The free agent starting pitching market moved very quickly in the early stages of the offseason. A few prominent starters remained unsigned heading into the lockout, though. Among them — Zack Greinke, whose market remains largely undefined.
Greinke is no longer the ace he was at his peak. The six-time All-Star is coming off a 4.16 ERA over 171 innings, his second straight season with an ERA a touch over 4.00. That’s still capable run prevention, but Greinke’s days of posting sub-3.00 marks are probably behind him. His swing-and-miss and strikeout rates regressed last year, and he dealt with some neck soreness down the stretch. Between his age and those trends, teams can’t reasonably expect Grienke to assume the role of Game 1 or Game 2 playoff starter next season.
That said, there aren’t many rotations he wouldn’t still upgrade. He’s still one of the game’s best command artists. Greinke has shown a knack for remaining successful even as his raw stuff has ticked down with age. Even if his production might now be closer to average on a rate basis, the former Cy Young Award winner has continued to soak up innings. He exceeded 200 frames each season from 2017-19, and he’s surpassed 150 innings every year since 2007 (excluding the shortened 2020 schedule).
Immediate contenders could certainly stand to plug Greinke into the middle or back of their starting staff. Rebuilding teams might view signing him as an opportunity to bring aboard a famously cerebral hurler with an elite track record as an example for their younger, controllable arms (although it remains to be seen if the 18-year MLB veteran would be open to signing with a team that doesn’t look like a surefire competitor).
To date, however, we’ve heard very little about where Greinke might end up. He’s not expected to re-sign with the Astros, a testament to their enviable collection of in-house rotation depth. Beyond that, there’s not been any substantive indication in which direction he might be leaning. At the start of the offseason, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweeted that Greinke “(wanted) to continue pitching for an NL team.”
The rationale for that reported desire to return to the Senior Circuit is unclear. If it were about getting another chance to hit regularly — Grienke has won a pair of Silver Slugger Awards in his career — that’ll probably prove moot. Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association seem to have mutual interest in implementing a universal designated hitter in the next collective bargaining agreement. If that comes into play, then there’ll be no difference in rules between the leagues. If Greinke just prefers certain National League cities or ballparks and is indifferent about an opportunity to hit, then that could give NL suitors an upper hand.
It’s also at least worth contemplating the possibility Greinke moves on from playing entirely. Nightengale’s report suggests he was planning to continue his career as of a few months ago. He’s still an effective pitcher, even if he’s no longer elite. There’s been no indication he’s not planning to play in 2022, so him stepping away seems unlikely. But Greinke turned 38 years old in October, so one seemingly can’t definitively rule out the possibility he retires until he speaks publicly about his future or puts pen to paper on a new contract.
Where does the MLBTR readership think Greinke will be in 2022? Will he continue playing, and if so, where will he sign?
(poll link for app users)
Please, Hammer. Don't hurt 'em.
Braves, Royals and Giants are the top 3 so far, huh? I think that’s a good way of saying no one has a clue where Greinke will sign. He is probably going to get paid more than his production will be worth because of his name value. If you sign Greinke you are probably doing it just to get innings. You also know that some pitchers are going to have better seasons than him and get paid a lot less. Don’t sign him unless he takes a contract typical if someone who is going to post an ERA well over 4.00
User 3921286289
I voted RETIREMENT. Another overpriced player, NO THANKS. Time to retire. VOTING IS A PRIVILEGE! VOTE BABY VOTE!
Please, Hammer. Don't hurt 'em.
I think that’s a little harsh. He’s nothing special anymore. Innings are hard to come by, though. Some team can burn Greinke’s arm up like hot garbage to keep the youngsters healthy. I just hope no one is dumb enough to pay $10 million for that.
deweybelongsinthehall
He’s still a valuable commodity given his innings. He previously ruled out the Yankees so why would he go to the NE now? He doesn’t need the money. I voted the Astros again although retirement is a strong possibility.
nukeg
Yep, teams pay for middle of the road innings eaters. Just throw strikes, change speeds, and let the defense help you. He’ll have a pretty decent market still.
