Yesterday, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reported that the Royals would listen to offers for Zack Greinke. Today, Olney's blog entry (Insider required) focuses on which teams make sense as potential suitors for the Kansas City ace. According to Olney, there are at least ten teams who have a need for Greinke and would have the prospects necessary to acquire him. Here are a few other rumors from Olney, via Twitter:
- Negotiations are moving slowly between Jorge de la Rosa and the Rockies. The team would like to re-sign the left-hander before he hits free agency, but it won't be cheap. As Troy Renck of the Denver Post points out (via Twitter), Ted Lilly's three-year deal with the Dodgers should directly influence de la Rosa's contract negotiations.
- The Mets will meet this week for a second time with Sandy Alderson, who is regarded as the frontrunner for the team's GM opening. For what it's worth, we can add Tony La Russa to the list of people who think Alderson would be a great choice for the Mets, as Dan Martin of the New York Post writes.
- The Blue Jays are interviewing a wide range of candidates for their managerial position, but may end up promoting an internal option: Brian Butterfield.
Mejia package for Greinke?
Yeah definetly. I’m not an insider…But I’d have to say that more than 10, maybe 15-20 teams would be intereste in Greinke and I can only imagine how much MORE loaded the Royals farm system would be with prospects from a potential Greinke trade.
Olney Insider columns shows that just about every team is interested…Do you think he’s still good even with the high ERA this year?
Yes. He is legitimately still good.
If the Mets are interested, it would have to include Mejia. Maybe Ike too? Mejia has had rotator cuff and shoulder injuries already so his value is going to be diminished as “damaged goods”.
I feel bad for the Mets fans. They don’t deserve to see one of their better young prospects handled so badly. I like Mejia but the Mets have to realize that they handled him like crap this past year. With a quality arm prospect like that, who is basically about the age of High School draftees with his experience level, you don’t rush him through so many levels every year. He’s never spent any year at one level. So is it any wonder that he got injured before his body was conditioned to take a full season of pitching?
They won’t want Ike, they already have a good firstbasemen prospect. Mejia, Kirk and 2 other high names would be good. Maybe Duda?
Agreed. He’s got a couple more years under his current contract at high-but-not-crazy dollars. And while he has slipped a bit, he still has the potential to perform at true ace levels.
I think all the good teams with payroll space will be interested in him.
Greinke would be great for the Orioles. I think Tillman, Pie, Egan and Albers should get the job done.
You’d have to include Zach Britton in there. I don’t think the Royals would have much faith in Chris Tillman
Include or swap out? Tillman has not yet had of sustained stints of success in the majors yet, but he has had dominant games against very strong offenses in the division. He’s also dominated at AAA in consecutive seasons. If one looks behind the surface numbers, he’s not chopped liver.
Why would the Orioles trade their young players for Greinke?
something tells me Greinke wont go to another team who loses perennially like the Orioles and NAtionals unless somethin astounding is offered. As awesome as it would be to have Grenike be a national, and be the ace of that staff (Strasburg will be the other one once he’s back and healthy), i dont see it happening without the nationals trading one of their top prospects. I see Grenike going to one of these: Mets, Yankees, Angels, Cubs
I can’t see him going to the Yankees. Absolutely not. Besides he has a limited no-trade clause, i think the Yanks are in it, and he’d never want to play there.
Why would he go to the Angels? They just got Dan Haren…
These are the teams that I think would be in on Greinke
Yankees
Mets
Nationals
Twins
Tigers
Cubs
Brewers
Reds
Rangers
Rockies
Dodgers
That’ 11. Buster said 10…
Now for each team, these are some potential prospects/players that could be traded…
Yankees: Montero, Betances, Adams, Robertson
Mets: Nieuwenhuis, Rodriguez, Parnell, Mejia
Nationals: Norris, Storen, and Hood
Twins: Hicks, Gibson, and Morales
Tigers: Martinez, Villareal, and Turner
Cubs: Jackson, Archer, Lee, Guyer
Brewers: Lawrie, Odorizzi, Gennett, Jeffress
Reds: Mesoraco, Hamilton, and Sappelt
Dodgers: Webster, Gordon, Robinson
Rockies: Rosario, Matzek, and Rogers
Rangers: Perez, Beltre, Ogando
That Nationals package is pathetic compared to the packages you put for the Yankees, Mets, Rangers, Rockies, and Twins.
meyers
??
I don’t think Reds would be that interested. They have good pitching and will look for bats instead.
Dodgers have already missed out on a few aces and they just don’t seem like a team that can compete so I don’t think they will trade any of their top prospects like Gordon.
Cubs should stick to rebuilding.
Grenike, Kershaw, Bills, Lilly and Kuroda(I know) That would be as good as you can possibly get. I know the Royals want nothing in our farm system.
actually we do. we want robinson, gordon, de la rosa, miller, and webster.
