Only three days removed from the introductory press conference for Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, the adulation of the organization was tempered when Zack Greinke agreed to sign with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Greinke’s deal with Arizona is for six years and $206.5 million. He officially signed the contract on Tuesday.
Greinke’s $34.42 million average annual value of sets a new Major League Baseball record. That was previously held by Miguel Cabrera and David Price at a $31 million average.
Price held the record for starting pitchers a mere three days after officially signing his seven-year, $217 million contract with the Boston Red Sox on Friday.
The Dodgers are now left to find a pitcher to slot behind Clayton Kershaw in their starting rotation. Hisashis Iwakuma reportedly agreed to a three-year, $45 million contract, though Los Angeles is still on the hunt for another pitcher — with Miami Marlins ace Jose Fernandez among the targets.
Greinke’s decision to sign with the Diamondbacks, who entered the sweepstakes late, surprised many. Speaking from the Winter Meetings, Roberts said Kershaw was disappointed but also understanding of Greinke signing with the Diamondbacks, via MLB.com:
“I think as a player, it’s somebody that you’re friends with and you’re invested in on a personal level. So I think that I can speak to that. So he was disappointed but understands the economic side of things. So obviously, you lose a teammate, but he’s excited about the direction this organization is going in.”
As Roberts said would be the case, he spent time meeting with Kershaw and beginning the process of developing a connection with the left-handed ace on Sunday.
Whereas Don Mattingly had the safety net that was the combination of Kershaw and Greinke, Roberts currently only has the comfort of one ace on his staff.
Greinke was 51-15 with a 2.30 ERA, including 28-5 with a 2.04 ERA at Dodger Stadium over the past three seasons. During that same stretch Kershaw went 53-19 with a 1.91 ERA, and 29-11 with a 1.64 ERA at home.
The duo helped power the Dodgers to three consecutive National League West division titles for the first time in franchise history, and three straight seasons of at least 90 wins for the first time since 1976-78. However, they were unable to end the franchise’s 27-year World-Series drought.