Weasel 2
He’s right on the cusp of the HoF. He should absolutely try to pitch another year or two if he’s healthy enough.
Baseball reference has him right on the line for both HoF Monitor and HoF Standards (I forgot the actual name of the second one but one is stat based and the other tries to estimate public perception)
Dorothy_Mantooth
The Twins need pitchers so badly, I could see them making him the highest offer , but who knows if he’ll sign with them.
If he’s looking for the highest salary, I’d say Minnesota or Texas. If he wants a shot at another ring, then the Giants or Dodgers make the most sense.
Yankee Clipper
I selected the Twins based on his large market-anxiety issue coupled with a team’s SP needs/payroll flexibility.
But, I could also see the Blue Jays. They’re huge, obviously, because of Canada, but not like other large market teams (NY/BOS, etc), so I could see a fit there. He’s comfortable in Houston, so there’s that too.
Please, Hammer. Don't hurt 'em.
I would say Greinke should go get a ring. He’s already got hundreds of millions in the bank and the cat is out of the bag that he is nothing special anymore. Greinke is a bit of a weirdo though. He hates the spotlight. He took a year off baseball in his prime due to depression. Depression is real but we can’t pretend that he’s normal. A lot of guys are out there trying to break Chapman’s record of hardest pitch ever thrown. Grienke routinely throws a breaking ball to see if he can break the record for slowest pitch ever thrown. He already has the record for slowest pitch ever clocked in the low 50’s. He’s been quoted as saying he has intentionally given up hits in games just to make sure he doesn’t get the attention of throwing a no-hitter. By starting pitcher standards he is a weirdo. He’s also older than Scherzer. Greinke is a back of the rotation starter teams should abuse to keep their young guys healthy… At best. At worst he might be done already and he’s weird on top of that. No one should pay this guy much money. The last contract he got was shocking even by the standards of people who love watching players make as much money as possible. Greinke may or may not have innings left in the tank. He doesn’t have good innings left, though. That is not up for debate. He had innings last year but everyone falls off at some point. It is very reasonable to think that at age 38 Greinke finally falls off to the point that he can’t even handle a real workload even if that work isn’t expected to be solid.
vtbaseball
Hammer, so having anxiety and depression is weird to you, huh? It’s exactly this attitude that can keep people from seeking professional help for their mental illness. So please just keep your damn mouth shut.
SpendNuttinWinNuttin
You haven’t made a valid point in years, you’re the weird one.
stymeedone
The one thing that is currently undervalued in all the metrics is innings pitched. Greinke can provide those, at an average or better level. Only 28 starters provided more innings last year. Having more workhorses in the rotation strengthens the bullpen.
gbs42
“Greinke is a bit of a weirdo though.”
That’s the pot calling the kettle black.
Please, Hammer. Don't hurt 'em.
I didn’t say having depression and anxiety is weird. I said taking a year off major league baseball in your prime to deal with it is not normal. If it were normal a lot more players would do it. That’s still not what makes Greinke a weirdo. What makes Greinke a weirdo is trying to throw as slow as possible in an era where almost every other pitcher is trying to throw as hard as possible. Intentionally giving up hits in games to avoid a no-hitter when everyone else is trying to throw a no-hitter. Literally telling hitters exactly what pitch he is about to throw when everyone else is trying to deceive hitters. Sitting down with his feet stretched out on the pitching mound during the middle of a game when no other pitcher or player ever does anything like that. Those are the things that obviously make Greinke a weirdo. I mentioned most of those things in my post but I like how you just ignored them to try and paint me in some kind of bad light. I always wonder what people like you get out of doing something like that. Anxiety and depression are very normal but an MLB player taking a year off work in the middle of his prime to deal with it is relatively not normal. I didn’t say there was something wrong with him doing it. I just said it wasn’t normal. The fact that it’s extremely rare for other players to do that makes it not normal. It’s not the depression that makes him a weirdo though. It’s all the other things I clearly mentioned but you are pretending never happened just to somehow make you feel better about yourself.
