If The Dodgers Land Zack Greinke

In a way this is an appropriate continuation of the news that the Los Angeles Dodgers are putting away stacks of money in preparation for their first official off-season spending spree. For teams willing to pay big (read: overpay) to land the biggest name free agents, there are some occasions when the player in question is worth it and some occasions where it is reckless spending simply for the sake of spending.

Greinke would have a chance to rack up impressive numbers in the NL West. Image: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

Zack Greinke might be a grumpy guy with a less than appealing disposition, but he is a legitimate ace. Those types of pitchers do not hit the market often. For a while the Los Angeles Angels were the favorites to retain Grumpy Greinke’s services, but now it appears that he might land elsewhere. Dan Knobler of CBS Sports reported on Tuesday that the decreasing likelihood of the Angels keeping Greinke means that the Dodgers and Texas Rangers will be among the first teams mentioned as potential fits.

To sign Grumpy Greinke would be an example of the “good kind” of big-money deal that a team like the Dodgers can dish out. Make no mistake, it will take a gigantic contract, the kind that makes most teams cringe or laugh at the impossibilities. Knobler’s colleague Jon Heyman has reported that it might take as much as $25 million a season over 6 years to land Greinke’s services.

Gulp.

Even if they have to overpay or pay a record amount, it is worth it to land a staff ace, especially for a team that already has perennial Cy Young Award favorite Clayton Kershaw. That is a frightening 1-2 punch. You must also consider the changes that would result from moving Greinke from the challenging American League West to the competitive but pitcher-friendly National League West. That potentially makes him and Kershaw a terrifying 1-2 punch.

I will tell you one thing right now: if Greinke does end up on the Dodgers, you can expect me to call him “Grumpy Greinke” a lot. You can also expect me to make a lot of jokes about the way his hat fits.

Seriously, Zack, you’re supposed to take the cardboard out of the hat once you start wearing it.