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Zack Greinke opts out of Dodgers contract, leaves $71 mln on table

November 4, 2015

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Zack Greinke reacts after a fly ball goes over his head during the second inning of a spring training baseball exhibition game against the Chicago Cubs in Mesa, Ariz., on Wednesday, March 11, 2015. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

By Brian Han

Zack Greinke officially became the hottest commodity on the free agent market Wednesday after opting out of his contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to fans and teams alike that the bonafide ace decided to test the waters. The 32-year-old is pretty much guaranteed to command more money than he did with his former 6-year $147 million contract following an almost untouchable performance during the 2015 regular season.

He led the league with a 1.66 ERA through 222 2/3 innings pitched, and is a contender for the National League Cy Young Award — an honor he earned in the American League back in 2009 when he was still with his first team and 2015 World Series champs, the Kansas City Royals.

Greinke finished with a 19-3 record, which by most accounts should have been better had it not been for a sterile Dodgers offense whenever he was on the mound.

After earning $25 million in this last season, opting out means he’s leaving $71 million of otherwise guaranteed contract money on the table.

Unlike other major American sports, baseball holds no salary cap so the sky is the ceiling for him. Not only will he be looking for a bigger payday, he and his sports agency will most likely be on the prowl for a long term contract since he’s about to enter his 13th season in the major leagues.

To put things into perspective, 31-year-old Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer commanded a 7-year $210 million contract last year.

The main difference here is that Greinke has a lot more mileage on him aside from an extra season of pitching. In fact, he has 600+ more innings pitched in the big leagues compared to Scherzer.

But Greinke doesn’t rely on heaters as much as someone like Scherzer does, which could be an argument for his longevity and effectiveness down the road.

The free agent has expressed that he likes playing for the Dodgers, so it’s just a matter of whether the two parties can see eye to eye on his long term value.

The Dodgers still have arguably one of the best pitchers of all time leading the way in 27-year-old Clayton Kershaw, but there are more than a few question marks behind him in the rotation.

South Korean lefty Ryu Hyun-jin battled shoulder issues in the 2015 preseason and didn’t get to pitch a single inning in the regular season after undergoing a shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum.

Brett Anderson exceeded expectations simply by staying healthy all throughout the season, but probably shouldn’t be the third starter in a rotation with pretty much no salary restrictions.

With the Dodgers’ notorious spending habits ($310 million in 2015), they are probably looking at spending a good amount on getting Greinke back.

If that doesn’t work out there are other very capable free agents out there including David Price, Johnny Cueto, Jordan Zimmerman and Scott Kazmir.