PoloGrounds62
He’s in the Rich Hill category now
VegasSDfan
1 year 8-10 million, a bunch of team will be making offers for him
RicoD
Don’t sleep on the Rays
tstats
I agree
mt in baltimore
Agreed. The Rays would be an ideal home for him—if it’s not all about the money.
rocky7
Don’t think he’s AL East material…remember he’s got that nervous condition and given 18-19 games against the Yankees, Red Sox, and Blue Jays over the course of the season with each teams rabid fans, doubt he’d want to jump into that frying pan…..
gbs42
rocky, he pitched for the Dodgers, not exactly a stress-free environment.
windmill_noise_causes_cancer
“OMG, I’m in Toronto!!!1! AHHHHH!!1!” Learn a bit about anxiety, please.
48-team MLB
Stop posting these as if they’re actually making progress on the CBA. The season will be canceled at this rate.
JoeBrady
Okay everyone! 48-team says we must no longer discuss baseball.
dsett75
I said my Tigers, but I could see them trading for a top end starter. If not, Greinke at the back end wouldn’t be bad, imho.
stymeedone
Perfect mentor for the Tigers young arms, plus reliable innings on a short, likely one year contract.
JoeBrady
stymeedone
Perfect mentor for the Tigers young arms
================================
Why would he make a perfect mentor, other than the fact that he’s old? I would presume that folks with social anxiety issues would be less likely to take those leadership roles.
stymeedone
because he is a pitcher, not a thrower. Having social anxiety does not mean he hides in the corner when he’s not on the mound. One person on one conversations will take place.
geg42
I would have him teacher everyone the eephus pitch. I mean, not just pitchers. Any position player who could possibly pitch in a blowout. The eephus messes with hitters timing. And so fun to watch.
Yankee Clipper
Seems like a good stadium for him to pitch in too.
BSHH
The Tigers seem to be a almost ideal spot for him indeed. With Turnbull hopefully coming back next year, they will need a short-term starter, something Greinke can provide. They will not face any CBT problems (like some other potential suitors) and could pay Greinke easily more than $ 10m. Getting a borderline HoF-pitcher as a mentor for their young starters (even Rodriguez is not that old) should be additionally enticing.
Greinke would find mostly pitcher-friendly confines and be out of the blinding limelight. If he manages to keep up an ERA below 4.25 and the rest of the Tigers continue to progress, he may even have a slight chance of a postseason appearance. However, chasing a ring with Detroit this season figures to be extremely difficult (whereas the Tigers would be the best bet for this endeavor).
Gruß,
BSHH
tstats
Borderline HOF??? Greinke will walk into the hall
sufferforsnakes
Geez, I can walk into the Hall, too. In fact, it’s probably the only way to get in.
Yanks2
Red Sox. Chris Sale is a shell of his former self. They need the rotation depth in the form of Greinke
vtbaseball
“A shell of his former self,” LMAO. You have no evidence to support such a foolish statement.
tstats
He was bad down the stretch unless it was a bad team
MC Tim C
He made 9 starts coming off TJ and posted a 3.16 ERA with 52 K’s in 42 innings. Nothing about that is bad.
Baseball 1600
giants maybe since they Sammy Long is slated as the #5 starter right now, they may go for something cheaper though
thecoffinnail
I think he is going to want a chance at a championship over money. He already has his big contract. If he picks team over best offer seems perfect for the Rays and the type of pitcher they would sign. Probably the Giants if it’s for the paycheck. Possibly the Angels.