The Mets package is tasty but…do they want K-Rod and his contract?
i wad referring to armando rodriguez.
Mejia is recovering from an injury. He may or may not pitch in winter ball to recover but he got shut down in the season. Would he really be given to be traded?
With his age and his fastball fire, I think so.
How about Greinke for Rasmus.
i’d do that.
It would take more than one player for Zack… If its a one for one deal it would take an all star MI or OF…
Colby Rasmus is the closest thing to an all-star for somebody whos never
been an all-star…The Royals would be getting a young Josh Hamilton.
I know who Rasmus is and I still say no… They would be getting an ACE signed for 2 more years… There are only a few guys in baseball I would say yes to a one for one deal…
Dont forget how hard it is to find a true ACE!
but Grienke wouldn’t be an ace on half the teams in the league, therefore teams won’t give up an ace pay load for him.
Rasmus for Grienke straight up is a good deal, if the cards needed pitching, but they have bigger holes to fil.
Realistically, Grienke would be a #2 or #3 on the cards staff. So why would they give up more then one of the best and cheapest centerfielders in the game?
You have lost your mind if you dont think Grienke would be an ace on most of the other teams… He would win 20 every year on most others teams that get him more than 1 or 2 runs a game… Wouldnt be an ACE you should never be allowed post again for saying something like that… The cards would just have 2 aces!!! and a very sick 123…
Having said that I think I would throw up in mouth if Zack were delt to the Cards or the Yanks…The only way that would make me happy is we were to get back Cano or Pujols which we all know would never happen…
but Grienke wouldn’t be an ace on half the teams in the league, therefore teams won’t give up an ace pay load for him.
Rasmus for Grienke straight up is a good deal, if the cards needed pitching, but they have bigger holes to fil.
Realistically, Grienke would be a #2 or #3 on the cards staff. So why would they give up more then one of the best and cheapest centerfielders in the game?
Bingo.
Now, do you think the Royals would want to keep Rasmus, or flip him for prospects more in line with the group coming up?
of course they keep him
I’m sure Cards would prefer bats instead. They have good pitching as it is.
Wouldn’t happen. They need Rasmus a lot more than they need a pitcher.
Dave Duncan and Grenike would be fun.
A man can dream. 😛
But I will just go back to watching Jeff Suppan….
/cry
This is a pretty intriguing thought. Kind of matches up nicely. Maybe some extra parts thrown in to make up for service times, but it’s a nice deal.
Tony La Russa’s endorsing Sandy Alderson for the Mets. That’s nice but maybe he should just concentrate his own ongoing contract drama with his own team.
i think if the rangers cant resign lee you could see them go for greinke…
BUT i think letting them in the still deep “cookie jar” of prospects isnt gunna let you pull 3 of the 5 best arms for him. you can build a package around beltre… or you can have ogando with lower level prospects.
but still, you could definitely see an aggressive push from the rangers to get a front line starter to match with Wilson if they cant pull lee…
I would be mad if yankees traded Montero, Betances, Adams and Robertson for Greinke.
Zach is a great pitcher, but you never know how he will pan out in NYC ( i’m sure he would because his stuff is so nasty ), but Montero and Betances i want to see in pinstripes rather than Zach. We need to build around good players we have in our farm, not grow them and sell them, we need to learn from the red sox.
Even though the yankees can go out and get almost any player they want, it’s nice as a fan to see players develop rather than getting players who are expensive and close passing their prime. Betances i’ve seen a few times and when he throws a 98 mph fastball and drop a curve is unhittable, he is also like 240 lbs and 6-8. This guy had trouble finidng the strikezone but this year he has been really good. Another player that’s coming up with him is Manuel Banuelos, lefty with 97 mph fastball and good chance and curve.
Brackman, Banuelos and Betances could be our future, however they could be aweful but they have the stuff to succeed
He has a limited no trade clause which includes the Yankees. No way he goes there.
Show me where it says in Zach’s no trade clause the Yankees are included?
Look up archives of the KC Star. Not going to do it for ya bro.
He has to submit a refreshed version of the list by the end of the World Series, but chances are good that the Yankees will remain on the list. It’s a hard place to play for a lot a people and he’s going to make a pile of money no matter where he ends up.
I would be really angry too. Especially if they traded both Betances, and Montero. I also agree that the Yankees could at least grow their own players instead of always trading prospects. The last time they did that, the Core Five of Bernie, Jeter, Mo, Jorge, and Andy came to be.
Eventually the Royals are going to have to make long term commitments to guys like Greinke. How many rebuilding stages can they go thru w/o ever having a window of opportunity where they actually compete?
