MLB free agent Zack Greinke may make a decision soon between the LA Dodgers and San Francisco Giants after David Price agreed to a contract with the Boston Red Sox. According to Ken Rosenthal at Fox Sports, Greinke's decision "could come soon" now that Price has agreed and the Dodgers and Giants are currently the favorites to land the pitcher.
Greinke is now the top pitcher on the market with Price off the board and reports have Greinke looking for a deal in the same range as Price. The Red Sox have reportedly signed Price to a $217 million deal over seven-years, while Jerry Crasnick at ESPN reports that Greinke is looking for a five or six year deal, but he wants "$31.5 to $32 million" annually. Rosenthal writes that the Dodgers and Giants are the most likely options to sign Greinke, but that a mystery team could emerge with a major deal.
Greinke is coming off of a historic season after going 19-3 with a 1.66 ERA and he had 200 strikeouts while posting a WHIP of 0.84 for the Dodgers. The Dodgers reportedly considered David Price a backup option if Greinke signed elsewhere and with Price now off the board, Los Angeles could focus in on keeping their pitcher. The Giants have been considered the top rival to snag Greinke this offseason and now that Price has signed, Greinke's deal likely will get done soon.
Both the Giants and the Dodgers can afford to spend and Greinke may end up going with whichever deal pays him the most money. Johnny Cueto could be the new fallback option for the team that doesn't sign Greinke, as Crasnick reports that the Dodgers, Cubs and Giants have interest. The Cubs were another team that was interested in Price and Chicago could look at Cueto or Jeff Samardzija as options if Greinke signs with Los Angeles or San Francisco.
Greinke opted out of his contract with the Dodgers after the season with three years and $71 million still on his deal and he likely will get a new contract in the range of $31 million per season. Bob Nightengale at USA Today reports that the Dodgers "are still the favorites" to land Greinke, while Crasnick reports that Greinke could "sign quickly" now that Price is not available. Crasnick writes that the Dodgers and Giants "both want an answer."
Greinke likely will the next domino to fall among MLB free agents and once that happens, teams could go after players like Cueto, Samardzija and Mike Leake. The teams that miss out on Greinke will likely target those players heading into the winter meetings.