What broke on Saturday is now official: Zack Greinke is the newest Los Angeles Dodger.
Greinke signed the biggest contract in baseball history for right-handed pitchers with a six-year, $147 million deal. He'll team with Clayton Kershaw at the top of a rotation that features a Cy Young Award for each. And hopefully many more to come.
Why did Magic Johnson and the boys bring Greinke in? Simply put, they want to win.
And having all that cash doesn't hurt either. But hey, I'm not telling you anything you don't already know.
Now that Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu have been added to the rotation, there's suddenly some decisions that have to be made. The three most likely on the outside looking in are Aaron Harang, Chris Capuano, and Ted Lilly. Perhaps one of them will be kept for long relief/spot duty, perhaps more than one will, or perhaps all of them will be moved. Ned Colletti has some options to consider as the winter gets colder.
Of course, the question had to be asked to Greinke about why he chose the Dodgers. For one, he said on paper, he realizes how good they are. He also is happy that every year of his contract, they'll have good players.
And lastly, just for good measure, the money didn't hurt either. No kidding!
Now that he's signed, I'm sure guys like Anibal Sanchez and Kyle Lohse will be next in line, as the Greinke signing was holding up pretty much everything else. As for the Dodgers, they'll switch their focus to offense, such as utility players in the infield and outfield. There's also the issue of extending Kershaw, who has to be smiling just a bit after seeing the numbers tossed at Greinke and Ryu. Lord only know what kind of deal he'll get, as he absolutely deserves whatever is coming to him.
I'm definitely looking forward to watching this rotation next year, as the Dodgers have to feel like they have a great chance of winning no matter who is out there. If these guys continue to put up the numbers they're capable of, then look out.
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