The Royals are not interested in ‘really’ competing. Their interest lies in bringing people to the park, making money and receiving Revenue Money. They’ve been in a perpetual rebuilding mode for years, trading decent players for less expensive prospects and letting others leave as FA’s for draft picks in some cases. They used Revenue Monies a few years ago to help in refurbishing the park instead of using of using it to aquire players. Grienke received the current contract only after some of the Luxury Tax teams complained that they were pocketing the money and not spending it on players.The reason that they are shopping Grienke now is because they’re looking to unload the salary, again, for cheaper salaried prospects. They tout their farm system as great, but wouldn’t a proven commodity like Grienke be a more vital piece to winning than some prospects? The Royals are being run more like a money producing business than a baseball team. Look for them to continue building their farm system and not to improve too much in the AL Central
I think the Yanks will use Montero as their DH next year. He might catch, and play lf a little.
Postseason shutdown pitching is the Yankees number 1 priority. It has been ever since they went after Randy Johnson some years back.It is too tough trying to win in the playoffs by outhitting teams. This year is another example. We outhit the Rangers in game 1, but couldn’t do the same in game 2. Now we’re up against it with the Rangers starting Cliff Lee in game 3 and us needing to start AJ in either game 4 or 5.One more top pitcher to put in game 4 and 5 (like what AJ was supposed to be) would give us a much better chance of winning.So I believe the Yanks will do what they need to do to get at least one more top pitcher. If it takes Montero, then Montero will be gone.
If it takes one more top pitcher, then they will go after Cliff Lee hard. That way, you get both Lee, and the prospect who has yet to realize his potential never mind make it into the Major Leagues.
I think the Reds would have interest in Greinke and would probably be willing to include a couple of prospects and one of their younger pitchers. Something along the line of Yonder Alonso, Homer Bailey and another prospect. Any chance the Royals would move Soria?
Alderson getting a 2nd interview seems like it’s a slam dunk he gets job. Not that it wasn’t obvious before.
I could see the Twins making a move for Grienke. They pushed hard for Lee and were offering everyone but Hicks for a rental player. Consider Grienke has 2 years left on his deal, is basically the missing piece to the Twins rotation, and seems to fit the Twins style and I could definitely see them offering Hicks. I’m still upset we gave up Ramos, he could have been a great chip in this deal.
Grienke
Liriano
Pavano?
Baker
Blackburn/Slowey/Gibson
not bad
Young and Slowey/Blackburn has been bantered about, but there’s no way that gets it done. I think Hicks will have to go in place of Delmon and they’ll still need to throw in more young pitching. But I like the move for MIN.
Ya you’re right about it taking more. I don’t understand why Delmon has even been mentioned, why would they want to take him back when they are at least 2 years away from having a respectable roster? He’s getting a huge raise this year, and even though he’s only 24, I would think they’d be looking younger.
Ya you’re right about it taking more. I don’t understand why Delmon has even been mentioned, why would they want to take him back when they are at least 2 years away from having a respectable roster? He’s getting a huge raise this year, and even though he’s only 24, I would think they’d be looking younger.
I could see the Twins making a move for Grienke. They pushed hard for Lee and were offering everyone but Hicks for a rental player. Consider Grienke has 2 years left on his deal, is basically the missing piece to the Twins rotation, and seems to fit the Twins style and I could definitely see them offering Hicks. I’m still upset we gave up Ramos, he could have been a great chip in this deal.
Grienke
Liriano
Pavano?
Baker
Blackburn/Slowey/Gibson
not bad
What i worry about, is a team like the twins, angels, dodgers or some team out of the blue. giving up a boatload of prospects and talent for Grienke.
Grienke comes to the new city and instead of fans embracing him, they expect him to be perfect because the fan base was attached to 1 or 2 of those top tier prospects.
I mean if the jays pulled a Snider and Stewart trade for Grienke, I would be super P.O’d. and probably end up resenting Zack.. at this point I don’t know if he can handle any criticisms especially from a bigger market. . Just imagine his first start for his new team and he’s off his game and gets booed?
It’s been a long time since MIN fans hated on a guy in general, but I can’t recall the last guy they didn’t love who wasn’t a d*ck. (Can I say duck on this site?)
Anyway, in MN it shouldn’t be a problem.
What i worry about, is a team like the twins, angels, dodgers or some team out of the blue. giving up a boatload of prospects and talent for Grienke.
Grienke comes to the new city and instead of fans embracing him, they expect him to be perfect because the fan base was attached to 1 or 2 of those top tier prospects.
I mean if the jays pulled a Snider and Stewart trade for Grienke, I would be super P.O’d. and probably end up resenting Zack.. at this point I don’t know if he can handle any criticisms especially from a bigger market. . Just imagine his first start for his new team and he’s off his game and gets booed?