Baseball 1600
I don’t see why the Giants wouldn’t give him a chance at a chip, personally
ck420
The Mariners would be a good place for him to mentor some young pitchers and take one last chance at getting a ring
muskie73
Incoming Seattle lefthander Robbie Ray credits Zack Greinke for critical help with Ray’s delivery when the two were members of the Arizona rotation:
mlb.com/news/robbie-ray-d-backs-new-delivery
stymeedone
Evidently that advice didn’t kick in until last year in Toronto.
angelsfan4life
I voted Angels. They need to add a veteran starter, that can help mentor the young pitchers the Angels have. With the 6 man rotation, he would have more to test between starts.
Vizionaire
he’s a pariah in halo land.
HEHEHATE
Greinke’s always been about the money. Don’t see a potential ring dictating the dollars over this one.
worthington
The money won’t be that much. He’s only hanging around for the ring.
tstats
Greinke always has been about pitching
positively_broad_st
I predicted Tigers on the free agent contest. May as well stick to it here. Haha…
kellyoubreisgod
He will probably be in that crew of Zimmerman, Lester and Seager of great veteran players who had a few years left but retired because of manclown’s sorry ahh lockout
positively_broad_st
Don’t see Grienke in the northeast. Of NY, Philly and Boston, I’d say Boston would have the best chance.
Ducky Buckin Fent
I’ll take the field.
I keep forgetting about him. I remember when he said, “I would have trouble in New York.” So haven’t really considered him as an option for the Yanks this offseason. Personally, I think he’d fill those 100+ starter innings it looks like we’ll need rather capably.
He’s become a crazy Interesting pitcher too. He actually throws change ups harder than his fastball. Which…man, that’s confounding.
Yankee Clipper
I’m with you. I’ll never forget how a big-league pitcher said he wouldn’t want to pitch in NY (or similar market) because of the anxiety. Mind-blowing, but I get that anxiety isn’t predictable and doesn’t fit into a nest box for people that suffer from it.
He won’t be going to a big-market place with rabid fans like NY, BOS, LAD, etc. I could see the O’s, they have money and are no pressure. I could envision the Twins, if they spend more than $20M on their payroll. Maybe the Angels?
Ducky Buckin Fent
He pitched in LA though.
Man, I still go back to The City sometimes. But, I cut LA out of my atlas. To each their own. Even when it doesn’t make sense.
I could see the Twins. That’s a good call.
Yankee Clipper
Hm, yeah, I didn’t really consider the Angels and Dodgers the same, but that’s a good point. Still similar markets.
schellis 2
Similar market much different fan base and reporters.
BlueGreatDane
The Orioles could use someone to eat innings while pitching a sub-5.00 ERA, as their youngsters continue to develop. I just can’t see them shelling out the dollars, and I doubt Zack wants to pitch for team with a zero percent chance of making the post season. He doesn’t need the money, so if he chooses to stay around it would make sense he’d want to pitch for a contender.
notagain27
Universal DH is going to cost guys like Greinke jobs. Prior to Universal DH pitcher’s like Greinke could get a fat paycheck pitching in the Senior Circuit. When you figure the Pitcher’s spot hitting 2-3 times per game and another couple easy outs in the lineup, a veteran guy like Greinke could easily maneuver his way through that type of lineup for a quality start.
GarryHarris
Can you explain your reasoning? The DH in the AL didn’t take any jobs away from pitchers in 1973 so how will it now?
Adding the DH to the AL in 1973, actually reduced the roles of pinch hitters and encouraged the rosters to have good full-time offensive players, super-subs and extra Ps to replace the Pinch Hitters. It gave older hitters such as Orlando Cepeda (BOS), Frank Robinson (CAL), Tommy Davis (BAL), Deron Johnson (OAK), Tony Oliva (MIN), Alex Johnson (TEX), Frank Howard (DET) and Jim Ray Hart (NYY) and good hitters but handicapped defenders such as Hal McRae (KCR), Carlos May (CHW) and Oscar Gamble (CLE) more exposure.
dsett75
Harold Baines, Edgar Martinez & probably even Eddie Murray, even though he played alotta 1B too, wouldn’t be in the HOF if it weren’t for the DH.
