight-up filthy.

"The shift arrow points to the gulf between those two keys.
Suggesting that we must find a balance between line breaks, which expand, and contractions, which condense.
Truly, a deep concept." ----- Matthew Carruth

by Taylor H on Jan 26, 2009 7:38 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Im just glad he is finally showing signs of getting his career together.

Ive always liked him, but he didnt meet the hype yet. Hopefully he has a good future ahead of him after this past season.

by Slica on Jan 26, 2009 5:08 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

We Royals fans desperately needed Moore to get one right

He’s had something of a dry spell. He got a good bargain on Greinke for four years. I think he was helped by the fact that Greinke (and his depression and social anxiety disorder) was really comfortable in KC and wasn’t eager to go to a new team with new players, coaches, etc.

The immoderate moderator

by NYRoyal on Jan 26, 2009 10:15 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

“When I left [the team], I didn’t realize there was a cure for what I had,” Greinke said. "I just hated being around people. I just love baseball, and I was going to get a job where I didn’t have to be around people all the time. Mainly mowing grass was my goal, to start up a good lawn-mowing business and just do that. But [former manager] Buddy Bell and [former GM] Allard [Baird] really helped me out a lot in that time. They sent me to someone to just talk to me. The psychologist figured out that it was just pretty simple how I could change what I was thinking and feeling in those situations.

Link

It's hard to convince people to let you eat them if you're an asshole. - Thingray

by Faux on Jan 27, 2009 9:31 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs