Zack Greinke (40), the “nerd pitcher” who played with Hyun-jin Ryu (36) on the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2013-2015, is seeking an extension. With free agent Ryu Hyun-jin also unable to find a new team, the question is when and how Greinke’s destination will be decided.
On June 6 (KST), US sports media outlet The Athletic reported that Greinke wants to extend his contract this year. Born in 1983, Greinke is 40 years old, but his poor performance last year raised the possibility of retirement.
However, Greinke continued to express his desire to extend his career, and despite not finding a new team, he remained committed as spring training approached in February. Finding a new team is taking time, as he went 2-15 with a 5.06 ERA in 30 games (27 starts-142⅓ innings) last year, his worst performance since 2005 (5.80).
The Athletic asked,
‘Why didn’t Greinke just retire? It’s futile to try to read his mind, even for those close to him.” “Greinke is just 21 strikeouts away from becoming the 20th pitcher in major league history to reach 3,000. ‘He has three sons under the age of 10 and enjoys watching them play,’ 카지노사이트 he said, speculating on his decision to extend his career.
Now that he’s delayed his retirement, the focus is on which team he’ll finish his career with. ‘He just needs to find the right team for him,’ said The Athletic. With the additions of Seth Lugo and Michael Waka, a return to Kansas City has become nearly impossible.
After signing Lugo to a three-year, $45 million deal and Waka to a two-year, $32 million deal in free agency, Kansas City has a five-man starting lineup with Cole Reagans, Brady Singer, and Jordan Lyles. They also have backup options in Alec Marsh, Daniel Lynch, and Chris Vucevic, so Gronkie is not a necessity.
In addition to Lugo and Wacha, Kansas City has signed a slew of semi-regular free agents, including relievers Chris Stranton (two years, $8 million) and Will Smith (one year, $5 million), infielders Adam Frazier (one year, $4.5 million) and Garrett Hampson (one year, $2 million), and outfielder Hunter Renfroe (two years, $13 million). There’s not a lot of financial room to spend on Greinke.
Greinke has a Hall of Fame career ahead of him, even if he retires now.
The right-hander, who was drafted by Kansas City with the sixth overall pick in the first round of the 2002 draft, made his major league debut in 2004 and won the American League (AL) Cy Young Award in 2009 after going 16-8 with a 2.16 ERA and 242 strikeouts in 33 games (229⅓ innings). Since then, he has spent 20 full seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Houston Astros before returning to his hometown of Kansas City in 2022.
In 586 games (541 starts-3389⅓ innings), he has a record of 225-156-1 with a 3.49 ERA and 2979 strikeouts. He ranks first in innings pitched, second in wins, and third in strikeouts among active pitchers. In addition to winning the 2009 Cy Young Award, he is a six-time All-Star, two-time ERA leader, six-time Gold Glove winner, and two-time Silver Slugger. He also signed two big free agent contracts: a six-year, $147 million deal with the Dodgers in December 2012 (with an opt-out after three years) and a six-year, $26.5 million deal with Arizona in December 2015. He has a reputation for being an outspoken, outspoken, outspoken, outspoken, and outspoken.
Gronkie returned to Kansas City in 2022 and re-signed for one year and $8.5 million last year.
But his body hasn’t been the same, with two stints on the disabled list with shoulder tendinitis and elbow pain. His average velocity on his four-seam fastball dropped to 89.5 mph (144.0 km/h), and his walks increased to 1.58 per nine innings. At 40 years old, a rebound is unlikely.
The unsigned free agents on the market, ranging from top-tier starters like Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery to mid-level free agents like Hyun-jin Ryu, 토토사이트 추천 Michael Lorenzen, and Mike Clevinger, could also be a factor in Greinke’s delayed decision.
Greinke has accomplished almost everything as a player, but if there’s one thing he’s missing, it’s a World Series title. He made it to the World Series twice with Houston in 2019 and 2021, but couldn’t get over the hump and had to settle for a runner-up finish. With a return to Kansas City now seemingly out of reach, a call-up to a World Series contender could be just what Greinke needs.