GarryHarris
Don’t forget Paul Molitor.
I was just referring to 1973 alone. There’s a good list every year after.
spidertac
Hard to call him an upgrade at this point in his career. Why not just list every team on the poll?
HalosHeavenJJ
So hard to predict. I do think the top 3 of Atlanta, SF, LA are legit favorites when you factor in likely contract plus chance to win.
The ballparks of the NL West also help a guy who gives up contact keep the ball in the yard.
Vizionaire
i voted the dodgers.
GarryHarris
I said Cardinals especially after they acquired Hill and Lester to go with Wainwright mid season last year.
mrperkins
You mean Happ? I think Greinke would like the atmosphere of playing for competitive team without the huge media glare so St Louis appeals there. Add in an all-world defence to back him now that he pitches mostly to cantact and it looks like a good match….as soon as one of the arms in rotation go down. I really want to believe Mikolos is healthy but I have fallen for it before. And I am not convinced Flaherty is truly healthy. His stuff still got people out but his command seemed down even before the lat injury and the Cardinals love to wait until spring training and then decide their pitcher needs to have surgery and miss a year.
GarryHarris
You are correct. Autocorrect changed Happ to Hill and I didn’t catch it.
The Cards’ pitching staff seems like a junkyard right now.
Yep it is
Zack will have his choice and it won’t be some team without a chance to win. Guy is baseball smart and knows the teams strength and weakness better than most. I have followed him since his days as a Royal pick. He goes to the beat of a different drummer but is intelligent. Later in life as we moved around a family member was part of a team with him. That team told him you can speak to anyone but Zack, make sure if he speaks to you speak back but no starting a conversation. He was was of the most unusual characters on the team but never doubted how he would perform.
BlueSkies_LA
Back when the Dodgers allowed Greinke to sign with the D’backs, Rick Honeycutt said he was the kind of pitcher who could pitch effectively into his late 30s. Turns out Honeycutt knew what he was talking about.
Rsox
You can pretty much scratch the Red Sox/Yankees/Mets/Phillies of the list as he will never pitch in those markets. The A’s/Pirates/Guardians/Reds are out due to money. Even if he doesn’t sign a multi-year deal he will still be more expensive than they will be willing to pay. He won’t go back to the Dodgers since everyone is the same as when he left in the first place. Ditto he won’t go back to Arizona, he never wanted to sign there in the first place and only signed because the union forced him to.
That eliminates 10 teams. Orioles/Marlins/Rays/Rockies are probably not seriously in contention for his services. While a homecoming to KC would be a fun story the Royals/Twins/Nationals are not even really fringe contenders as of this writing.
That realistically leaves the Astros/Angels/Rangers/Blue Jays/White Sox/Tigers/Mariners/Braves/Cubs/Cardinals/Brewers/Giants/Padres as legitimate possible destinations for Grienke
amk1920
Most of the 2015 team is gone from the Dodgers lol. Puig was the one who he didn’t want there anyways.
Rsox
Mostly the same front office/coaching staff which were why he opted out in the first place
amk1920
Back to the Dodgers with his pal Kersh. Rotation of Buehler, Urias, Bauer, Kershaw, Greinke
BlueSkies_LA
Bauer? Zero chance. Absolutely zero.
Apparently you also forgot they signed Heaney.
amk1920
I’ll admit I forgot about Heaney lol. But as for Bauer, please enlighten me on why the Dodgers are going to eat 60 million for him to go? He’s not getting suspended a whole season and he has almost 100 games in suspension credit built up. There is no scenario where he is unavailable for all of 2022.
