Zack Greinke

Position: SP
Bats/Throws: R/R
Age: 10/21/1983 (38)

Traditional Stats: 29 GS, 11-6, 4.16 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 129 K, 171 IP
Advanced Stats: 1.2 WAR, 4.71 FIP, 103 ERA+, 5.2 BB%, 17.2 K%

Rundown

Zack Greinke was drafted by the Kansas City Royals with the sixth overall pick of the 2002 Draft out of Apopka High School in Florida. Prior to that, he took home the Gatorade National Player of the Year award as a senior.

Greinke was named Royals’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year his first full year in the organization and then finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting after making his big league debut during the 2004 season. He nearly quit baseball during the 2005 offseason. He left spring training that year and ended up being diagnosed with depression and a social anxiety disorder. Greinke made just three appearances that season. He returned to the team the next season and was ready to roll.   

Greinke was a serviceable big leaguer but finally came into his own and broke out during the 2009 season. He was named the MLBPA Players Choice Pitcher of the Year and took home the American League Cy Young.

Greinke struck out 242 batters and posted league-leading marks: a 2.16 ERA, 2.33 FIP, 1.07 WHIP, and just 0.4 HR/9. He threw six complete games, three of which were shutouts, and allowed just 11 home runs in 229 innings that season.

He requested a trade from the rebuilding Royals and was sent to the Milwaukee Brewers, where he spent a year and a half. Greinke again struck out 200 batters and posted a solid 3.83 ERA over 28 starts.

Greinke split the 2012 season with the Brew Crew and Los Angeles Angels and made a career-high 34 starts (212 innings) while striking out 200 batters, walking just 54, and giving up just 18 home runs.

That offseason Greinke signed a six-year deal worth $147 million with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He went on to opt-out of that deal after just the third season, but Greinke enjoyed a ton of success in LA.

He finished eighth and seventh in NL Cy Young voting his first two years of the deal. He made a combined 60 starts and won 32 games while posting a combined 2.68 ERA, 3.09 FIP, 1.13 WHIP, and 355 strikeouts. He also took home his first Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards.

The next, and final year before the opt-out, Greinke outdid himself. He finished second on Cy Young voting, only behind Jake Arrieta, and seventh in MVP voting. He also took home his second consecutive Gold Glove.

Greinke won a career-high 19 games and posted a league-leading 1.66 ERA and 0.84 WHIP. He also struck out 207 batters and allowed just 19 home runs over 202 innings pitched.

After opting out, Greinke signed another massive six-year, $206.5 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. During that time he had another top-5 Cy Young finish, pushed his streak to six straight Gold Gloves, and took home his second career Silver Slugger.

Greinke was traded to the Houston Astros at the 2019 training deadline. Between the two teams, he made a combined 33 starts and posted a 2.93 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, 3.22 FIP, and struck out 187 batters that season.

Greinke had a solid year during the pandemic shortened season and then finished out his deal with a strong 2021 campaign. At 37-year old, he made 29 starts (171 innings) and pitched to a 4.16 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and struck out 120 batters.

While Greinke certainly isn’t the pitcher he once was, he showed last season that he still has a little something left in the tank. The 38-year old still flashed that elite command and pitched like an above-average pitcher for the majority of the year.

There will be plenty of teams willing to give the future Hall of Famer a shot if he wants to give it one last ride.

Contract

As I mentioned above, Greinke just finished out the massive six-year, $206.5 million deal that he signed with the Diamondbacks back in December of 2015. At 38 years old, Greinke likely has one last contract in him.

If he decides to continue playing, Greinke will likely have to settle for a one-year deal. MLB Trade Rumors, Fangraphs, and the NY Post all have him ending up with that one-year deal coming in at around the $10-20 million range.    

Greinke is now represented by Excel Sports Management, their other clients include Mets starting pitcher Taijuan Walker and former Mets Jed Lowrie and Jerry Blevins amongst others.

Recommendation

Looking at this from a pure baseball perspective, I would love to see Greinke in orange and blue next season. Even at 38-years old, a trio of Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, and Greinke could be really fun to watch.

Greinke would certainly be a more reliable fifth option than David Peterson, Tylor Megill, and Trevor Williams.

While he’s certainly declined a bit, Greinke pitched to a lower ERA than Peterson, Megill, Taijuan Walker, and Carlos Carrasco last season. He’s also proven to be extremely durable, having made 30 or more starts in 11 of his 18 big league seasons.

On top of that, the veteran would also bring valuable playoff experience to a roster looking to make a run. Greinke has appeared in 17 playoff series over his 18-year career.

Greinke also figures to be one of the cheaper options remaining out there on the market, and like the rest of the Mets’ signings thus far, he wouldn’t tie them down long-term.

The two factors that play into this, however, are if Greinke wants to continue pitching next season and if he’d consider the move to a big market like New York. Greinke has played for both LA teams in his career, so you never know. 

If he were to sign with the Mets, it would give Greinke one more opportunity to pitch for what should be a contender next season. At the right price, he is definitely an option the Mets should consider.