BlueSkies_LA
I don’t want to start yet another debate over Bauer, so no, I’m not going to go there. The comments on stories about him here are closed for a good reason. I will simply say, feel free to tell me I was wrong if he ever does put on a uniform again for the Dodgers. And just for the record, he was on administrative leave for exactly half of last season.
amk1920
I’m not in the “I told you so business over Bauer”. it’s a sticky situation. I will say I told you so on the Dodgers farm not being middle of the pack 🙂
BlueSkies_LA
Well, that’s what the evaluators still say. So you really just imagine you told me so. On the other thing we’ll just have to wait for it. Nothing is happening soon, that much we know.
amk1920
Keith Law just ranked them #1 overall
BlueSkies_LA
Linkage?
Peart of the game
I said Diamondbacks because there’s such a void in the back of their rotation as their fifth best starter is likely Dan Straily.
Rsox
He never wanted to play for Arizona to begin with. The players union pressured him to sign because they offered the most money and it would be bad for future players if he left money on the table to play where he actually wanted to. That should be a note to the players; the union only cares that you get paid, they could care less if its where you want to be
BlueSkies_LA
Linkage? I thought so.
In reality the offer he got from the D’backs was only slightly better than the one he supposedly got from the Dodgers, but he said he was impressed by the direction they were taking in Arizona and at the time it did look like they were building. So that’s what we actually know about his thought process. Implying that Grienke hasn’t got one is by itself kind of absurd.
brucenewton
Mariners
AlienBob
The Mariners are an interesting fit. They need a No. 2 SP. Greinke has become a right handed Jamie Moyer. He could eat innings and mentor the younger guys. I would prefer a younger arm like Carlos Rodon who should be cheaper than Greinke. I wouldn’t pay him $35M but we shall see what Dipoto wants to do.
brucenewton
Yeah, good park, infield defense and a contender. He may want too much.
Rsox
Grienke immediately gives the Mariners rotation credibility and could be the kind of signing that pushes them over the top and gets them to the playoffs
angt222
Resigns with Astros for one more go at a World Series title.
lumber and lighting
Dude has zero allegiance.He will go pitch for whoever pays him the most.He has stated many times he owes it to his family to earn as much as he can on every contract.I’m going to say Astros
because of the state tax’s on a two yr deal with mutual option on yr 2.
tstats
I chose the Rays but I see a slight flaw in that being the bandboxes of ALE. An interesting destination for Donald would be Miami. He could mentor the young staff and provide injury depth and honestly the ability to trade some guys for a true CF. It’s not like the NLE offensive output is insane anyway so it might help him put the finishing touches on his career and help mentor a staff of young arms
mike156
The guy is almost certainly a Hall of Famer. He still has some innings left in his arm, and there are a number of contending teams that could use a stable 150-160 IP at the back of the rotation because every team, sooner or later, gets hit with the injury bug. His ERA was 3.41 before his August 29th start, and then he had a rough go of it the rest of the year. Age, fatigue, something organic? Hard to tell. You wouldn’t sign that pitcher, but you’d certainly take what preceded it. So, what’s reasonable to expect?
mlb1225
Greinke is a good fit on a team who already has 2-3 established starters. Since 2008, he’s pitched less than 170 innings just once, except for the 2020 season. He might not be the low-3 to sub-3 ERA pitcher he once was, but he’ll give you a 3.50-4.00 ERA and 180 IP. I voted Braves because I think that’s a perfect fit. Slot him in behind Anderson, Morton, and Fried and you have a formidable 1-4.
Sid Bream Speed Demon
He isn’t signing in the AL East. He doesn’t want to have to risk pitching multiple times in NYC and Boston. The Twins would make a lot of sense.
BlueGreatDane
I think you’re most likely correct. But he would be an interesting addition to the Blue Jays.
Bart Harley Jarvis
I’m hoping Hang Hunter Pence has the courage to overturn the results of this Greinke ballot.
mitchladd
I picked him for my Cards because he’s a player the fans in this city have coveted for a while and honestly with our infield defense we’re probably his best fit talent wise and Greinke is the kind of pitcher that would take that into account when picking a team.
Chicago Whales
I voted Milwaukee Brewers. They need innings and insurance. They have a solid top 3 for playoff starts but none of their pitchers go very deep. Counsel hooks to early and if a guy like ZG gets thrown in as a number 5 and can give you 7 innings or maybe 8 it would give that pen a breather. Plus, the guy can still get hitters out and he’s going to be going against some pretty weak teams in Pittsburgh and Chicago so he would be successful. And on a short term deal MKE has the money. I’d say 1 year with an option.
fullzvision
I would love to see him in a Jays uniform and see what Pete Walker could do with him on a 1-2 year deal. Wont happen but can always have a shred of hope
MC Tim C
I voted for the Cubs. They have nothing behind Hendricks and Stroman and Greinke should have a reasonable salary. He would be a good one season rotation filler.
batman123
Sign and trade at the deadline
kcmap
St. Louis…excellent defense, big ballpark, very good fanbase, good offense, chance to win it all.
boastrogot
are these polls just popularity contests?
jim stem
Having gone 32-9 since he turned 35 is nothing to scoff at. He’s just the type of pitcher I can envision the Mets signing with a two year contract loaded with incentives.
deGrom
Scherzer
Walker
Greinke
Carrasco/Peterson/Megill
With those 7, innings can easily be managed with routine days off and skipped turns. And with the Mets injury history, that’s some really nice depth.
Rsox
New York media market. He won’t go there
masisk33
The Twins need him badly. But I would bet on the Dodgers signing him for 2022. Maybe he gets 2 years, maybe not. He might be ready to retire after this next summer.
cobbalicious
I really want him to sign with the royals. Story book ending for greinke and the young royals pitchers will get tremendous training from him.
Weasel 2
That’s one unique guy. He’ll sign wherever he personally wants. Regardless of the teams prognosis. When AZ stole him from LA he actually laughed about how much more $$$ they offered.
He knows the value of a dollar but also understands the absurdity of the free agency circus.
martevious
At the current speed of negotiations between the league and the players, he won’t be signed by anyone! Neither will anyone else.
Baseball, by far, is the most dysfunctional sport out there. The owners and players are both ruining it.
TJT88
Do you think he will pull a 2011 Pedro and sign mid season with a contender?
metvibes
I don’t care .
gbs42
^ Tell me you care without saying you care.
TJT88
As a Met fan I’m hopeful he will view the Mets as a potential contender this season and be interested. However, my heart tells me he’s gonna head back home to KC for one last go around before retirement.
Logjammer D"Baggagecling
Voted Royals so he could come full circle end his career where he started
CrikesAlready
Preller/Padres: 10-year, $200 million guaranteed, full no trade clause.
Don’t believe me?
Think I’m being sarcastic?
This is AJ Preller I’m talking about!
CoachDan
it seems like a lot of people don’t understand social anxiety disorders.
Zack walked away during ST and missed 2 months of the season (not a year) learning to cope with something he didn’t even know or understand what it was. He was placed on Zoloft by a doctor and has handled it well ever since.
His anxieties aren’t caused by large crowds, but more by small social interactions and pressure he puts on himself. He is fine out on the field pitching, but if you have ever heard him interviewed it’s painful sometimes.
There can be little doubt he can be quirky but he doesn’t hurt anyone with his quirky ways.
I love the way the guy has adapted his game to stay competitive after losing a couple of feet off his fastball. He became this era’s Greg Maddux relying on pin point control, changing speeds, etc
I love watching him pitch and selfishly hope he gets signed somewhere so I can keep watching him… that said, I don’t want to see him getting lit up every outing. His HR rate has been too high lately and swing and miss down but he still has games that he’s in control.
I have to say he’s one of my Top Ten all time favorite players and I genuinely hope he is inducted in the HOF… though I think it’s not going to be a first ballot selection but maybe after a few years he will make it… Come on Zack 1 more year, finishing on a good note that your fans can enjoy .. and boost those HOF numbers
❤️ MuteButton
Baseball is better with him in it. From a selfish perspective I hope he pitches next year.